Cookbooks have a life cycle: when a book is new, it’s exciting, it might get cover to cover, torn bits of paper sprouting up like so many shoots in the spring marking promising recipes. Then comes experimentation: making each of those recipes, seeing which work and which don’t. And finally – tragically – the third age […]
2 comments | Cabbage, chickpeas, Chole, cookbooks, Curry, Indian
Besides being delicious, cooking a variety of cuisines is educational – you learn the quirks of the cuisine itself, and tricks and techniques from one cuisine can enhance the understanding of others. Take the fritter: practically every culture has its little fried ball of something, its croquette, pakora, hush puppy, etc. The methods for producing […]
2 comments | falafel, Fritters, Indian, Judaism, Latkes, middle eastern, Ta'amiya
Although ostensibly a day devoted to giving thanks, Thanksgiving for many descends into gluttony – or at the very least eating a bit too much food that is a bit too rich. Whatever effect this might have on one’s soul, it definitely takes a toll on the body, as the pending post-thanksgiving naps will attest. […]
Let me start by saying I don’t like squash. I kind of hate it. It’s certainly not an aesthetic objection: nothing brightens up the drear of the fall farmers’ market quite like all the whimsical varieties of winter squash – impossible to resist! This combination of compulsive buying and strong dislike leads me to accumulate squash […]
5 comments | Acorn, Butternut, Challenge, Delicata, Fall, Indian, Kuri, Mexican, Roasting, Seasonal, Spaghetti, Squash
Like most people my age, I grew up on microwave popcorn. Actually, I have a memory of an air popper with a yellowish-brown plastic top that melted butter and shot popcorn into a bowl, but most of the popcorn eaten in my life has been made in a microwave. Which is amazing because microwave popcorn […]
5 comments | Fat, Garam Masala, Ghee, Indian, Popcorn, Salt