I used to obsessively throw large dinner parties. They were more like indoor picnics since there were usually about 17 guests and a definitely did not own a table large enough to seat everyone. We would spread a big cloth on the living room floor and set it with candles and my grandmother’s china. My…
Tag: spring
Baby Turnip Fairytale- Turnip and Chicken Tagine with Green Olives and Preserved Lemon
I pride myself on loving strong flavours. I like gamey meat, fishy fish, aged cheese, spice, all things fermented and pickled, bitterness and sourness in my sweetness. So, I really want to love turnips. But I just don’t. I love radishes and parsnips, but I find turnips very difficult to deal with. They are very…turnip…
Strawberry Rhubarb Slump (with gluten-free dumplings)
I have been haunted lately by a vague memory of our Estonian grandmother making stewed fruit (plums I think) with delicious little dumplings and streaks of goat milk. It basically the sweet version of her vegetable soup with goat milk broth and dumplings. I have done a bit of research and I have learned that…
For the Love of Sourness- Rhubarb Chutney
My maternal grandparents lived in a white farm house with a red roof and a veranda that wrapped around two sides. I have a lot of affectionate for the trees and plants that grew directly around that house. These were the plants that my grandma and great grandma has chosen to encircle the house….a…
Naked and Imperfect Nettle and Wild Garlic Dumplings (Gluten-Free), Rocket and Radish Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette
I ate nettles for the first time when were traveling in Bulgaria eight years ago. There they are served sauteed with poached eggs, rolled with farmers cheese in balls studded with walnuts or made into soups and fritters. The food in Bulgaria was really excellent. This may have changed since they joined the European Union,…
Almond, Fennel,Tempeh Burgers topped with Shiitaki and Swiss Cheese (Gluten-free or not)
I am not a lover of veggie burgers. I am a lover of vegetables. I am a lover of meaty burgers. The very idea that vegetables should try to pretend to be meat makes me feel sad, but the reality of a lump of sad pretend meat on my plate makes me even sadder. All…
Flower and Pheasant Egg Salad
My sister Silvi has been visiting me in New York City. Usually when she comes to visit, I work her to exhaustion helping me build puppets for some show or another and then tearfully beg her to extend her trip another month. This is the first time that she has come to see me just…
Tofu Salad with Mint and Toasted Rice Powder
Many of the Thai dishes that I have learned to cook are part of my attempt to recreate restaurant dishes that I like. This recipe is different. It is from a very creative and inspiring cookbook called True Thai, The Modern Art of Thai Cooking by Victor Sodsook. I do not think that I have ever…
Spring Lamb Stew/ Rabbit in Savoury Chocolate Sauce. Happy Easter!
I am the sort of person who has dishes that I like to make every year for holiday meals and Easter is no exception. I like to make Lamb and Bunny. However, the dishes that I like to make with Lamb and Bunny are a bit expensive and very involved, and I have been unable…
A Composed Spring Salad Inspired by Estonian Rosolje and Bird’s Nests
Today I received an Easter message from my mother in law. She wrote- “Life is full of promise! God is with us – and before us! We can choose to act on that!” She also wrote about all of the beautiful early spring plants that are coming up in Tennessee. I thought about her lovely…
Big Sis Little Dish 