Really? Lettuce Soup? Even though I am the world’s worst gardener, one year we did have a bumper crop of lettuce, which I have never been able to achieve again. But that year we just had too much lettuce. I was desperate for ways to use lettuce that weren’t salads. One good way is Thai lettuce …
Monthly Archives: September 2019
Hummus from scratch
How do you say “chickpeas” in Arabic? When I was on an archaeological dig in Tunisia, in North Africa, we were out exploring and came across a young man harvesting chickpeas. He came over and offered us some in the palm of his hand, and we ate them – yum! Fresh chickpeas! He didn’t really …
Guacamole
Easy, fast, and everybody likes it 🙂 It only takes a few minutes to make terrific guacamole, and it’s way cheaper than buying the premade stuff. Make these terrific crackers too, to eat the guacamole on, or make nachos. How to make guacamole: Cut an avocado in half the long way and throw away the pit in the …
Gefilte fish
Why eat gefilte fish? Gefilte fish is a way to make cheap fish more exciting to eat; it got started when more Jewish people were poor, and it remains a traditional Jewish food, especially for Passover – that’s why I usually make it in the spring, for Passover. Fish is super good for you, and …
Gazpacho
Real gazpacho with stale bread The origins of gazpacho have nothing to do with tomatoes; like many other recipes such as bread pudding, this was a way to use up stale bread. Medieval gazpacho recipes are Most gazpacho recipes today don’t even have any bread in them, and are just basically cold tomato soup. This …
Chopped chicken liver
Why chopped liver? Spring’s a good time to eat eggs and chicken, and this recipe has both! It’s not your usual chopped liver that’s a smooth paste; this chopped liver is more like egg salad and at least half vegetables. This is the chopped liver my grandma used to make in Brooklyn. She used a …
Cucumber soup
Cucumbers for snack It’s very hot in North Africa in July, and Tunisian women spend most of their time behind the thick high walls of their courtyards, lying down on mats in the shade and fanning each other. The women’s usual snack, all over our village, was cold cucumber sticks, sometimes salted and sometimes plain. …
Chimichurri sauce
Parsley and Cilantro In springtime, it’s mostly the stems of things that are in season, so this is a good way to make those stems into something delicious. You can use this chimichurri sauce as a dip for crackers or bread, or as a sauce on pork tenderloin or noodles, or in place of tomato sauce on pizza. How …
Challah bread
Friday night bread Traditionally, Jewish women bake two loaves of challah (my grandmother pronounced it “holly”) bread on Fridays, and you eat it for a fancy Shabbat dinner on Friday evenings. I don’t usually have time to bake on Fridays when I’m working, but I do try to make challah at least for Rosh Hashonah, …
Ceviche
Summer barbecue contribution I first made this ceviche to bring to a friend’s hot-dog and marshmallow roast, a few summers ago. It’s a great appetizer to bring to a party, where a lot of people can share it. Ceviche’s too much trouble to make just for your family, and too intense to have for dinner, …