Hearty and quick We came in from a cold day out in the nature reserve watching the bald eagles and the migrating swans. I hadn’t ever really thought about it, but hey, swans are white for the same reason polar bears are white – most of the year they live in the snow! Except when …
Monthly Archives: September 2019
Lentil soup
Halloween The first time I make lentil soup in the fall is usually for Halloween, when the kids are just itching to be off trick-or-treating and I want them to have something solid in their stomachs before they start eating all that candy. Lentil soup can simmer on the stove, so if anything upsets the …
Leek and Pancetta Sauce
Leeks for St. David’s Day! At least since the 1700s, the people of Wales have celebrated St. David’s Day (March 1st) by wearing a leek in their hats or on their clothes. Why a leek? There’s some story about a battle in a leek-field, but clearly the main reason is that leeks are actually growing …
Leek and potato soup
A base for many soups Leeks are, like celery and chives, one of the first plants available in the spring, because they’re stalks and not leaves. So leeks are a great seasonal food for early spring. Leek and potato soup is great by itself, but it’s also a good base for many other soups. Add …
Lasagna
Make it quicker by making your own pasta I used to feel lasagna took too long for a family dinner, because you had to first boil the noodles, then assemble the lasagna, and then bake it – too many steps. But now that I can make my own pasta, it’s a snap. How to make …
Lamb stew
Housewarming party in January: What to make for fifty people coming to a housewarming party in January? We made a great deal of finger food, but we also wanted to have a hot stew that would do for dinner if people didn’t eat before they arrived. I came up with this stew, which has very …
Lamb meatballs with plums
Not quite Ottolenghi This is another in the series of recipes adapted from Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem – this one, a way to use up some summer plums and basil. Ottolenghi’s version called for dried figs, if that sounds better, and for mint and cilantro instead of basil. This takes about an hour. How to make lamb …
Hot and Sour Soup
Chinese soup Half an hour, one pot and a small frying pan, and mostly stuff you already have lying around your kitchen How to make hot and sour soup: Start half an hour before dinner. Put a saucepan half full of water or chicken broth on the stove (enough water to make soup for everyone), …
Grilled cheese
Working too many hours You know you’re too busy when you feel you always have to cook everything on the highest possible heat so it will go as fast as possible because dinner is always late. And a lot of things get burned because they just need medium heat and slower cooking. That was me …
Galette with zucchini
Got a lotta zucchini? If you’re tired of stuffed zucchini and stir-fried zucchini and everything else zucchini – and especially if you have some sauteed zucchini left over from another night – this is a happy new way to eat up all that zucchini. If the zucchini’s already cooked, this galette doesn’t take long, is …