Let’s start with some lovely wild ramps, and dress the platter with everything early spring. Spring is fickle in New England. Last week, we had some rain, fog, some sleet, a bit of snow, temperatures that hit 70, and evenings with the fireplace burning. But the rains have greened things up, the leaves are just…
Category: Main Dishes
Kale Rabe (Nipini) with Fregola and Fennel
Kale rabe? Nipini? What in the world is that? It is always fun discovering seasonal vegetables at our local farms that are not available easily elsewhere. For the past two weeks, our CSA has included an option for kale rabe or napini. Much sweeter than regular kale, this is a spring treat that will please…
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A Spring Treat: Homemade Chive Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Greens
The ice is out of Joe’s Pond! That means spring is really here in Vermont. There are signs of spring everywhere! Flowers are starting to bloom, the birds have all returned, including the Lake Champlain seagulls that spend a week or so feasting on bugs in the hayfields after snow melt. Now we can declare…
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Cookbook Confidential: “Simple” by Yotam Ottolenghi
“Simple,” by Yotam Ottolenghi, 2018, Ten Speed Press, California and New York. My friend Bernadette from New Classic Recipe (https://newclassicrecipe.com) came up with the wonderful idea to have an on-line cookbook club with some of her blog buddies. What a fun, and great way to choose a recipe or two from the books, cook them,…
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Spring Mixed Mushroom and Spinach Chowder
Spring is definitely here, but local spring crops are still a ways away, and snow squalls and flurries stubbornly dotted our week. There was some sunshine here and there, but snow stuck to the grass and trees and made driving a bit unnerving. This weekend, we’re due for more uninvited snow and an icy mix,…
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Juniper Scented Haddock with Green Olive Sauce
If you like a dry martini made with gin, you’re going to love this one! I’m not sure why juniper berries aren’t more popular here in the United States. Such a deliciously floral and citrusy spice, it has a unique flavor that blends well with so many things. If you like gin, you’re experiencing the…
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Sole with Mandarinquat and Fresh Mint Sauce
Mandarinquat? What in the world is that? At the co-op last week, in the beautifully vibrant seasonal citrus section, there was a bin of “Mandarinquats.” I had never seen or even heard of these beauties before, bigger than a kumquat, smaller than a Mandarin, and a bright orange. They exuded such a beautiful aroma, I…
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New England Lobster Étouffée
Mardi gras is tomorrow, and I’m always looking for something from the south to help celebrate the day. We take seriously all the celebrations we can in mid-February, and tossing beads and dancing to a Zydeco band is right up there with Valentine’s dinners, and the first maple sugar on snow celebrations. Oh, that flavor!…
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Feast or Fish Bait?
It’s true, smelts look a lot more like bait than a main course. But they make up for it in flavor. Right now, they are in season in New England, so you’ll find them not only in the fish markets but in the fish counters of supermarkets as well. A New England classic, these fish…
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Cookbook Confidential: A glimpse at Jewish Cookery and culture around the world
Cookbook Confidential: Roden, Claudia, (1996) “The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York,” New York, Knopf My friend Bernadette from New Classic Recipe (https://newclassicrecipe.com) came up with the wonderful idea to have an on-line cookbook club with some of her blog buddies. What a fun, and great way to choose a recipe…
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Grilled Cabbage Winter Stew with Smoked Paprika Olive Oil
Apparently, this has been a good year for cabbage, and I’m not complaining. If you live in the north, you have plenty of local cabbage available, always a staple crop. A lot going for it Big heads, green or purple, stay beautifully crisp all winter, and bulk up our farm shares along with the many…
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Pick-me-up Broccoli, Radish, and Carrot Slaw
Food is our energy, and when we find ourselves running on empty during the busiest times of year, it is good to have a little something up our sleeves for a pick-me-up. Save time, make a lot A nutrition-packed vegetable slaw tucked in the refrigerator is a great time saver. This one holds there for…
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Welcome the New Year’s first light with a scrumptious Wild Mushroom Frittata
