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The Spring Kitchen: Cooking with Seasonal Vegetables and Fruit
Thanks to an early burst of spring at the market, I have been thinking about the seasonal produce soon to make its way to our tables. The dish that made its way to mine, sesame asparagus with roasted plums, was so vibrant that I was told it looked like roses and stems. With its green spears and crimson pieces of fruit, it likely will return for spring gatherings and holidays. Certainly the flavor of toasty sesame and the tangy sweetness of roasted plums is something I look forward to sharing again. As bits of spring soon will surface everywhere, here are some tips on how to make use of the…
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The Language of Spice: Chili, Chile, and Chilli
If you enjoyed reading last week’s hot chocolate recipe and happen to be interested in the language surrounding food, you may have wondered about the spelling of one of the key ingredients: chile. As I write up the recipes that hopefully will inspire your own home cooking, I occasionally come upon the name of an ingredient or traditional dish that requires a little bit of editorial finesse. Take, for example, my recent pasta e fagioli. I faced a decision of whether to translate the name into English for those who were not familiar with this Italian soup. Since my grandmother pronounced this dish and other Italian classics so fluidly, it’s…
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Chile Hot Chocolate
Decadent hot chocolate spiced with ancho chile, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon is a dessert I love to serve in demitasse or espresso cups. Less thick than my French-style hot chocolate, but much bolder than hot cocoa, this drinking chocolate is satisfyingly rich and requires no extra sugar than what is already included in the chocolate you select for this recipe. I finish mine with whipped cream and a touch of extra cayenne pepper on top. With Valentine’s Day almost here, consider serving this chile hot chocolate to a loved one or treat yourself to some. While the correlation between romance and chocolate may be attributable more to lore than to…
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Pasta e Fagioli Soup with Chard
A rustic Italian soup made with pasta and beans, pasta e fagioli is a classic dish to which I add greens for extra flavor and nutrition. Even though I use mainly the leaves in this tomato-based recipe, I tend to make it with rainbow chard versus white-stemmed Swiss chard because the bright colors extend from the stems through the leaf veins, adding even more color to each bowl. If you’ve ever had a bland version of this soup or found the pasta to be too soft, try this recipe, perhaps when you’re craving a tomato soup with some tasty extras. The method and ingredients result in a satisfying meal perfect…
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Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash with Goat Cheese and Figs
I believe there is something joyful about a stuffed vegetable. All that goodness overflowing an edible package. In this recipe I fill naturally mild and buttery acorn squash with a quinoa mixture that includes dried figs, goat cheese, shallot, and a touch of homemade pear vinaigrette. On the Italian side of my family, figs were relished, and a flourishing fig tree was admired more than a sprawling lawn. As we drove through my grandmother’s neighborhood, I would look for signs of fruit trees spilling over backyard fences. I suspect this is what sparked my love of gardens tightly packed and overflowing. Though she was a butcher’s daughter, my grandmother favored…
