When I was a kid, I was envious of those who were Jewish. It has nothing to do with my interest in the faith, the appeal of its strong community, or the preservation of very old traditions. Rather, it came down to simple mathematics; with eight being decidedly greater than one, I was convinced that Christmas-celebrators were being shortchanged days of celebration.

Now I’m grown up and about to marry a Jewish man, and through our courtship I’ve discovered something entirely different to envy about the chosen people – their delicious and comforting foods. It’s a stretch for me to choose, but if I had to pick my favorite from the mass of sumptuous kugels, brisket, noodle pudding, lox, and knish I’ve enjoyed, I’d still have to say that latkes (potato pancakes) are the dish that I look forward to more than any other.

This year, Brian’s family has exploded with craziness and we just couldn’t find a way for us all to get together for Hanukkah this year, so we decided to celebrate a little early on our own by making potato pancakes two ways – the traditional latke with sour cream and homemade apple puree, and a potato pancake dressed up with ingredients and spices reminiscent of potato dishes from our neighborhood Indian joints.

For both pancakes, I had two objectives in mind: a crispy crust on the outside, and mealy texture (as opposed to just mashed potatoes) within. With the help of a very hot cast iron skillet, and my mandolin slicer (using it to julienne the potatoes rather than just grating them into small, uneven shavings), both of these qualities were achieved.

We were delighted with the results of both, and each on our third pancake, had to remind ourselves that restraint is in order when eating a whole meal consisting of fried potatoes. I enjoyed alternating bites from each type of pancake, delighting in sweet/salty/creamy/crunchy contrast of the traditional pancake, and cleansing my palate a bit with the spicy and citrus flavor from the more contemporary model.

Latkes and Indian Spiced Potato Pancakes
Adapted from Epicurious, December 2005

Serve pancakes hot with applesauce and/or sour cream.

Indian Spiced Potato Pancakes

1/2 cup frozen peas
1 medium onion, peeled
4 large russet or Idaho potatoes (about 3 1/2 pounds), peeled
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Greek yogurt
1 lime

Preheat oven to 200°F. Place 2 nonstick baking sheets in oven.

In small saucepan, bring salted water to boil. Add peas and cook, uncovered, until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, then rinse in colander under cool, running water. Set aside in colander to drain completely.

Using a mandolin (set to 1/8th inch matchsticks), (or a box grater or a food processor fitted with grating disc) coarsely grate the potatoes and place in colander set in sink. Coarsely grate the onion using a box grater or a food processor fitted with grating disc , add to colander, and set aside to drain.

In large mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs. Whisk in flour, coriander, turmeric, and cumin. Mix in ginger, cilantro, and peas.

Press potatoes and onion to extract as much liquid as possible, then add to bowl. Season mixture with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using wooden spoon or hands, mix well, but do not overwork. Add additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, if the mixture still has a pool of liquid on the bottom.

In heavy-bottomed, 12-inch skillet (cast iron is highly suggested) over moderately high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter until hot but not smoking. Drop 4 scant 1/4-cup portions of potato mixture into pan and flatten with spatula to form four 3-inch pancakes.

Fry until bottoms are golden-brown, 4 to 5 minutes, then turn over and fry until golden-brown and crisp, an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season immediately with salt and pepper. Keep warm on baking sheets in oven while making remaining pancakes.

Combine 1 cup Greek yogurt with the juice of 1 lime and whisk to incorporate. Set aside for serving or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Using paper towels, carefully wipe out pan. And 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter and fry 4 more pancakes. Repeat with remaining batter, wiping out pan and adding 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter before each batch.

Serve pancakes hot with lime yogurt and wedges of lime.

This post serves as a friendly reminder that healthy delicious cooking need not involve a lot of skill or even recipes. When I’m feeling lazy (more often than you’d probably think), I just dip into the bag of fall goodies from the greenmarket. Chances are there’s something in there that can be sliced and or peeled, seasoned, and roasted.

There are no less than twenty varieties of potatoes available right now, not to mention root vegetables of all colors and sizes.

