Main Ingredient

December 10, 2009

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – Part Two

So you’ve perfected the turkey roulade. Now its time to get cracking on those scrumptious side dishes: saffron rice with dill and tart cherries and butter braised sprouts and easter radishes I apologize for the rather sepia toned pictures of the meal. With low light in the kitchen and some tan colored plates, it is rather difficult to get appetizing and colorful pictures of the food. So my delicate wordsmithing will have to do the trick for now. More professional photography to come soon. Promesso. On to the rice. Ingredients: 1 cup white rice (short or long grain) 1/2 cup […]

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December 9, 2009

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Last night, my humble kitchen (red diner booth and all) was filled with holiday cheer and lots of food. My family friend and foodie mentor, Bill, owner of the delicious Absinthe Brasserie & Bar, and his wonderful family joined Boy and me for a post Thanksgiving, turkey feast which included recipes from the Frog Hollow Farm Cooking Class and a side dish from my new Thomas Keller cookbook which I am officially in love with.

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December 1, 2009

Cookie Hang

Oh me oh my – it’s the holidays. 96.5 has been blasting Christmas carols since the middle of November, store-front windows are sporting a menagerie of lights and pine needles, and people are gathering regularly for exchanges of gifts, goodies, and sweet treats. Last night my book club traded in well-read pages for a cookie hang which, for those of you who do not craft on a regular basis or own an absurd amount of tupperware, is an event in where people gather with enough baked goods for everyone to share. There are oohs and ahhs, a lot of munching, […]

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July 6, 2009

Pea Soup

My mom, boy’s mom, and I decided to meet for lunch one beautifully sunny afternoon and I wanted to treat them both to something light, bright, and delicious. I was aiming to fix a meal that was quick to make, full of flavor, and of course, sodium-free. So, I settled on curried egg salad sandwiches and some cold pea soup – my cup of soup, of course, is the one topped with hot red chili flakes – it may have been chilled, but I am always hankering for some heat. The recipes are simple and the tastes are just complex […]

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June 24, 2009

Fridge Frittata

First off – go see Food, Inc. I’ve read the books, I volunteer at the Ferry Building, I shop at Farmer’s Markets whenever I can.  But this movie, even for the most food-enlightened, is a huge wake up call.  We truly are what we eat and our food industry is the cornerstone of our community’s and our world’s health, social, and environmental issues. So I have to say, after I left the movie, I was glad to know that my fridge was full of locally produced, seasonal ingredients – all of which needed to be eaten right away if I […]

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May 5, 2009

Eastover

What do you get when you have one kidney-failing Jew, a group of semi non-practicing Christian friends, and a knack for combining two words into one? EASTOVER! Sodium-free style. I love nothing more than a good excuse to throw a food fest, so the culmination of these two fantastically treat-related holidays seemed like the perfect fit. Boy and I (with help from mom and dad – who are learning how to cook without salt!) whipped up a salt-free shmorg-borg of brunchy delights: Horoses and matzoh, deviled eggs, baba ganoush, two gorgeous fruit tarts care of Annie, slow-cooked scrambled eggs, macaroons, […]

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April 1, 2009

Paneer is Here

While at the amazing foodie wonderland that is the Berkeley Bowl (or the “Nerkeley Bowl” as some may call it) I discovered a new addition to my sodium-free arsenal: PANEER This delicious cheese is popular in South Asian and Persian cuisine – it is sturdy and can be grilled and fried and stays firm in a variety of delicious sauces. Although it is referred to sometimes as an “Indian cottage cheese,” I think it tastes is much more like mozzarella (and goes well with a spectrum of flavors from spicey curry to a traditional tomato sauce). It is completely vegetarian, […]

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