Flavorful, craveable, and yes, of course there’s a vegan alternative as well! The festive platters have been washed and put away. The last of the Christmas cookies tucked in the freezer for safe keeping. We’ve feasted and indulged, but now we want to start the year off on a more healthful note. But, of course,…
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Penne with Broccoli Rabe and White Beans
At this time of year, our time fills up quickly with commitments, errands, and tasks. Yet, we still have to eat! It is tempting to just nibble away at that holiday tin of cookies and call it a day. Or we pick up the phone and order take-out, which is often more time consuming than…
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A Family Feast and Tradition: Tourtière, a French Canadian Meat Pie
This post is an encore holiday performance! The French Canadian Meat Pie, or “tourtière ” is a traditional dish passed down in my family, served on Christmas Eve and other special occasions, but never fear, we can even make it vegan! The story of my grandparents’ families is shared with…
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Snow Day! Winter Bean Soup with Crispy Shallot Topping
The kids had a snow day here today! Some of us are wondering why! It was a quiet weekend here, but with weather all over the place. Saturday night, the North Winds howled like banshees, knocking over heavy outdoor furniture, and bending the trees. Sunday, the winds died down, the temperatures rose to the low…
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Cookbook Confidential: An Invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey
A classic cookbook filled with timeless recipes. My friend Bernadette from New Classic Recipe (https://newclassicrecipe.com) came up with the wonderful idea to have an on-line cookbook club with some of her blog buddies. What a fun, and great way to choose a recipe or two from the books, cook them, and review them. Then, you…
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Smoked Haddock Cakes with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
You can use any smoked fish here, they are all delightful. Pan- or oven-fried cakes of any sort are an economical way to stretch a pound of smoked fish, which can be on the pricy side these days. When I was growing up, smoked and salted fish of any type was cheap food to feed…
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Mushroom and Miso Noodle Soup
Note: Some of you may not be able to comment because the Like and Comment boxes are missing, but not all of you. Happiness Engineers have yet to fix the problem. We changed the clocks this past weekend and that means sunset at 4:34 p.m. This is never happy news in my book. There had…
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Baked Sole with Grapes and an Herb Stuffing
You never know what twists and turns a recipe will take. Rarely do I make a recipe exactly same as the last. Even my favorite dishes morph until I sometimes don’t recognize them from the original. Many of the meals we have started out in some way from a recipe of my mother, aunt, grandmother,…
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Sunday Brunch Potato Crusted Quiche: Shhh, it’s Gluten and Dairy Free, too.
Don’t we love a traditional quiche? The flaky pastry filled with a creamy baked custard, cheese, and whatever little additions one might want. I first fell in love with this dish when my mom made Julia Child’s classic from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. We probably watched Julia bake it on one of her…
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So, What to do with all that fennel…
Stuffed Squash. 1/2 gallon Fennel Stock. Tomato Fennel Soup. Fennel Pesto. Toasted Fennel Au Gratin. I came home from this week’s CSA with two massive fennel bulbs complete with long stalks and the biggest toppings of frilly fronds I’ve ever seen. This was going to take a little work, and I suspected there would be…
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Hearty Tofu with Apples & Sage
Vegetarians and meat eaters alike will enjoy this taste of the season! Autumn arrived officially last week, and many of us in the north country feel more than a little cheated by the weather this year. Our summer consisted of rain, rain, rain, flooding, cold, and one exquisite week (well five days in a row)…
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Cookbook Confidential: “Bistro Cooking” by Patricia Wells
A classic from the 1989 remains timeless! My friend Bernadette from New Classic Recipe (https://newclassicrecipe.com) came up with the wonderful idea to have an on-line cookbook club with some of her blog buddies. What a fun, and great way to choose a recipe or two from the books, cook them, and review them. Then,…
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Grandmother might not recognize this Macaroni Tuna Salad…especially the vegan version!
When I was growing up, macaroni tuna salad was a simple affair: a pound of elbow macaroni, probably a store brand, a can of tuna, ditto, a cup of peas, a minced onion, and lots of gloppy mayonnaise to extend that can of tuna as far as it could go. We loved it, and for…
