Main Dishes

Coconutty Beans and Spinach

Coconutty Beans and Spinach

“When my hoe tinkled against the stones, that music echoed to the woods and the sky, and was an accompaniment to my labor which yielded an instant and immeasurable crop. It was no longer beans that I hoed, nor I that hoed beans; and I…

Wine-Braised Mushrooms With Gnocchi

Wine-Braised Mushrooms With Gnocchi

I finally got my hands on a copy of Melissa Clark’s Dinner In One cookbook. To say that the cookbook’s delivery was “delayed” is an understatement. Seems that in the crush of pandemic-delayed shipping, the original cargo container carrying Clark’s cookbook went plunging into the…

Baked Beans With Apples

Baked Beans With Apples

For me, baked beans hit all the right flavor notes–sweet, savory…a bit of tang. As a home cook, I love the long slow baking process and the wonderful aromas that waft through my kitchen when I bake beans. I’m not alone in this romance with…

Memories of the Adriatic: Lemony Stuffed Peppers

Memories of the Adriatic: Lemony Stuffed Peppers

I enjoy stuffed peppers.  While I never had them in my childhood, as an adult I was fortunate to travel to Dubrovnik in the then Yugoslavia where stuffed peppers and stuffed tomatoes were regularly on the menu. Loved them then.  Not too much worked in…

Oldies But Goodies: Chermoula Eggplant With Bulgur and Yogurt

Oldies But Goodies: Chermoula Eggplant With Bulgur and Yogurt

Every month Blue Cayenne features recipes from our archive of more than four hundred recipes. These recipes are our “Oldies But Goodies.” Today’s Oldie But Goodie recipe is for a tasty main dish, Chermoula Eggplant With Bulgur and Yogurt.   You will find a link…

A No Recipe Recipe: Mushrooms In Puff Pastry

A No Recipe Recipe: Mushrooms In Puff Pastry

You can go home again! After a too long Covid-related hiatus and with a nudge from some good friends, I finally made it back to the Long Beach Marina Farmers Market.  As I strolled through the trimmed-down market, I was reminded of the many reasons…

Asparagus in Puff Pastry

Asparagus in Puff Pastry

Need an easy but impressive dish for the end of the month? This Asparagus in Puff Pastry just might fit the bill. Don’t be put off by the puff pastry ingredient. There is no need to make your own. You’ll find puff pastry in the…

Mediterranean Zucchini and Feta Fritters

Mediterranean Zucchini and Feta Fritters

  This recipe for Mediterranean Zucchini and Feta Fritters is from Yasmin Khan’s cookbook Ripe Figs. The book is available from your local bookstore or on Amazon here. Khan’s cookbook was a James Beard International Cookbook finalist and was included on The New York Times’ “Best…

Confit Tandoori Chickpeas

Confit Tandoori Chickpeas

Need some recipes for dinner dishes that you can make right from the pantry? There are nights when I sure do! Here is a cookbook for you to consider. It is Yotam Ottolenghi’s new cookbook, Shelf Love. The premise of the book is just that—recipes…

Bulgogi Eggplant

Bulgogi Eggplant

Bulgogi?  It’s a Korean specialty. Koreans have been making the classic dish for hundreds of years—sometimes grilled and sometimes in a broth.  In recent times, the dish has become rockstar-popular on Korean and international menus. Bulgogi roughly translates to “fire meat.” Although the dish is…