Sauces
What is a Quince? Try This Lovely, Easy Compote
Every winter, alongside the persimmons and pomegranates, you’ll see these rather lumpy, pear-shaped fruits called quinces. If you aren’t familiar with them, you might even buy one, take it home, and wait for it to ripen, or take a bite. The hard, tannic fruit will come as a shocking surprise, and you might well toss the quince in the trash, never to buy one again. That would be a real shame, since the true character of this unique fruit is only revealed wwhen you simmer it for a good bit, and the fruit softens and releases an enticing perfume.
African Peanut Sauce with Purple Sweet Potato Fries
When I say “Peanut Sauce,” do you think, Thai? Or something sweet, like Peanut Butter Caramel? Well, there are peanuts ground into sauces in many cuisines of the world. Like this African Style Peanut Sauce. A little spicy, with juicy tomatoes and sweetly sauteed onions and garlic, this one makes a pan of crispy purple sweet potato fries into a meal. Adults and kids alike love peanut butter, and will love this sauce, which can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for snacks or meals.
Springtime Radish Salsa with Avocado
When radishes are fresh and crisp, it’s time to make salsa! Don’t relegate your radishes to a boring crudite plate or a salad, make them into a peppery, tangy salsa and celebrate Spring.
Make Mango Salsa for a Summery Bite
When the weather is warm, I find myself making fresh salsas a few times a week. I’m convinced that you can make a chip-worthy salsa out of most anything, especially fruit. If I’ve got fruit, limes and chilies, I’m good to go. Apples, bananas, berries, and yes, mangoes. Mango salsa is a little more authentic, as mangoes grow in the tropical parts of Latin America and have long been featured in salsas. The juicy, sweet-tart fruit lends itself to being transformed into a myriad of fresh sauces, including this easy Mango Salsa.
Cauliflower Gratin, a French Classic
In this gratin, we channel the wisdom of French chefs since time immemorial and whisk up a rich sauce, then blanket our cauliflower with it and run it under the broiler to give it a toasty browned top.
Learn to Love Eggplant in Nam Prik
Nam Prik (or Phrik) is a dish with many many faces in its country of origin. Eggplant Nam Prik is a version of the Nam Prik Kapi of Central Thailand. It always contains chilies, but beyond that, the heat might be carried on a base of vegetables, fruits, nuts, even seafood. The classic balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet makes the puree into a tasty dip. In this version, I skipped the fermented shrimp and fish sauce, in favor of a simple dash of tamari.
Go Nuts for Nutty Dukkah and Gomasio
Once you have these made, just store them in a jar in the refrigerator. They keep for a couple of months, if they last that long. Whether you sprinkle dukkah on a salad, or a bowl of hummus, you’ll be so glad you have it. Gomasio makes its way onto everything from a bowl of quinoa to a toasted bagel at my house. I know it will make your life more delicious, too!
Blue Roasted Garlic Mash with Miso Gravy, Side Dishes For Comfort in 2020
2020 has been a year to remember, hasn’t it? With everything that is going on, we are all seeking comfort where we can find it. That’s why I wanted to share a snazzy holiday side dish that you can eat all winter long, when that craving for something creamy and comforting comes along.
The BEST Way to Save Fresh Basil
Freezing basil the best way to save it. I’ve tried drying it, and it always seems like a waste of good basil. I’ve developed this method, which is simple, and avoids some of the pitfalls that can befall other methods.
Try Peach Chutney with Mint
It was time to move some of my peaches into the savory realm, and enjoy them alongside an Indian-inspired meal. I love chutneys, and find that just about any fruit can be made into a respectable one.
Get Crabby with Jackfruit-An Appealing Appetizer
Plant-Based Meats are Hot! We've been watching the world of non-meat "meats" expand and evolve over the last few years, with great anticipation. Whether you are excited about the possibility of stunningly realistic fakes, or could care less if they seem just like the...
Try Palapa, Filipino Flavors Make Meal Prep Easy
I'll tell you up front. I've never been to the Philippines. I'm not an expert on "authentic" regional cuisine of the Philippines, if there is such a thing. But I love trying the flavors of faraway places, especially when they are perfect for adding to plant-based...
Roast Rainbow Carrots to Pour Over Wild Rice for a Colorful Meal
I've spent many hours of my life contemplating the phenomenal success of certain foods, and the seeming failure of others to break through. You might think, " well, oh, of course the winner is the most delicious, right?"It may in fact be a delicious food. But I fear...
Roast Your Tomatoes for Effortless Pastas and More
After a summer of watchful waiting, watering, and wondering, the tomato harvest is finally here. The cherry tomatoes came first, giving us the taste we craved, as we hovered over the green tomatoes hanging heavily on the vine. Now I can stroll out to my tomato garden...
