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 …

Octopus and polenta

Really, you eat octopus? Yes, it’s yummy! They sell it frozen at our regular grocery store, but every time I ask for it, the people behind the counter act startled, like they can’t imagine why anyone would buy octopus. But the kids like it, it’s not expensive, and a little goes a long way. [Added …

Oatmeal cakes

Yummy use for leftover oatmeal In Scotland, where people pretty much lived on oats, it used to be pretty common to let oatmeal get cold and solid and then slice it up to eat for lunch. These oatmeal cakes are another version of that idea. I serve them with salmon or lox because that’s another …