I even found some fresh lemon thyme and sage. It’s on it’s way out, so I bought extra to dry out and use when the snow is flying.

Next time you are in a cooking funk and ready to hit the speed dial for the Thai takeout guy, remember that there’s still a lot of good, seasonal eating to be had with minimal effort.

And even though these meals may feel a little bit like copouts, I assure you there’s never anything wrong with cooking fresh food at home. Especially when minimal effort yields a lot of great flavor.

Roasted Fall Veggies with Fresh Herbs

carrots (approximately 2 medium-sized per person)
potatoes (approximately 2 small per person)
good olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
minced fresh herbs (dill, parsley, rosemary, thyme, or sage)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash and peel the carrots. Scrub the potatoes and rinse thoroughly. Cut the carrots into 1 inch thick pieces, trying to keep them as uniform as possible for even cooking. Cut the potatoes into wedges about 3/4 inch thick at the thickest point.

On two separate baking sheets, toss the carrots and the potatoes in olive oil and spread them in single layers. Season with salt, pepper, and fresh herbs to taste.

Put both pans in the oven and allow them both to roast for ten minutes, then turn the contents of both pans and return to the oven for another tem minutes. Roast until the carrots caramelize on the edges and are soft in the middle. The potatoes will become crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Top with more fresh herbs and serve immediately.

Before I get down to business about this truly dreamy fall salad, I just have to ask – what do you think of the new look on the site? Is it not awesome? Major props and heaps of gratitude are in order for Paul, the gifted designer who was able to take the pages of meandering babble I wrote for him about my vision for the East Village Kitchen and translate them into the clean, beautiful design that you see here. I can’t wait to cook a giant thank you meal for he and his wife. Also, while I’m rolling the credits, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Brian spent the better part of a weekend wrangling the HTML to make the design play nice with WordPress, a daunting task that elicited cursing from the computer desk all weekend and proved, as if I didn’t know already, just how much he loves me.

Also, while I’m handing out thank yous, I also owe a big one to the EVK readers who reached out to me, either by commenting on the site or via email, to express disgust about what happened at that interview earlier this week and to offer words of encouragement. I was pretty ashamed, in hind site, that I allowed it to even happen rather than telling him that it was inappropriate and storming out, and I feel better now that I’ve taken action. That’s the last I’ll say on the matter, onward and upward! I’ll be doing a trial run at a wonderful bakery on Monday.

Ok, so, this salad. I’ve got my sweater on and I’m changing culinary gears – it’s time to embrace fall, hateful socks and all. I read an article about how amazing sugar pumpkins are for all kinds of sweet and savory recipes and decided that I wanted to try my hand with them this week. I have to say, I’m in love.

I missed out on the farmers market, so I was really happy to find the perfect NY state sugar pumpkin, just shy of 2 pounds, at Whole Foods. They were not marked with price per-pound, which usually ends with me going into mild shock at the checkout when the price is finally revealed, but not this time. I guess I never noticed before, but it turns out that pumpkin, even local, organic pumpkin, is cheap.

This is happy news for me, because I plan on making this salad at least once a week as long as sugar pumpkins are in season.

This is the kind of recipe that is super easy to pull together, but does require you to wait half an hour for the pumpkin to roast and the lentils to soak and cook. Be sure to get the lentils and the boiling water going while you are prepping the pumpkin, to save time. The biggest pain is cutting up and peeling the pumpkin, but I found that the chore became easier with the help of a sharp Swiss peeler. Also, if you quarter the pumpkin and scoop out all the seeds and pulp before you peel, the job goes much quicker. Be sure to use a sharp knife – raw pumpkin flesh is tough!

Once your pumpkin has cooled a bit (I thought this was stellar when the pumpkin was still warm) the only thing left to do is toss everything together and – voila! You’ve got yourself a bowl of spiced, creamy, crunchy deliciousness. The flavors and textures meld so perfectly; the subtle whiff of cumin and smoky flavor from the paprika, the goat cheese, melting into the pumpkin, making them both creamy and just a bit sweet, the slight bite of the lentil skins and the crunch of the rocket. Sigh. Drool. I’m so happy I have leftovers in the fridge!

Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil, and Goat Cheese Salad
Borrowed from Bon Appetit, November 2009

The subtle spices that are roasted with the pumpkin make a big difference and it is important to used a smoked paprika if at all possible. The website tienda.com is an excellent source for Spanish specialty spices and other traditional Spanish staples – Brian even ordered cheese from it! If you can’t find French lentils, just substitute other ones, just be sure to follow the directions for soaking and cooking that are provided with them, as they may be different.

Serves 4 as a meal, more as a pre-meal salad or side

3/4 cup French green lentils*
6 cups 1-inch pieces peeled seeded sugar pumpkin or butternut squash(from about one 2-pound whole pumpkin)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika**
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups baby arugula
1 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

PreparationPlace lentils in small bowl. Cover with cold water and soak 10 minutes; drain.

Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Drain lentils. Rinse under cold water, then drain.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pumpkin in large bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika, and sea salt. Arrange pumpkin in single layer on baking sheet; roast 20 minutes. Turn pumpkin over. Roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.

Combine lentils, pumpkin, and oil from baking sheet with arugula, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates; sprinkle remaining goat cheese over.

* Available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

** Sometimes labeled Pimentón Picante or Pimentó de La Vera Picante;

available at specialty foods stores and from tienda.com.

Shorter days and chilly nights be damned, this year I’m just not feeling ready to say goodbye to summer yet. I’m still buying the last ears of corn from the market, no matter how anemic. And I’ll continue buying tomatoes too, even the ugliest, most bruised ones, if it means that I can eat fresh tomatoes for one more meal as we ease into a winter filled with those lackluster replacements we call “hot house” or “canned tomatoes”.

This works out well for me, because corn and tomatoes are two foods that  are so versatile that there’s no need for a lot of kitchen time and complex recipes, something I just don’t have a lot of these days. I’ve started the second leg of my culinary school career, and for the next nine months, I’ll be spending many of my nights at the French Culinary Institute, learning what I’ll need to become a pastry chef.

I feel like I’ve dropped off the face of the earth since I started school again, and I realized that I haven’t mentioned a thing about how its going. I hate to admit it, but it’s been difficult adjusting this time around, and it has nothing to do with the cooking school part -I’ve got that down.

Thanks to my summer spent in the bread kitchen at the FCI, I’m fully acclimated to the uniform (complete with the ridiculously impractical, hard-to-tie neckerchief), the culture of brevity (YES CHEF! YES CHEF! YES CHEF!), the hard work, the constant hustle, and demand for a focused, I’m-working-but-I’m-also-listening-to-soak-up-every-single-word-that-chef-is-saying kind of discipline.

On my first day of class, I was prepared for all of that, and it’s like I’d never left. I tucked all of my hair up under my hat and pressed my jacket so the chefs would not be able to scold me. I paid attention to demos and lectures and assembled all my mis en plas before I began a task. The first four classes have been like a dream with all of the cool new things I have learned.

The one part that’s been a little hard for me this time around is that I am the old lady in the class. My classmates look at me like I’m an alien, and I think they’re wondering who brought their mom to school. And when I look at them I try not to think about how the middle school students I taught five years ago are now older than the majority of these youths in my class.
In my spin through the bread program, where the youngest person in the class had at least graduated from college, I remember thinking how cool it was that cooking school united such a hodgepodge of people, with ages spanning from 20 to 50. Age meant nothing at all, status was determined by one’s ability hang with the work. I really enjoyed the people I worked with while I was there, because even the youngest person was really passionate about food. We’d geek out talking about food and cooking every second that we were allowed to talk. It was exactly what I expected from culinary school, a group of people as passionate, motivated, and unapologetically dorky as I am.

