Side Dishes

Spilling The Beans On Guinness Baked Beans

Spilling The Beans On Guinness Baked Beans

  Truth be told, I love baked beans. There are few meals that I enjoy more than a big bowl of baked beans and a generous side of coleslaw. To my taste, the crunch of the coleslaw perfectly complements the sweet/savory flavor of the baked…

Squash, Apples And A Little Sage Advice For The Holidays

Squash, Apples And A Little Sage Advice For The Holidays

  Best wishes from those of us here at Blue Cayenne (that would be me and Juliet)  for a happy Thanksgiving. And, if the going gets tough around the table tomorrow, you might do well to remember the sage advice of Oscar Wilde: “After a…

Eggplant Gratin in Parmesan Custard

Eggplant Gratin in Parmesan Custard

  I’ll confess right off. Eggplant and I have a rocky relationship. It’s not because eggplant isn’t Robert-Redford handsome. Just look at that smooth skin and that sensuous coloring. It’s also not because I don’t try. I do.  I just have trouble finding stellar recipes that…

Ho. Ho. Ho. and Spinach and Mushroom Gratin

Ho. Ho. Ho. and Spinach and Mushroom Gratin

It is the Christmas season here in Huntington Beach. I know that because my local Costco has Christmas trees for sale.   Seems a tad early to me, but there is some research that holds that people who decorate early for the holidays lead happier…

Dates, Baked Beans and Sitting on a Beach with Chris Christie

Dates, Baked Beans and Sitting on a Beach with Chris Christie

Pythagoras was so convinced that beans had souls that their consumption was forbidden among his followers. Don’t get me wrong. I love beans, but I’m not so sure about the soul part. Tiny little bean hearts, maybe. Truth be told, however you fix ’em, I…

Ratatouille

Ratatouille

  Today’s plat du jour on my table is ratatouille, a classic French vegetable stew that is a specialty of cooks in Provence and Nice. Apparently, a lot of other Mediterranean countries claim some version of this dish, too, so you may have encountered ratatouille under…

Sweet Home-Baked Beans

Sweet Home-Baked Beans

    Raise your hands if you don’t like baked beans.  Nobody?  I thought so. This baked bean recipe has it all. It shines with the best beans you can buy but it is also great with plain Jane canned beans. (I used Rancho Gordo…

Greek Baked Beans (Fassolia Yiachni)

Greek Baked Beans (Fassolia Yiachni)

  Oxi! (or is it Nai! ?) I could never keep yes and no straight in Greek. (Could be a dangerous confusion in any language. I know.) These Greek Baked Beans are delicious. I just made another big (for me) Rancho Gordo bean buy and…

A Ligurian Great-Grandmother And An Artichoke Torta To Remember

A Ligurian Great-Grandmother And An Artichoke Torta To Remember

  For regular people, this is a wonderful dish. For artichoke aficionados this dish makes the earth move. This torta has lots of meaty artichokes (two pounds of hearts) suspended in an airy parmesan cheese and egg custard. Artichokes and egg custard. Wow. This recipe…

Israeli Couscous, Eggplant and Tomato Gratin

Israeli Couscous, Eggplant and Tomato Gratin

It hasn’t worked for me with kale or spirulina, but I’m willing myself to love eggplant. As you know, if you have been reading this blog, eggplant and I have a fraught relationship–a bit like Donald and Melania. Eggplant recipes, especially ones that tout their…