Food, Photography and Bon Mots
Musaqa’a. Musaqa’a is a Palestinian eggplant, chickpea and tomato bake with inspired spicing–somewhat reminiscent of Greek moussaka. The recipe I’m using here is adapted from Chef Sami Tamimi’s and Irish food writer Tara Wigley’s new cookbook, Falastin. The recipes are Tamimi’s and the writing is…
Time to party—in a socially distanced kind of way. Whether you are Zoom partying, front yard partying or just partying with the faithful family dog (as I am with Sweet Juliet), this Cheddar and Scallion Dip is very very good party food. It also works…
When I was twenty-two and had my own kitchen for the first time, I knew absolutely nothing about cooking. Nothing. So…I bought my first cookbook–a used copy of the 1963 edition of The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook. The book’s provenance is interesting. The name Sugar Bardy…
Cooks should have a whole lot of respect for fennel. According to Greek mythology, Prometheus used a large stalk of fennel to carry fire from Mount Olympus to earth. But, alas, while fennel is a popular ingredient in Italian and Indian cuisines, it is…
I bought a cauliflower recently with good intentions. I’ve been doing a little a lot of anxiety eating lately as I sit here in California in Covid19 lockdown. My scale tells me I need to up my nutrition game. I know cruciferous vegetables are super foods.…
Eat your bananas! They’re healthy–fiber rich, low in calories, and high in potassium which helps regulate blood pressure.The animo acid tryptophan and vitamin B6 in bananas just might elevate your mood, too. Who doesn’t need that right now? This little cake pushes all the…
Ah, peaches! Peaches originated in China thousands of years ago. Persian traders, in turn, introduced the fruit to Europe and called it the “Persian Apple.” Explorers and colonists introduced them to the Americas. They are beloved just about everywhere. Don’t ask for one in Turkey,…
There is something truly wonderful about photographing ice cream–or, in this case, sherbet. It melts. Oh, you know, there is the interminable fiddling around with the food styling. Gotta try a gazillion angles and backgrounds. White bowl? Green bowl? Mint sprig? This is a hard…
It’s all about cookies around here. In Juliet’s case, it is her beloved pumpkin treats. The pup savors every crumb and dances for more. Think I’m exaggerating? Ask my neighbors and you will get a knowing nod. Around here, Juliet is known for her…
I’m a gadget girl. I have drawers and drawers (and drawers!) of cooking tools–some whose function I no longer remember. So, like most of the rest of the cooks in America right now, I’ve been doing some pandemic kitchen cleaning and organizing. I’ve put off…
