As much as I’d love to, I’ve never been to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.  The memory of  the great food I ate on my one trip to the Big Easy still lingers, though.

About this time of year, I always start thinking about celebrating Mardi Gras at home with some of those unforgettable flavors. There’s no way I can hope to recreate the fabulous Gulf Coast seafood where I live, of course.  But it’s not that difficult to approximate  the savory satisfaction of the muffuletta sandwiches made legendary by Central Grocery in the French quarter near the turn of the last century. Continue reading Mini muffulettas for Mardi Gras →

Although I’ve always liked sweet potatoes, I’ve never really thought of them as anything but holiday food.   Once Christmas is past, they’re out of mind.

All that changed a couple of weeks ago when my  friend Susan Cohen took me to Poulet, a take-out/eat-in deli in Berkeley,  before her poetry reading.  There in the glass case among the salads was an intriguing dish pairing sweet potatoes and black beans.  It looked so appealing, I had to try it.

The first bite was amazing.  A spicy jolt of lime and chile dressing banished all the usual associations with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Suddenly, the familiar sweet potato was exotic and exciting.  Its earthy sweetness played the essential bass note in a jazzy riff of lively flavors. Continue reading Savoring the sweet potato →

Even the most enthusiastic cooks face days when 5 p.m. rolls around and they still haven’t the faintest idea what they’re making for dinner.  The refrigerator is bare, there’s no time to go to the store and ordering take-out is not in the budget.

That’s when I turn to the pantry.  Mine always holds at least one package of spaghetti, a can of diced tomatoes and a can of clams (I like Geisha brand) for this simple but satisfying pasta.  Oh yes, there’s always a hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano in the fridge, too.  A head of garlic waits in a terra cotta jar on the counter and a big bottle of extra virgin olive oil stands in the cupboard.  If I’m lucky, there will be fresh Italian parsley in the crisper but it’s not absolutely essential. Continue reading Pasta from the pantry →

Chocolate cream pie was always the ultimate treat when I was a child.  No matter the occasion, my Dad asked for one of my Mom’s pies piled high with beautifully browned meringue in the place of a more conventional cake.

I have never been a big pie baker, however.  The crust intimidated me for years before I learned that a food processor would do a far better job of cutting butter into the flour than I ever could.  Even then, the dough had to be rolled out and mine always stuck to the pastry board until I realized that I actually was using too little flour on the board in my fear of using too much.  I won’t even talk about my failures with meringue. Continue reading Chocolate and peanut butter tarts →

Whether you’ve been hiking in the woods or just sprawled on the couch watching the big game, a hot bowl of chili is always welcome on a crisp winter day.  If it’s spent all day bubbling away in a slow cooker while you were playing, all the better.

In preparation for Super Bowl Sunday, I’ve been working on a slow cooker chili recipe for the last couple of  weeks.  We’ve eaten more chili than I would recommend, but the end result is a deeply flavorful stew of home-cooked beans, lively spice and savory turkey.  It’s hearty enough to satisfy the most devoted chili head, yet still low in fat if you don’t pile on the condiments. Continue reading Slow cooker chili talks turkey →

The first time I saw watermelon radishes, I grinned.  What could be more welcome amid all the leafy greens and dull root vegetables at the  winter farmers market than these aptly named little gems, their bright fuchsia centers proclaiming the promise of spring to come?

Not only were they cute and cheerful, they were crisp and mild, the perfect addition to a salad or a platter of cruditès.  Now, every time I see them at the market, I pick up a few. Continue reading “Watermelons” in winter →

Once upon a time, bran muffins were considered health food.  That was before food processors got their hands on them and muffins became overblown monuments to excess – loaded with fat and sugar, wrapped in cellophane and sold in every convenience store and coffee shop.  Now a single bran muffin from a commercial oven easily can top 400 calories.

The problem, of course is that the earlier bran muffins were hard to swallow. All that fiber-rich bran has the texture and flavor of sawdust and needs to be lightened up before it’s palatable to most eaters.  Sugar and fat are the simplest solutions.  But not the only ones.

These updated muffins are the best of both eras, moist and tasty but not too sweet or rich.  The secret is in yogurt and honey, which improve the texture and boost flavor. Continue reading Bran muffins revisited →

Anyone who wants to eat with the seasons eventually confronts winter greens.

Piles of kale, mustard greens, chard, collards and dandelion greens dominate the farmers markets where I shop at this time of year. If I’m lucky, there will be artichokes and broccoli sprouts, too.   But the greens are everywhere, challenging me to find new ways to put them on the dinner table.

Lately, I’ve been turning some of the more pungent greens into a salad inspired by Elizabeth Schneider’s “Uncommon Fruits & Vegetables” (William Morrow, 1986).  More than a cookbook, it’s an encyclopedic guide to the produce rarely found in markets before Americans became obsessed with food. I often find ideas there for vegetables few other cookbooks even address. Continue reading Taming the bitter greens →

After all the excess of the holidays, nothing appeals to me more than a simple soup to warm the body and soothe the soul.

I crave comforting texture, wholesome ingredients, and straightforward flavors.  This white bean and kale soup has it all. Continue reading Soup for body and soul →

2010 has been a pretty tough year given all the nasty political battles and continuing economic uncertainty.  I, for one, will be happy to bid it adieu Friday night.

To toast the arrival of 2011, I’ve come up with a new cocktail – one that brings together the old and the new with a dash of gin, a multitude of tiny bubbles and the lively spark of pomegranate.  It began as a French 75, the World War I favorite of the Lost Generation of Hemingway and Fitzgerald.

My family is calling this variation the Ruby Bullet.  Paired with hot, puffy gougeres, it’s bound to enliven any New Year’s Eve celebration. Continue reading A bubbly New Year’s Eve →