Kale is this year’s “It” vegetable. A nutritional powerhouse with sudden cachet. How to include it on your Thanksgiving table? Here is a robust dish, good for potlucks. Creamy and cheesy, it may win over ever even ardent leafy-green haters in your family. Creamy Kale Gratin (Serves 4) 8 oz. kale, thick stems removed, rinsed and chopped (about 8 cups) […]
Read moreOne final tomato recipe before summer tomatoes peter out – a creamy tomato soup, using just a few spoonfuls of cream. Potatoes give this soup its smooth, soothing texture. Add some crisp cheesy croutons and you have yourself a warm bowl of comfort food. Serves 4. Tomato soup with cheese croutons 1 large white onion, finely chopped ¼ (quarter) cup […]
Read moreHere’s a recipe for the summer crop of garlic arriving at the market. Slowly braised, new garlic becomes soft as butter, and tastes nutty and sweet. As fresh garlic cures in the coming weeks, the bulb’s protective covering will gradually become drier, and the cloves a little less creamy. Braised fresh garlic 4 fat bulbs of fresh hardneck garlic with […]
Read moreThe recent tropical heat and humidity (global climate change in action?) has made us crave cooling soups. Here’s a yogurt-based soup, loosely inspired by the summer soups of Poland and Russia. You may find it surprisingly hearty, substantial enough for a meal, especially if you serve it with a side of steamed new potatoes. It’s made with beets, the deep […]
Read moreIn late summer thoughts turn to ratatouille, the classic French dish made with eggplant, tomato and zucchini. Tian, another Provencal classic, uses the same vegetable trinity. Why isn’t it better known? Is it the challenging name: Tian? (Say tee-on to get a very approximate idea.) Look for vegetables similar in diameter: a slim Italian (not Asian) eggplant, a medium zucchini […]
Read moreIn keeping with our tomato theme, here’s a recipe for tomatoes with watermelon and a sweet-salty dressing. Use tomatoes of all shapes and colors, not too large, and employ a sharp knife to slice them thinly, crosswise if tomatoes are round, and lengthwise if they’re elongated. If mint is running amok and flowering in your yard, nip it in the […]
Read moreHere’s another no-cook recipe, for a white gazpacho. We tend to associate gazpacho with tomatoes, but white gazpacho-like soups are beloved in parts of Spain. The usual garnish is grapes, and when local grapes arrive at the market late summer, that’s a wonderful classic to try. Here’s another idea: make a light meal of white gazpacho accompanied by little dishes […]
Read more