Vegetables
Carrot and daikon salad
Boston Globe, October 14, 2009 Carrot and daikon salad–Serves 4 Light vinegared salads, known in Japan as sunomono, can be made with most any vegetable. In Shizuo Tsuji’s “Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art,’’ the author pairs carrot and daikon radish in a light and refreshing dish with a sweet and sour dressing called amazu (the …
Read moreOne potato Two potato
Photo by Debra Samuels for the Boston Globe By Debra Samuels Boston Globe, April 1, 2009 As Lexington resident Norma Currie explains it, she and her siblings did what many children do: “None of us would eat our vegetables,” she says. But their mother was smarter than her kids. She cooked the vegetables and mashed …
Read moreSweet and Sour Onions
These little onions make a wonderful condiment with roasted meat dishes, as part of an antipasto platter or served on their own as an appetizer served with drinks. Sweet and Sour Onions Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds cipolline, Italian baby onions or yellow pearl onions 4 1/4 cups water 1 teaspoons salt 1/4 cup white wine …
Read moreGrilled Pizza
Making your own pizza dough is not the fuss you may think. In Italy pizza is served in individual size portions and fills an 8-inch plate. The crust is crispy and the toppings are exactly what you want! Don’t be afraid of the yeast. Kids will love watching the dough rise and punching it down. …
Read moreEriko’s Simmered Eggplant
This is a classic Japanese home style preparation for eggplant. The dish is served hot or cold. The eggplants are first scored and then soaked in water to remove some of the natural bitterness and then patted dry. They are then sautéed in oil and a bit of sugar to form a sweet crust. Eriko’s …
Read moreAquacotta – “Cooked Water”
Somewhere between a soup and a savory bread pudding lies aquacotta “cooked water”- a traditional peasant dish from Tuscany that uses stale bread, tomatoes, onions and whatever vegetables are available. Its name reflects its origins– lean times for farmers. When things were better, perhaps each member of the family would add an egg atop the …
Read moreBaby bok choy
Boston Globe, May 14, 2008 Baby bok choy Serves 4 Baby bok choy, steamed with slivers of fresh garlic and plenty of ginger, is ready in about 10 minutes and produces a flavorful dish of mini green bundles. The small greens are often used in Chinese dishes as a bed for tofu or scallops, but …
Read moreCaponata
Boston Globe, March 26, 2008 Caponata Makes about 2 cups Caponata is the sweet, sour, and salty Sicilian eggplant appetizer that looks like a relish and often comes as one of the tastes in an antipasti course. The dish begins with sauteed eggplant cubes, which lend their deep purple color to the mixture, and is …
Read moreCrudite Platter with Spicy Miso Dip
Boston Globe, November 7, 2007 If you’re hosting or contributing to a party and looking for an appetizer, a crudite platter is always welcome. For years, Americans had a mundane approach to this French tradition by dipping veggie sticks such as carrots and celery into ordinary mayonnaise-based sauces. Raw broccoli and asparagus spears joined the …
Read moreSPRINGTIME IN SICILYIn the markets of Palermo, vendors share deliciously imprecise recipes
PALERMO, Italy — Nestled among the faded gray and peeling concrete buildings, some still cratered by World War II bombings, sits one of the liveliest markets in Sicily. Bright red and blue awnings cover hundreds of stalls in the colorful Ballarò, the most extensive of many markets in this charming, chaotic city. I traverse the …
Read moreBento:Build a Better Lunch
Debra Samuels, bestselling author, food writer and cooking instructor, wants to give the American lunchbox a makeover. In the chapter on “bento,” the traditional Japanese lunch box, in her upcoming book, My Japanese Table, Debra encourages the use of color, texture and taste to create healthier and more visually appealing meals.
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