Food, Photography and Bons Mots
We all have our unicorns–those elusive “finds” that we search for and can’t quite grasp. This is one of mine. Chickpea Sandwich Filling. (I know. I know. My search is a modest one. But still….) I’ve always known it could be done. I’ve…
Every month Blue Cayenne features recipes from our archive of more than four hundred recipes. These recipes are our “Oldies But Goodies.”Here is a recipe for a beautiful Beet and Lentil Salad: Pickled Beet Salad With Lentils and Feta. You don’t want to miss this great…
“To be Irish is to know that in the end the world will break your heart.”
―
There is a sorrow in Irish history that is undeniable–the famine, “The Troubles,” and on and on. There is also strength and resolve and certainly humor–qualities celebrated each year in raucous Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations of Irish heritage and culture. The Irish are survivors.
This Saint Patrick’s Day, it is hard not to think that we are all Irish (or all Ukrainian), sharing as we do heartbreaking tragedies with resilience and pride in who we are and how we stand up to existential threats.
Although the color blue was originally associated with Ireland’s St. Patrick, today the color green is universally associated with that day of celebration. So, in the spirit of the day, here is an “Irish” green Spinach and Potato Soup recipe. It would be great served with Irish Soda Bread and a Guinness. A little Colcannon on the side wouldn’t hurt. The soup is delicious. It’s economical, too.
Speaking of economy, if you have a few dollars left in your market budget, might you consider a contribution to World Central Kitchen? They’ve delivered more than a million meals in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, Hungary and Romania since the beginning of the war there. Charity Navigator gives them a 100/100 rating and Jose Andres, WCK’s founder, is surely Irish deep in his heart. Here is a link: World Central Kitchen.
This soup recipe is adapted from a BBC Good Food recipe. You can find the original recipe here.
Rough puff. It’s a thing among home bakers–a shortcut to glorious puff pastry. What’s the big deal about puff pastry? The magic of puff pastry (and rough puff) is the moisture in the generous amount of butter that is incorporated into the dough. As the…
Could you use a steaming bowl of creamy rich soup about now? The world is having a heartbreakingly-bad week. This recipe is adapted from Melissa Clark’s recipe on the NYT site. Here is a link to the original recipe: Lemony Carrot and Cauliflower Soup.
Every month Blue Cayenne features recipes from our archive of more than four hundred recipes. These recipes are our “Oldies But Goodies.”Here is a recipe for a tasty Macaroni Salad that appeared on Blue Cayenne in 2015: Macaroni Salad.
You don’t want to miss this great recipe…again.
Want to dive deeper into our recipe archive? Just click one of the categories at the top of this page or use the category search drop down menu on the right side of this page.
And…here is a link to Blue Cayenne’s main page: Blue Cayenne. If you are in the mood to cook (or eat!), we hope you will take a moment to look at the many excellent recipes we have featured.
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…
I usually march to the beat of my own drummer, but the crush of interest in recipes for Burnt Basque Cheesecake has piqued my interest. It turns out that Burnt Basque Cheesecake originated in the 1990s as a Tarta de Queso at La Vina Restaurant…
This is a beauty of a galette–redolent with lightly-caramelized onions, loaded with tender potatoes and sitting atop a layer of Boursin cheese and a generous crisp crust. There is a lot of love here.
A galette, by the way, is a rustic free-form tart from the French baking tradition. As the story goes, the galette dates back to Norman times when it was referred to as a “gale” or flat cake. Bon Appetit Magazine once wrote of the galette that it has that “Oh, I just threw this together” type of charm. Who doesn’t want that vibe at their table once in a while?
There is a lot of versatility with this galette, too. It could easily be the main event on your dinner plate or a hearty side. Or, pair it with an egg for breakfast. Or nibble it right off the tray as I’m doing right now.
As a bonus, this is an easy crust. Pretty, too.
This isn’t Blue Cayenne’s first rodeo insofar as galettes are concerned. Find an outstanding Tomato, Goat Cheese and Honey Galette here and a gorgeous fruit galette here. Come to think of it, why not try them all?
This recipe is adapted from one that appears in Bake From Scratch Magazine (available here).
Raisin Bread, you ask? Who invented Raisin Bread? Lest we look too deeply, the answer would seem to be Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau’s biographer, Walter Harding, credited him with the recipe, after all. But…alas… Harding later retracted that colorful claim when he learned that the…
