How can I include a recipe for radishes without talking about Rapunzel? I was an avid reader of Grimm’s Fairy Tales when I was a kid (and I mean the morbid Grimm versions, where Cinderella’s stepsisters cut off parts of their feet). In the Rapunzel story, a pregnant woman was craving radishes (or rampion, in some versions) from […]
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Easy Peasy Edamame
Edamame are green soybeans that are eaten as a bar snack in Japan. At parties, we often include a platter of boiled edamame in their pods as an appetizer. You can buy them frozen, in their pods or shelled. The ones in their pods are a great finger food, while the loose shelled ones are […]
The Best Avocado Salad
This is one of the simplest and most striking of all salads. I first tasted it in Cartagena, Colombia, where Donatello and I were invited to a friend’s house for lunch. It was a hot, sticky day and not one that anyone would want to spend hours cooking in the kitchen. The key to this avocado […]
Skinny Spinach Dip
Although hot spinach or artichoke dips are quite common, the first one I tried was while visiting some family friends in Abu Dhabi. My folks and I promptly devoured a whole baguette working our way through this dip. We loved the cheesiness, the hot meltiness, plus the briny tang of artichokes. Only later did I […]
Deviled Eggs for Easter
Deviled eggs are a staple appetizer at our family parties. You can play around with the fillings, adding a bit extra of what you like, and omitting the ingredients that you’d rather skip. I had green onions available, so I minced two of those and used them instead of a regular onion. Also, I generally […]