“Like a Braque still-life” I’ve always liked the description of ratatouille in the Joy of Cooking where she says that the bright colors all together look like “a Braque still-life”. It’s true that ratatouille is a beautiful thing to put in front of guests, and you can make it before they arrive and leave it …
Monthly Archives: September 2019
Rabbit stew
Old Friends When I had just moved to France, at nine years old, and was just beginning to speak good French, one girl in my class was willing to be my friend. We left after a year for the States again, but when we came back to France when I was thirteen, the same girl …
Quiche
The one recipe French women can make Most French women can’t really cook – and why should you, when delicious food is right there at the charcuterie? – but they all know how to make chocolate cake and quiche. Quiche, as you might expect from this story, is not that hard to make. Because eggs were in …
Pulled pork
Everybody loves it, and it’s easy to do for guests Pulled pork has to be slow-cooked, but you can get it ready an hour before everyone shows up, and then just warm it up when it’s needed – and who doesn’t love pulled pork? Sweet, salty, sour – this has everything you want. How to …
Potato samosas
“I don’t eat vegan food” I first made these potato and pea samosas to bring down to Portland’s occupation, one night soon after we’d been evicted. There wasn’t much in the way of silverware or plates in the park where people were gathering, so I brought samosas people could eat in their hands. Hot, filling …
Potato curry (no rice)
Indian food without the rice We wanted to have curry, but we had already eaten enough rice that week, so I made this potato curry, which was filling without the rice. How to make potato curry: Dice six baking potatoes, and chop an onion, half a cabbage, and a bell pepper. Heat 1/4 cup of …
Homemade pizza
Pizza before baking “You can get pizza delivered?” Once I was on a long plane flight with the kids, and we were going to get home late for dinner, and the kids were hungry. They wanted to know what I was going to make for dinner, and I said oh, maybe we’d order a pizza …
Pasta e fagioli
Noodles and Beans Filling vegetarian Italian dinner for a cold night. How to make pasta e fagioli: A great hot winter meal, ready in about an hour. Start at breakfast by putting a cup of white beans (or pinto beans) to soak. Then an hour before dinner put the beans into a casserole with plenty …
Paella
Paella any time of year! You could really make paella with any kind of vegetable or meat, and eat it any time of year. But this is paella with peas and mussels, so it belongs to the springtime when peas are in season. But if you use frozen peas, they’re good too, and any time …
Onion soup
A slow food recipe The most important thing about onion soup is to take your time caramelizing the onions, slowly stirring them until they turn dark brown and very sweet. Do it on a cold day, when it’s nice to stand over a hot stove in a warm kitchen. How to make onion soup Start …