That’s just not the experience I’m having this time around. My eighteen-year-old partner has a great work ethic and a lot of heart and hustle, but by virtue of our difference in age, I just don’t see us bonding over long conversations about restaurants we love. It’s a small thing that I’ll definitely get over as we move from tarts and cookies to choux and more complicated techniques in the coming months, but for now it’s making me a bit nostalgic for summer.

Perhaps that is why I’m refusing to let go of summer food and embrace the bounty of fall.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa and Roasted Sweet Corn Salsa

I selected these recipes based on what I had in the fridge and they rely heavily on my personal taste. When you try them out, taste as you go to make sure that you making them to suit your palete – if you want more spice you may want to use hotter peppers, for example. The tomatillo salsa is spicy and even a little bitter, while the roasted corn salsa is very sweet – Brian called it “Italian salsa” because the roasted tomatoes, corn, and basil bring a sweetness that most people would not expect from a salsa. I added smoked pepper hot sauce to give it a little heat and I think the smoky flavor works well with all that sweetness.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Adapted from Gourmet, November 2009

Serves 4-6 people as an appetizer or snack

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatillos or 3 (11-ounce) cans tomatillos
• 3 fresh jalapeno peppers
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt

Preheat broiler.

If using fresh tomatillos, remove husks and rinse under warm water to remove stickiness. If using canned tomatillos, drain and measure out 2 cups. Broil chiles, garlic, and fresh tomatillos (do not broil canned) on rack of a broiler pan 1 to 2 inches from heat, turning once, until tomatillos are softened and slightly charred, about 7 minutes.

Peel garlic and pull off tops of chiles. Purée all ingredients in a blender.

Roasted Sweet Corn Salsa

Serves 4-6 people as an appetizer or snack

3 Beefsteak tomatoes, cut into large pieces and seeded
1 large onion, cut into quarters
3 ears of corn, with the kernels removed from the cob
1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
oilve oil
1 clove of garlic
Juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper, to taste
smoked pepper hot sauce, to taste

Set the oven to 350 degrees and place the tomatoes and the garlic clove in a pan and drizzle olive oil over them, then coat them with the oil using your fingers. Put the tomatoes and garlic in the oven to roast for 15 – 20 minutes. The tomatoes will have begun to caramelize and some of the water should cook off. Once the tomatoes have started to roast, remove the garlic clove and turn the oven to broil, coat the corn and onions in olive oil and add them to the pan with the tomatoes and cook a few inches from the heat under the broiler for 5-7 minutes, until the corn and onions char. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool.

Chop the tomatoes, garlic, and onions into small pieces and stir together with the roasted corn. lime juice and basil. Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Serve with tortillas.

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. I’m swimming in them. And the most marvelous thing about tomato season is that much of the work has been done for you, by the farmer. In-season tomatoes are the most marvelous thing to happen to cooking, because even kitchen-phobic, “I can’t even boil water, pass the takeout menu!” types can make perfect, delicious, and colorful meals with minimal effort.

This recipe is another simple, delicious way to cook with your tomatoes right now.

You can either serve it hot, as a side dish, or as a cold salad, by allowing the orecchiette to chill before adding the other ingredients.

It’s exactly the kind of food I’ll be enjoying this week on my Sonoma Valley vacation – hence, the short, effortless recipe for the short, effortless post. Brian and I will be cooking some amazing, California cuisine in our rented tree house kitchen between kayaking, hiking, and wine touring, and I promise to share it all with you here.

Orecchiette with Fresh Mozzarella, Grape Tomatoes, and Garlic Chives
Adapted from Bon Appétit, August 2009

10 ounces orecchiette (little ear-shaped pasta; about 3 cups uncooked)

1/2 pound pea-size mozzarella or fresh mozzarella, diced

1 pound grape tomatoes or pear tomatoes in assorted colors, halved

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or more, to taste)

3 tablespoons minced fresh garlic chives or regular chives

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain; return pasta to pot. If you are going to make a salad, chill this until it is cold. If you are serving it as a pasta dish, add mozzarella; stir until cheese begins to melt, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and all remaining ingredients; toss to blend evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

The silver lining of this chilly cloud (and let’s not even begin to talk about the inevitable approach of the fall season, because I, for one, am in denial) is that I am swimming in tomatoes and it’s actually cold enough outside for the moment to conceive of using them in winter recipes that I usually can only wish that I had great tomatoes to use. I’m talking savory, melty tomato goodness that, under normal circumstances, I would never, ever want to make in sweltering August.