Is Evercrisp the Next Big Apple?
What's your favorite apple? I have been smitten with the Honeycrisp ever since that Minnesota born juggernaut took me by the tastebuds. You could divide my apple life into BH (Before Honeycrisp) and AH (After Honeycrisp.) It was that big. There have been new apples...
Kale, The Gift That Keeps on Giving, and Kale Pesto Tartines
Around this time of the summer, the zucchini cartoons start appearing in the paper. Gardeners are creeping around in the dark of night, unloading zucchini on unsuspecting neighbors. My question for everyone trying to unload their zucchini is, have you ever grown kale?...
Try Sweet Corn Sambal with Krupuk, for an Indonesian-Flavored Summer Dip
There's a point in the summer when fruits and vegetables are at peak, and the challenge is to fully appreciate this moment when melons taste like melons, tomatoes really taste like tomatoes, and sweet corn sends you into a Proustian reverie. The food practically falls...
Kamut-Chickpea Naan with Banana Chutney- Whole Grain Riot of Flavor
The ever-evolving tradition of bringing a basket of breads to the table at restaurants is often a quandary. The reason you are there is because you are hungry, so it's very easy to dig into a basket of warm rolls and ruin your appetite. On the other hand, the breads...
This Thanksgiving Try Coconut-Wasabi Potatoes with Miso Gravy and Crisped Sage
Perhaps I am stating the obvious, but, Thanksgiving is this week. Everyone here in Minnesota has been too busy enjoying the extra bonus round of Summer, oblivious to the holidays right around the corner. I never got around to raking the last of the leaves, but here we...
Tomato Jam is My Jam, the Easy Way to Savor and Save Tomatoes
Do you ever suffer from "canning guilt?" That's when you see flats of berries and crates of tomatoes, all at peak flavor and ripeness, and think, " I should really get some jars and lids and put up some some of this gorgeous produce, if I only had more time." And...
Raw Asparagus Salad with Summer Squash
Local asparagus is in season, and it is time to celebrate those harbingers of Spring. The supple spears are tasty, with a creamy interior, a slightly funky flavor, and they are really easy to prep, if you just lop off the tips and slice the stems. If you need any more...
A Quick Recipe for Cilantro Pesto Salsa, for a Heartier Dip
I have a confession to make. I make salsa often. It's a fallback plan on weeknights, when there are tomatoes or fruit ripening on my kitchen window sill. Chop a few tomatoes, a jalapeno, use up that half bunch of cilantro that will just go bad in the fridge. And it is...
Marinated Heirloom Tomato, Hazelnut and Basil Pasta, No-Cook, Yes Please
I don't grow very many tomatoes, but the ones I do get are very, very special to me. During this brief end of summer heyday, my 10 assorted heirloom tomato varieties ripen in waves, giving me these meal-sized assortments of tomato heaven. Today's haul was about three...
Saving Basil for Winter, Before It’s Too Late
Here in Minnesota we are having a cold snap. That may sound redundant; Minnesota and cold snap are basically synonymous in the minds of people who live in other parts of the country. But here we are sailing along with our summer, wearing shorts and waiting for the...
Keep it Simple With Salsa
It's September in Minnesota. It's the time of year when the shorts and sleeveless shirts are in the pile right next to the snuggly sweats and longsleeves, and a day might involve almost as many costume changes as a Lady Gaga show. Play it right, and cool mornings are...
Season, Savor and Sustain with Miso
There is nothing quite so perfect in this icy cold winter than a steaming bowl of soup. And a really delicious, healthy way to make a simple soup sing is miso. If you are not already a convert, miso is a salted, fermented paste from the Japanese pantry, and is often...
The Persimmon Enigma, and Persimmon Chutney
Around the holidays we start seeing some traditional fruits, like cranberries and those little mandarin oranges that everyone likes. You may also come across a gorgeous orange fruit a little bigger than those mandarins, called a persimmon.Now, you may be an old...
Start Seeing Black Pepper!
Salt and pepper are ubiquitous, such a part of our eating culture that we don't really pay them much attention. It's a shame, though, if you have ignored black pepper. Especially if you are using that horrible old pre-ground pepper that has been sitting in the shaker...
The Vegan Cheese You Make at Home
Cheese. When people hear that I wrote a vegan book, or want to talk about vegan, one topic always comes up. Cheese is often the hardest food for people to imagine giving up. Or maybe it's ice cream, or yogurt. I hear that alot- people who can't imagine life without...
Heirloom Tomato and Basil Season is Here!
To you, it's August, which may mean that the school year is almost upon you, or that it's time to get to those projects in the yard you had been putting off. For me, it's heirloom tomato season. Here in Minnesota, we wait through several frigid months of winter to...