Food, Photography and Bons Mots
My friend Marion is an impeccable cook, one who always enjoys the challenge of a new recipe. Months ago, when I was reeling from the loss of my dog Misty, Marion kindly brought me a loaf of this wonderful bread. It was love at first…
I love cheesecake. For many years, I celebrated the end of a successful school year by sharing this cheesecake with my Advanced Placement European History students after they took their tests. I’ve taken it to my friends at my pup’s veterinary hospital. It has been…
Comfort food.
For me it’s macaroni salad.
For as long as I can remember, when the going gets tough, I’ve turned to macaroni salad. Tax time. Macaroni salad. Doctor’s appointment. Macaroni salad. Starting a cooking blog. Macaroni salad. You get the picture.
This is an adaptation of a recipe from the first cookbook I ever owned–The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook (1963 edition). My book is pretty dog-eared at this point but remains a treasured go-to cooking resource.
Here is my version of Good Housekeeping’s Best-Ever Macaroni Salad:
Recipe: Macaroni Salad
4 Cups cooked elbow macaroni (1/2 pound uncooked)
1 Cup mayonnaise
2 T. white vinegar
2 t. prepared mustard
1/2 t. celery seeds
1 1/2 to 2 t. salt
1/8 t. freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 Cups sliced celery
1/2 Cup sliced green onions
1/4 Cups sliced radishes
2 T. chopped parsley
1/4 Cup chopped roasted red peppers (or more to your taste)
1/4 Cup chopped (or whole) black olives (or more to your taste)
1 Cup grated cheddar or cheddar-jack cheese
Directions: Boil elbow macaroni in water until it is al dente. Drain. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk mayonnaise, vinegar, celery seed, salt, pepper and mustard together. Add celery, green onions, radishes, parsley, chopped red peppers, black olives and grated cheese.Fold in cooked elbow macaroni. Adjust seasonings. Refrigerate until macaroni salad is well-chilled. I sprinkle a bit of paprika on the salad just before serving.Enjoy.
Sometimes the simplest things in life are the most elusive–a good toaster, a potato salad with a bright flavor and a really good vinaigrette, for example. Although I cook a lot and put salads toward the top of the list of foods I enjoy,…
Everyone loves ice cream, particularly on these muggy days we’ve been experiencing here in Southern California. With temperatures hovering in the high 90s (and breaking the 100 degree F mark on a couple of occasions), I haven’t mustered the energy to do a lot…
I’m really taken by the beauty and good taste of Rancho Gordo brand heirloom dried beans.
Here is a recipe from their site–a take on the classic Tuscan soup called Ribollita.
I used Rancho Gordo’s Mother Stallard beans and substituted baby spinach for the kale in the wonderful garlicky pesto that you spoon on top of the soup just before serving. This is a hearty soup that makes a meal by itself. This soup cooks quickly but is far better on the second day when the flavors have had time to blend. The link to the recipe appears below.
Enjoy.
http://www.ranchogordo.com/pages/cranberry-bean-and-cabbage-soup-with-kale-pesto
Here is a wonderful cream of tomato soup. I’m pretty picky about what I serve to guests and I would serve this soup at a dinner party without hesitation. Absent distracting spices, the flavor of the tomatoes is pure and intense and the fresh…
There are soups and then there are soups. This cream of poblano soup is exceptional. The soup is beautiful. It can be as spicy as you want. It is hearty enough to make a meal or can be a first course. As with most vegetable…
I am dreading the moment this season when the stone fruits disappear from the farmers markets.
Luckily, as I was looking for a new plum recipe to use the plums I bought at Sunday’s market, I came across Marian Burros’ classic plum torte recipe. What a find!
To make matters even better, the plum torte recipe comes with a wonderful backstory.
Burros, a food columnist for the NY Times, published this recipe in the food section of that paper in 1982. The recipe was so well-received by Times readers that its publication became a food section tradition every plum season for many years.
I’m thinking this would be wonderful with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream. No…wait!…everything goes well with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.
The recipe for this classic appears below.
Some years ago I clipped a recipe from the LA Times for this bright black-eyed pea salad. The provenance of the recipe was listed as Senegal, from a book titled Yolele! Recipes from the Heart of Senegal by Pierre Thiam. This salad is beautiful on…
