When I was growing up, artichokes were regular family fare. My father, born and raised in California, where most artichokes in the U.S. are grown, had since “forever” known how to prepare the prickly vegetable. But, to others we met in our travels from place to place as he pursued his Air Force career they … Continue reading Parsing Artichokes
Stuffed cabbage leaves have always been part of my life. When I was young, the stuffing was a lamb and rice one, a la my Armenian heritage, and they were called cabbage sarmas. Later on, I leapt to a variation for my Pig-by-the-Tail Charcuterie, exchanging the lamb and rice for pork sausage and the individual leaf packets for a whole head, which I called a cabbage turban and sauced with a tomato caper sauce. These days, I have returned to the individual packets but Continue reading “Brown Rice, Walnut, and Dandelion Green-Stuffed Cabbage Leaves with Tomato Caper Sauce”
When I began my cooking career, I thought that fruit elements just don’t belong on the entrée plate. Please, no strawberry garnish a la South-of-the-Border. And excuse me from dishes that have fruit wrapped into their composition as they cook. But, as time went by, I looked back to Turkish Armenian cooking, one of my … Continue reading Skillet Roasted Chicken Breast in a Lusty Winter Salad
Two days ago, I broadcast arugula seeds around and about my garden, in the pole bean circle, in front of the tomatoes and bell pepper rows, a few more in some pots just so I could have plenty. I kept the seedlings moist and today they were already showing green sprouts. Quick thrills for the … Continue reading Arugula: A Shining Star in the Constellation of Leafy Greens
In the Great Depression of the 1930s, my immigrant grandmother went to work in a tomato cannery in Sacramento, California, where the family had settled. She supported her five children that way throughout the Depression and beyond. But, there weren’t just brought-home-from-work canned tomatoes in her kitchen. Her garden and those of my Armenian relatives … Continue reading September Tomatoes
In July through September the okra displays at produce and farmers’ markets attract a veritable study in a cross section of peoples that make up America and its cooking: Japanese, Chinese, Southeast Asians and Asian Indians, Greeks, Turkish, African Americans, Latinos, Middle Easterners, all precisely selecting the size pods desired for their dish: tiny ones for … Continue reading Okra: from Africa to My Microwave, and an Okra Succotash for All Tables
Fennel, a native of the Mediterranean, wended its way north, east, and west, and established itself in the landscapes and gardens of temperate climates around the world. So hardy is it, it is sometimes considered an invasive weed when it proliferates into expansive stands to the detriment of other plants that might have wanted to … Continue reading Splendiferous Fennel, and a Broccoli Recipe
