Dear readers, I have found the holy grail! I have often lamented – as regular readers may know – about the lack of a usable Ethiopian cookbook in English.
Slow-Braised Green Beans with Tomato
We’ve been done a disservice by the cult of al dente vegetables. While there’s no doubt that many vegetables are at their best very lightly cooked – all types of peas spring to mind – the idea that every veggie is at its best steamed for 30 seconds is as misguided as the thought that…
Burritos at Santa Fe’s El Parasol
Arne and I spent this 4th of July in Woodland Park, CO, with his parents. We try to get up there every summer. It was a lovely trip, with cool weather, beautiful thunderstorms, a trip to glorious Eleven Mile Canyon, and lots of hanging out. And a little bit of work. Arne’s parents own a…
Three Bean, Three Chile Chili
When you move to New Mexico from the Midwest, things get confusing with the word “chili.” Suddenly a word that’s always had one simple meaning – a comforting, mildly spicy stew of ground beef, tomatoes, and beans – gains another spelling and several new meanings. “Chili” can be the aforementioned stew, or the spicier Texas…
Kenyan Kidney Beans in Coconut Milk (Maharagwe)
It’s amazing how often I try something new and delicious because I’m too lazy to go to the store. That was the case last Vegetarian Week, when… Wait, I haven’t told you about Vegetarian Weeks. Let me do that real quick. I decided last December that, starting in 2012, I would cook and eat vegetarian…
Cincinatti Chili
A few weeks ago, my sweetie went to Cincinatti for work. Without me. Which means he got to eat Cincinatti chili. Without me. Obviously, something had to be done. I’ve only been to Cincinatti once, on a road trip. I don’t remember where we were going. But I remember stopping at Skyline Chili. I recall…
Indian Sour Chickpeas (Channa)
I’m starting to run out of foods I don’t like. Radishes? I like those now, especially when they’re young and fresh. Turnips? I love them – there’s nothing I’m happier to see in the CSA box. Winter squash… well, I’m softening there. And chickpeas. I used to really dislike chickpeas, except ground into unrecognizability in…
Quick Italian Wedding Soup with Sausage
I’ve been making this recipe for a long time. It’s a go-to staple for days, especially chilly ones, when I don’t have a lot of time and do have some hearty cooking greens in the crisper. I never called it Italian Wedding Soup, though. It didn’t really have a name; I’d just call it soup…
Ghanaian Peanut Stew
I love African peanut stew. Its rich, complex flavors belie its simplicity of preparation. For years I’ve made a version with whole chicken thighs, from Mark Bittman’s The Best Recipes in the World. However, as I continue with my vegetarian weeks, that obviously wouldn’t do. (Interestingly, as soon as I decided to go all-veg for…
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos
Over the past year, I have noticed myself cooking more and more meat. I don’t know why, I just seem to have moved into a “meat at the center of the plate” mindset. And I don’t like it. Not that I aspire to be a vegetarian; I’m too interested in trying anything and everything to…