Squash with fennel

A more sophisticated taste for squash Most squash recipes end up being pretty sweet, close to pumpkin pie. This is a more savory recipe, and it’s also gluten-free and vegan. It looks dramatic on a platter, and can take the place of a roast for a vegan holiday dinner. How to make squash with fennel: …

Squash soup

Out of fashion? A few years ago, I was reading restaurant reviews in the New York Times, and the reviewer criticized some restaurant for serving butternut squash soup made with squash and cream. The reviewer thought this was hopelessly behind the times, but I’d never had it. There wasn’t a recipe, of course, but I …

Spicy Thai pork salad

Great for company This has a lot of ingredients, so it takes a while to make. But you can do it ahead and have it ready when your guests show up, and it’s very pretty to serve. Plus, it’s gluten and lactose free, if that’s an issue. This would be hard without a food processor, …

Sole and chive oil

Fresh chives In early spring, chives are one of the first fresh greens you may have growing in your garden. Chives are easy enough even for me to grow: plant them once, and they just come back every spring, and they spread too so there are more every year. You’ll need a couple of good …

Shrimp quenelles

Fish meatballs French people call these quenelles but most Americans might think of them as fish meatballs, or as fish-flavored matzo balls. So whatever. A way to make fish a little fancier. Or, looked at another way, a way to make fish stretch a little further. How to make shrimp quenelles: Put on a large …

Shakshuka

What’s a shakshuka? It’s a common breakfast all over North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean: spicy tomato sauce with eggs broken into it, basically. This version adds vegetables and cheese to make it filling enough for dinner, because life is too short to make complicated things for breakfast very often. But this makes a quick, …

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 …

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 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 …

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 …