Spicy corn

A simplified recipe This was originally an incredibly complex recipe from the New York Times that involved simmering the corncobs and then removing them, and both butter and bacon. This is a simpler, healthier version for everyday. It’s also a great splash of bright color for your Thanksgiving table. How to make spicy corn: Boil …

Salmorejo

Andalucia and morning sickness The first summer I spent in Andalucia was also the summer I was pregnant with my first child. Even though Andalucia’s a great place to eat, with all kinds of new foods I was eager to check out, practically everything I ate made me feel ill. I wound up sadly eating …

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 …

Salsa from scratch

Why make salsa? You can get good-enough salsa from the grocery store, and it’s not expensive either, but even fancy store salsa does have a bunch of extra salt and sugar in it that you don’t need. You can have a much healthier salsa by making it yourself at home, and it’s not that much …

Unstuffed cabbage

Need something quick and hot? My grandmother’s stuffed cabbage is great if you were going to be home all day and want to spend a lot of that time cooking and watching a pot slowly simmer your stuffed cabbage into yummy goodness. But if you want something that tastes pretty much the same but you …

Tomato Tarte Tatin

Not Apple Tarte Tatin? A Tarte Tatin is usually made with apples, but this is a savory version, perfect for a summer dinner. Most of it can be made ahead, before your guests arrive, but a Tarte Tatin is baked upside-down, with the crust on top, and then you have to flip it in an …

Tomato soup

We had it at school… I let my kid get school lunch – just once! – and he came home raving about this great new meal he’d had at school, tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. So I said I would make him tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches at home, and he was delighted. …

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, …

Scallops primavera

Are scallops sustainable? Yes! Scallops, whether wild or farmed, are a “best choice” according to the Monterey Aquarium’s ratings. Plus, they’re a good source of protein, vitamins, and calcium, and very low fat. Doesn’t primavera mean spring? Yes, it does, but you make scallops primavera with zucchini and tomatoes, and actually zucchini and tomatoes don’t …