At first glance, this is a pretty unremarkable recipe, but please, I implore you, do not be fooled by its simplicity. It is important to remember that this dish is all about the tomatoes – the greatest show in town at the moment.





When you take wonderful, farm fresh, beefsteak tomatoes and combine them with the bright flavors of citrus and thyme, then bake them to concentrate and meld the flavors together under a blanket of buttery, homemade hazelnut croutons, what you get is pure heaven on a plate.





It was almost enough to make us delight in the unexpected chill in the air as we ate on our porch last night, determined to squeeze every last drop out of summer flavors, no matter that our tootsies were definitely a little cold in our flip flops. This dish paid homage to summer while warming us from the inside, which was unexpected, but also a bit refreshing.


Baked Tomatoes with Hazelnut Breadcrumbs
Adapted from Gourmet, August 2009

The original recipe calls for 1/2 a stick of butter, which I felt was too much and I opted to use half. You are essentially making croutons in the skillet, so if you find that they are too dry for your tastes, feel free to add additional butter or olive oil. I still got incredible, rich butter flavor. I could not find lemon thyme at the market, so I added the zest of one lemon to compensate for the citrus. It worked like a charm.

serves 6 to 8 people as a side dish

2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (from country bread, preferably whole-wheat)

4 to 6 large beefsteak tomatoes (about 3 pounds total)

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped lemon thyme or regular thyme, divided

zest of 1 lemon (if you are unable to fine lemon thyme)

1/4 stick unsalted butter

1 cup toasted hazelnuts (toast in a 350 degree oven for 7 minutes on a cookie sheet), any loose skins rubbed off with a cotton towel, cooled, and coarsely chopped.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 2-quart shallow ceramic or glass baking dish.

Spread bread crumbs in a 4-sided sheet pan and toast in oven until dried and pale golden, about 15 minutes. Cool crumbs. Increase oven temperature to 450°F.

Thickly slice tomatoes and arrange, overlapping, in baking dish. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon thyme, and if you are using the zest, sprinkle with that as well.

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, then cook nuts and crumbs, stirring frequently, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon evenly over tomatoes.

Bake until tomatoes are bubbling and crumbs are browned, 15 to 25 minutes. Cool to warm or room temperature and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon thyme.

Cooks’ note: Bread crumbs and nuts can be toasted (but not cooked in butter) 1 day ahead and kept together in an airtight container at room temperature. This dish does not keep well, so cut the recipe if there are less people – the leftovers were too soggy for me to endorse.

Being married to Brian is one of the most exciting ideas I can think of, but getting married is something that I’ve started to dread. It’s not cold feet, and it’s not even wedding planning itself, since type A personalities like myself tend to get off on organizing those sorts of detailed logistics. It’s the fact that I don’t have a clue where to get started when finding a venue that we can make our own. So far our brainstorming has transported us to a vineyard in California, a villa in Tuscany, a beach in Maine, and a funky art space in New York City. It’s all too surreal for me to commit to a date or calligraphy on an invitation.





This weekend, the search officially begins, with me hitting the pavement and checking out some places around the city. I’m not expecting much, just that rainbows will appear and little bluebirds will flutter around my head, signifying that I’ve stumbled upon the one. More likely, I will be hallucinating as a result of heat stroke.





My other plan for the weekend? Eat as much native corn as possible. The market is overflowing with delicious, plump ears of the stuff, and if there’s been a sweeter corn season in my lifetime, I certainly don’t remember it. With corn stuffed to the gills in my fridge, I’ve been looking for new ways to use it, and I stumbled across this painfully simple recipe which takes all of the work out of gnawing the corn off the cob (a pastime I do enjoy) and really lends a wonderful zesty kick, a perfect contrast to the sweetness of this year’s sweet crop.


