I realize I haven’t posted any Bengali recipes in awhile. I’ve been cooking Bengali food – but it hasn’t been all that pretty, especially when I am rushing around and getting ready to serve dinner by a certain hour so that L can eat with us (after which, she is covered with food and must…
Category: Vegetables
Spring Chickens Revisited
About a year ago, I posted an entry about a green apple chicken salad. I am partial to chicken salad, and even more partial to apples in a chicken salad. With a bit of tart and a bite of sweet, a crunchy apple offers just the right complement to the celery and cranberries which accompany…
Make It Fast
Make it now. Make it taste good. And make it nutritious too. These are the demands of busy families. The timeline of cooking shifts when children are present, especially the littlest ones who demand our constant attention. Long hours spent in the deliberation and preparation of food suddenly give way to “what can I make…
The Perfect Couple
I occasionally disobey one of the cardinal rules of entertaining and try my hand at a dish that I’ve never quite made before. It’s heresy, I know, and I’m either setting myself or my guests up for an experience we will never forget. And not necessarily in a good way, either. I admit there have…
Accompaniment
The Bengali meal, when allowed to showboat in all its unabated complexity, is a grandiose, multi-course affair. For very special occasions, one might be served 12 to 15 courses. But for the less spectacular, everyday meal, one would be served at least four courses, with rice holding court as the queen, without which the other…
Summer Stuffed Peppers
Why is it impossible to find a good stuffed pepper? I’ve tried a few at some of the popular Greek or Mediterranean restaurants in Chicago, and all are a sad, bland mess. Unseasoned, tinny, soggy peppers, even sadder fillings that seem to be a throwaway combination of either undercooked or overcooked rice and sour tomato…
Who Knew?
Who knew the ubiquitous and mild zucchini could be so versatile? They are everywhere now, piled high and on sale, and much is possible with this simple summer squash. Anyone who has ever grown zucchini knows the plant is energetic and boisterous, with leaves the size of dinner plates, tendrils and yellow flowers thrusting willy-nilly…
Summer Veggies
What is there to say? Summer is upon us. We are awash in the green, Midwestern heat and the farmer’s markets are in full swing. This dish is simple. Buy vegetables that you like to eat, those in their delectable summerific prime. Wash veggies. Cut veggies. Sauté in canola oil with a dash of sesame…
Departures
I took an unplanned departure from my blog for several weeks, and it has unexpectedly thrown me off course. I left home in late April to go to another home; that is, I went to Kolkata because my grandmother passed away after a long illness. We loved her deeply, we are grateful for all that…
April
We are having warm weather all week. I am excited by this. I am excited because it is the second week of April, and it has been known to snow during the second week of April. But this year, we’ve had some freakishly fine weather, and the tulips are up, the azaleas have buds, everything…
Remember the Taste 