Dukka (also spelled “dukkah”) is an Egyptian specialty that is blend of spices, roasted nuts and toasted sesame seeds. One way to serve it is to combine the blend with good olive oil and dip bread or grilled pita into it. When eating it this way, I like to include a good dollop of yogurt as well. Dukka makes a…
Cathy Thomas
Pasta’s starchy backbone provides a welcome partner for fresh green vegetables. Bon Appetit magazine came up with this tasty pairing of pasta and chard. Fresh chilies, with or without their fiery seeds, add a flash of excitement, along with the unexpected crunchy bite of panko sautéed with thinly sliced garlic. Finely chopped anchovies add a pleasing umami edge. Chefs use…
Rapini’s bold, no-snooze flavor profile boasts a pleasing bitterness that can be tamed with creamy pasta, or grains augmented with caramelized onions and garlic. With stalks more slender than found on broccoli, rapini is topped with spiky, jagged-edged leaves and bundles of compact buds. This recipe uses a tasty brown rice blend. There are several brands in the marketplace, such…
There’s no way to calculate the impact Julia Child had on generations of American cooks. For me, she provided a turning point in my culinary education. I cooked my way through her first book in my early 20’s, splattering the pages willy-nilly with sauce drips, softened butter or melted chocolate. “Mastering the Art of French Cooking ( Volume One)” was…
Ah, the somewhat neutral taste of cauliflower – it’s a canvas for delicious add-ons. I love the attitude that toasted cumin and coriander bring to the party, along with paprika, cayenne and lime zest. Pan-Fried and finished with flavor pizzaz. Pan-Fried Cauliflower with Spices, Lime, and PistachiosYield: 6 servings 1 medium-large cauliflower, about 2 pounds1 teaspoon cumin seeds1 teaspoon coriander…
Candy Box Chocolate Cake I’ve been writing about cooking, food trends and chefs for over three decades. Before that, I taught cooking classes, rounding up groups of culinary students to watch and listen as I prepared myriad concoctions. I conducted culinary tours to Europe and Asian long before culinary travel became “a thing,” and have written three cookbooks. Along the…
This recipe is a perfect example of food that excites more than one area of the palate. It blends the cool sweetness of melon with sour lime and hot chili syrup. Any ripe, firm-fleshed melon will work work here. Once the chili syrup is made, this dish can be thrown together just before serving. Firecracker CantaloupeYield: 8 servings 1/3 cup…
Most supermarkets sell big bags of coarsely chopped curly-leaf kale. I couldn’t have imagined such a product when I started writing fruit-and-vegetable cookbooks almost 20 years ago. Back then kale was only available in bundles, if at all. For the most part, the chopped product is free of thick stems, but the occasional sturdy bit or two sneaks in. That…