Click here to check out my photos of Chef Aarón Sánchez of New York’s Paladar and Centrico restaurants, doing a demo this week at the FCI.  He made an amazing grilled corn salsa with scallops and students at the demo were lucky to score the recipe, which is soon to come at East Village Kitchen!

Lazy Man Corn
Adapted from Epicurious.com


The thing I enjoy most about this recipe is that it’s perfect for parties and barbecues. It allows people to take as much as they want and it can be easily be eaten at a crowded picnic table where elbow room is at a premium. While I enjoy butter running down my chin, sometimes it’s more becoming in social situations to eat corn with a fork.

The original recipe called for half a stick of butter, which I thought was unnecessary. Feel free to add more to suit your own taste.

6 ears fresh corn, shucked
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Special equipment: a wide 6- to 8-qt heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid
Garnish: fresh cilantro leaves

Bring 1 1/2 inches water (do not salt water) to a boil in pot, then
add corn. Cook corn (water may not cover it), covered with lid,
turning occasionally, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with
tongs to a large platter.

While corn cooks, melt butter in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then remove
from heat and stir in lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.

When corn is just cool enough to handle, cut kernels off cobs in long,
wide strokes with a large heavy knife, leaving kernels in clusters.
Transfer to a serving bowl.

Add butter mixture and cilantro to corn, stirring gently to keep
kernel clusters intact. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I can stop my whining about the lackluster fare at the markets – spring has finally arrived, and at long last, the farmers are toting something fresh and new in the backs of those huge trucks. There’s lettuce and baby greens, ramps, asparagus, the first teeny-tiny strawberries, and so much more! And the best part: once the floodgates open, the produce just keeps getting better and better each week as the balmy weeks of summer unfold.

After all of the excitement of our extended weekend, Brian and I took it easy on Sunday and enjoyed a stroll in one of the smaller markets in the East Village. I have tons of love for the chaotic Union Square market, but with the construction on the park going on, it’s been a bit claustrophobic for me. Luckily, there are markets all over, happening at different times of the week, you need only chose the closest to your home or office, using this amazing map.

We ended up checking out the market at the Stuyvesant Town oval, since it’s really close to the apartment, and never seems to be crowded. I was psyched to discover that there were gorgeous bulbs of spring garlic (aka, green garlic) and even some tomatoes (hydro grown, so not the real deal, but an improvement over supermarkets).

And just like that, our dinner was born.

My favorite thing about the markets of June – November, other than the quality of the produce, is that they provide us with the opportunity to eat a menu dictated largely by nature. During these times, it becomes so freaking simple to pick up a ton of whatever is in season and work backwards from there, dreaming up (or researching) the best ways to use each week’s haul.

Sometimes, we have a lot of fun finding elaborate ways to use the fruits and vegetables, other times, a simple brush with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper is all we need to create a satisfying meal.

This bruschetta recipe falls sort of in-between. It’s very simple, and the mild, juicy spring garlic gives the prefect garlic flavor, without overwhelming you with bite. We grilled our bread, but you needn’t be as fancy, toasting under the broiler or even in the toaster oven will do. Be sure to only add salt right before you are ready to eat to avoid drawing the liquid out of the tomatoes. It’s the perfect accompaniment to other grilled veggies, or a crowd-pleasing starter at any BBQ.

Spring Garlic and Tomato Bruschetta Recipe

Serves 3-4 people

4-5 tomatoes on the vine

1 bulb spring garlic, chopped finely

1 large handful of fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

sea salt or kosher salt

fresh ground black pepper

1/2 loaf baguette, cut into 3/4 inch thick rounds

Combine chopped tomatoes, spring garlic, and fresh basil in a bowl, gently mix, and refrigerate for at least two hours (no more than to allow the flavors to meld.

