Herbed Pea and Lima Bean Salad

I was really thinking of bringing potato salad to a party this weekend. This would be a simple, easy-to-store solution for my day of having to schlep around Brooklyn before getting there. Potato salad is always a welcome crowd-pleaser at summer parties. But last Memorial Day, four people brought potato salads to a party. They were all delicious and quite different, but still, four people brought potato salad.

Asparagus In a Blanket

It didn’t take too long to come up with another way to playfully serve up asparagus: it’s a new finger-food party snack! These little doodads of spring goodness won’t trick you into eating something you weren’t suspecting — at first glance, with their evergreen tips sticking out, the asparagus give themselves away. They might be a laughably sorry substitute for “pigs” in these blankets, but asparagus with a buttery crust has its charms. And I’ll take anything that makes a … Read More

Strawberry Panzanella

Spring has hit a sweet spot. It’s the beginning of strawberry fields (but it’s not) forever. The very transient nature of local strawberry season for the Northeast signals its worthiness for celebration. The rest of the year, strawberries are insipid and oversized, shipped from across the country before really getting ripe. Fresh in season from a nearby farm, they’re intensely red and flavorful, bursting with sweet juice. Does this sound like a familiar story? Oh yes, that would be about … Read More

Baked Spinach and Ricotta with Toast

This is an example of the sum really exceeding the parts. There are so few parts to this, too — sweet winter spinach, creamy ricotta, buttered toast, a tinge of fresh nutmeg and hint of green onion. But combined in a warm mess to soak into crisp bread, it’s a savory comfort of sublime proportions.

Potato and Root Vegetable Galette

Is there anything more heavenly when breakfast time calls than potatoes cooked crispy in butter? Yes, I can think of something — when those potatoes mingle with the sweet flavors of root vegetables, also cooked crispy, in butter. There are simpler ways to combine these forces, as in a golden hash or a roasted tray of assorted chunks. I’ve slipped root vegetables ranging from parsnips and sweet potatoes to rutabagas and sunchokes into platters of these for many breakfasts past. … Read More

Seared Savoy Cabbage Salad with Potato, Bacon and Scallions

Sssizzle. One simple technique — searing — can add dramatic layers of flavor, even in places where you’d less expect it. A salad, for instance. I’ve had slightly charred radicchio and even romaine lettuce, but there’s something about sweet savoy cabbage, with its crinkly leaves, that tastes divine when given the treatment. Also, cabbage, in its many shapes and colors, is inexpensive, hardy, and readily available at a (yes, it’s still) winter farmers market. But the weather is getting warmer, … Read More

Spelt Pilaf with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Ras el Hanout

A touch of spice makes everything nice. That, and a lightly fried egg whose richness bathes everything in sticky bliss. The prongs of your fork will be cloying this substance, well after you’re done eating and trying to rinse it free. It doesn’t take much to make one simple brunch so memorable, and linger on in your tastebuds, if not also your silverware.

Sweet and Numbing-Hot Spaghetti Squash Salad

There’s nothing like a good game of culinary caper. Here, the winter squash known for its strand-like striations once cooked has stolen the role of thin glass noodles in a Sichuan-style spicy dressing. The squash is orange, rather than glisteningly clear, but since it’s drenched in chili-laced oil and fermented bean paste, you might still mistake it for the former ingredient if you weren’t paying much attention. And then — yuk yuk yuk — bite into the salad, to find … Read More

Fried Artichoke Hearts with Blood Oranges & Olives

Love is hard. It requires a lot of work, patience, and determination. So is rendering a whole, fresh artichoke into some palatable form. But when you really work at it, give it your best, the artichoke can be a delicious surprise — much more than edible, it’s a tiny miracle of complexity and unique charm. So is a relationship after it’s weathered a few storms. Once you peel back all the fuss and layers of each, you’ll find that all … Read More

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