Coconut-Carrot-Ginger Risotto with Carrot-top Pesto

Coconut-Carrot-Ginger Risotto with Carrot-top Pesto

I went to the market earlier and picked up a gorgeous bunch of fresh carrots with an excess of feathery green tops as well as a can of coconut milk for no good reason except that it was on sale. When I got home, I came across the lone ghost pepper I'd bought last week. While cooking dinner for the boys, I thought about risotto...

Read More

Roasted Delicata with Bacon-Shallots, Pomegranate, and Yogurt Sauce

Roasted Delicata with Bacon-Shallots, Pomegranate, and Yogurt Sauce

Each time we go to our favorite Lebanese restaurant, my husband orders the fatteh blameh or seriously considers doing so. He loves the yogurt sauce that's spread over the stew as well as the pluck that sprinkled-on pomegranate arils provides...

Read More

Lightly Fried Pattypan Squash with Brown Butter Corn and Cotija

Lightly Fried Pattypan Squash with Brown Butter Corn and Cotija

During my childhood (in southwest Louisiana), my mom and grandmother cooked a lot of squash. Squash casserole, boiled squash, stuffed squash, lightly fried squash....White-skinned scalloped squash were prevalent in the summers, and Nanny and Mom sliced them into rounds, dipped them in an egg-milk mixture before dredging them in generously salted and peppered flour, and then frying them quickly in hot canola oil. The batter was so light, barely clinging to the delicate squash. Parmesan grated over the top was the finishing touch,

Read More

Papaya and Cantaloupe with Lime Vinaigrette

Papaya and Cantaloupe with Lime Vinaigrette

Summertime is a season during which even the most ardent fruit lovers may feel overwhelmed. Peaches, plums, berries, melons... Everything is so delicious but it can be difficult to keep up, and at the end of the day, standard fruit salads may start to lose their luster.
This one pairs two underutilized melons with a zippy lime vinaigrette and fresh mint. It's healthy, beautiful and full of flavor!

Read More

Sauteed Greens with Sumac

Sauteed Greens with Sumac

A dish of mine, Chicken with Caramelized Sumac Onions, Preserved Lemon and Pearled Couscous, was featured on Food52 as a superb one-pot meal. Afterwards, a friend of mine told me how much she, too, loves sumac, and asked if I'd ever tried it atop sauteed spinach. I'd not but was immediately intrigued and that evening made this (with chard). For lunch the next day I made this again (using kale and arugula). I ate every bite both times.

Read More

Rapini with Vin Cotto

Rapini with Vin Cotto

One of my favorite appetizers at one of DC's best pizzerias is the rapini with vin cotto. I've been to known to actually lick my plate to make sure none of the gooey, syrupy, incredible vin cotto goes to waste. Vinegar is one of my favorite condiments, and the bitter-sweet combo of it and the rapini in this dish is off the charts awesome. This is my version of the restaurant's dish.

Read More

Farro with Beets, Feta and Pecans

Farro with Beets, Feta and Pecans

This is the fall season in a dish. A delicious grain (farro) plus a veggie (roasted gold beets), cheese (feta), nut (maple-glazed pecans) and a fresh herb dressing (chive-sage oil). Absolutely wonderful, fresh, healthy and pretty! 

Read More

Brussels Sprouts, Crispy with Lemon, Capers and Pecorino

Brussels Sprouts, Crispy with Lemon, Capers and Pecorino

Recently, while lunching at a popular DC restaurant (Blue Duck Tavern), I ordered a side of its Crispy Brussels sprouts with lemon, caper and pecorino. Every bite was a shut-your-eyes, revel-in-the-bliss thrill. I returned home determined to recreate the dish. And here it is. 

Read More

Mustard Greens Provencal

Mustard Greens Provencal

In the midst of winter, I enjoy a warm lunch salad. For this, sturdy greens make a great base. I bought a gleaming bunch of mustard greens recently- they were so fresh and healthy that they appeared to be lit from inside. As I got out my trusty Lodge pan and gently warmed some oil and garlic, I was reminded of another dish that I simply adore: my mom's tomatoes Provencal. At that point I knew I simply had to merge the two ideas into one.

Read More

Caramelized Fennel, Leeks and Orange

Caramelized Fennel, Leeks and Orange

This recipe won Food52's Your Best Fennel contest. In their words, "This is one of the most interesting uses of fennel we know; we see it paired with grilled proteins or as a hearty first-course salad for spring dinner parties. The coriander sugar is an inspired touch, as is the sambuca. (But if you're working in a booze-free kitchen, don't let that stop you!)

Read More

Cauliflower Casserole

Cauliflower Casserole

When the weather shifts towards a decidedly fall-into-winter temperature range, my cooking shifts too in an almost subconscious way. I like the way this makes me feel connected to the natural patterns of the world around me. The produce at the farmers market has been glorious of late: the deep greens of the lettuces, kales and their kin and the rich sunset-like hues of the tree fruits, winter squash and cruciferous clan. You almost can't avoid making a casserole or two and such was the impetus for this simple, satisfying bake.

Read More