When you are ready to serve, remove tomatoes from the fridge and pour off some of the excess liquid, so the mixture is not too soupy but also not bone dry. Prepare your grill or turn on the broiler of your oven. If grilling, place the bread rounds on the grill and toast them on both sides, being careful not to burn them. If using the oven do the same, with the bread up close to the top of the broiler.

Arrange bread rounds on a plate. top each one with a few tablespoons of the tomato mixture, and allow a little of the juices to seep into the toasted bread. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.

Summertime cooking can be so beautifully simple.

How perfect that the seasons that beckon us to stay outside and play until after dark are the same ones that give us my favorite fruits and veggies, that require almost no preparation time or effort, allowing us to run that extra mile, extend happy hour, or take the long way home.

Artichokes are my favorite of all the warm weather foods that fall in this category.

Last night I picked up these globe artichokes, and it was just a matter of trimming them and steaming in a bath of water and a little dry white wine (optional)…

…before we were face first and elbow deep in the business of pure, unadulterated artichoke enjoyment.

I personally like to scrape the tender parts loose from the underside of each leaf using my teeth, saving the meaty hearts for last. There are few other foods that you can devour with such gusto, within the bounds of decorum. 

How to Cook Artichokes
The way my Mom taught me long ago 

1. Trim the stem and top each approximately 1 inch.

2. Steam the artichokes in a pot, with the flowers facing down and the stems facing up on high heat with about 2 inches of liquid (water, water and wine solution, or broth all work) for about 30 minutes, until the stems are tender and easily pierced with a fork.

3. Eat, one petal at a time (squeezes of lemon or a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar are optional), by pulling the petal through slightly clenched teeth to scrape off the tender “meat”. When you get to the heart, scoop out the fuzz with a spoon and cut off and leftover stem and enjoy!

The first time Brian’s parents cooked for me at their house was at the end of a Fourth of July weekend several years ago. Brian’s dad had just assembled an impressive new grill and was showing it off for us, making a long slab of ridiculously fresh teriyaki-glazed salmon, grilled atop a cedar board.

While that was going on, Brian’s mom slipped away to pull together a cole slaw that I’d heard Brian and his sister Lindsay talk about no less than a thousand times before. On the list of Favorite Family Recipes, this is the one I associate first with Brian’s family, right up there with his dad’s salmon and BBQ chicken, and his mom’s noodle pudding and baked ziti.

I’m not entirely sure what the actual name of the recipe is, and no one seems to know exactly where it came from. It doesn’t really matter though, because everyone knows it as “crack slaw”.

On Wednesday, while scowling at the gorgeous weather outside from behind the glow my my computer screen, I was thinking about quick, outdoor dining options, and this popped into my head.

I emailed Lindsay for this recipe, which I’ve copied in her own words below. I made a few modifications, one by accident, one on purpose. I accidentally used brown sugar, in my cross-wired brain I must have done a  free association thing: Asian cole slaw -> Asian ->Thai -> brown sugar. I thought the brown sugar was good. I also added the juice of one lime for some balance, which I would consider doing again (you can take it or leave it, I didn’t include it in the recipe below). The recipe leaves measurements “to taste”, and like so many things that moms make, I just couldn’t get mine to be as “crack-like” as I remember hers being, the dozen-or-so times that I’ve had this at Brian’s parents’ house. That’s why those family recipes are just so freaking good – when you remove the family member who makes them best, other attempts never measure up.

Crack Slaw (Asian Cole Slaw)
Adapted from Brian’s Mom’s recipe, as told by Brian’s sister Lindsay

1 bag cole slaw mix (14oz, or just shy of 400 grams of shredded cabbage and carrots, mixed)
5 scallions, sliced
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 cup slivered almonds
1 package ramen noodles (minus the flavor packs)

dressing:
1/2 cup veg oil
1/4 cup sugar.. i would not add all of that at once.. try half then add to taste.. when it’s too sweet it’s not as crack-like
2 tablespoons soy sauce

throw the sesame, almonds, crunched up ramen noodles and into a pan with butter.. cook till golden
let cool… add mixture and scallions to coleslaw .. dress and get cracked out.