Vegetarian
The Village Greens
By Debra Samuels Globe correspondent APRIL 02, 2013 By April, weary New Englanders are looking for anything to poke through the thawing ground. It is often a crocus, welcomed like an old friend. To help lift our culinary spirits, we asked you to peek into your recipe collections for favorite dishes featuring spring greens. For …
Read moreIn Rome, NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli covers crises and eats well
Sylvia Poggioli loves Rome’s food culture and cooking with vegetables.
Read moreFrom Barbara Rotger, Melrose, Ma
Hand written recipes from beloved relatives are our treasures. This recipe for Asparagus roll ups came from Barbara Rotger, a woman I interviewed for the article Something old, something new. It is from her grandmother, Marion Griswold Doane, who lived in Essex, Conn., and entertained a lot. “Grandma’s recipe box is full of appetizers and dips. My grandfather, Charlie, had a large vegetable garden and small farm stand. He would have grown the asparagus that Grandma used in this recipe,’’ says Rotger. Combined with cream cheese and blue cheese, the toasted bread asparagus roll-ups make elegant finger food.
Read morePreparation is half the fun for Feast of San Giuseppe
By Debra Samuels, Globe Correspondent March 31, 2010 GLOUCESTER — In the garage-cum-kitchen of Nina and Franco Groppo’s home here, more than 20 friends and extended family are preparing for the Feast of San Giuseppe. That means pasta making — lots of it — along with plenty of fun. Flour sifting through the air around …
Read moreFour Tasty Tofu Recipes
Boston Globe, January 6, 2010 Chinese steamed silken tofu with ginger and scallions Serves 4 At Rice Valley in Newton, cooks use silken tofu, which they steam with shreds of ginger and scallion. Then they bathe the cubes in hot soy sauce and chicken broth. You don’t need a wok or steamer. Use a deep …
Read moreTofu is all about the texture
Tofu is all about the texture Each of the three styles of soy bean curd has a purpose Those large white blocks of tofu can be intimidating. No matter how carefully you prepare them, the dishes never seem as good as they are when you eat out. It’s all a matter of determining which texture …
Read moreKorean Scallion Pancakes
Makes two 8-inch (20 cm) pancakes Batter 1 1/4 cups flour 1/3 cup rice flour 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt or kosher salt 1 1/2 cups (500 ml) water Vegetables 1 large zucchini, cut into 2-inch long matchstick strips 1 carrot, cut into 2-inch long matchstick strips 1 medium onion, cut into thin strips 3 …
Read moreCarrot 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 moreBap till you drop
Bap till you drop By Debra Samuels, Globe Correspondent November 5, 2008 In Korea, some foods trickled down from the Imperial palace and others have humbler origins. Bibimbap seems to be somewhere in the middle – a dish thought to have been introduced to Korean monarchy by the court of China, but also served to …
Read moreKasha varnishkes
By Debra Samuels Boston Globe, December 17, 2008 Kasha varnishkes Serves 8 Eastern-European Jewish immigrants brought kasha varnishkes to this country at the turn of the 20th century. Kasha is roasted buckwheat groats; varnishkes means noodles in Yiddish (bow ties are now classic), and Wolff’s Kasha is the brand most cooks use. Mix eggs into …
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 …
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Bento: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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