Have you heard of dukkha? To be honest, I can’t say that I’ve known about it for long. It’s a savory blend of roasted nuts, seeds and spices that hails all the way from Egypt. The fragrant mix is absolutely delicious, very versatile and super easy to make. Where have I been that I didn’t know about it sooner? Here’s to more dukkah in my house and, hopefully, yours, too. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Nuts and Seed Aren’t Just For Birds: Make Dukkah!”
Tag: International Food
Chickpeas to Ring in the New Year
Happy New Year. We are thrilled to have you back and are looking forward to yet another fabulous year together. The holidays reinforced my belief that we feel better and happier when we eat good, clean and fresh foods, ideally in good company. There is no silver bullet when it comes to eating well. Our decisions should be driven by the signals our bodies send us after eating certain foods. Not feeling bloated, tired, stuffed or generally depressed is worth the extra effort that it takes to be smart about what we eat. For me, it’s the year of simple food, of slow food, and yes, also of baking good sourdough bread. And with today’s post, we are off to a great start. Here’s to 2015, together. Come and cook with us. Continue reading “Chickpeas to Ring in the New Year”
Blueberry Dumplings
There are dishes that I like and then there are apricot dumplings. When you are lucky enough to have a generous fruit bearing apricot tree in your backyard, these sweet, colorful and delicious dumplings perfectly mark the end of summer. That is back home in Italy. Here in Northern California, an apricot bounty is not within my gardening reach. So instead, we turn to blueberry dumplings to add a fruity touch to a special weekday dinner. Sounds delicious? Wait until you try them. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Blueberry Dumplings”
From A to Za’atar!
My mom has always loved the ocean. Lucky for us, as it meant that we spent at least a few weeks a year enjoying time on the beach. We travelled all over the Mediterranean sea, primarily Italy, Greece and Turkey. Growing up in the mountains, this was a special treat. I still remember a dinner we had in Cefalú, a small fishing village along the northern coast of the island of Sicily. Sizzling on the grill were delicious lamb sausages that had a particularly interesting flavor that really spoke to me. It was tangy, aromatic and full of a complexity foreign to the Italian and Tyrolean cuisine I grew up with. I immediately fell in love with that unique taste but only much later realized that it was za’atar. To this day, sweet childhood memories return whenever I eat this spice mixture. Let me introduce you to the lovely flavor that is za’atar. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “From A to Za’atar!”
Mighty Melanzane
Whenever Doug, my husband, returns from a trip, I like to welcome him back with a dish I know he likes. He usually wants “something with lots of vegetables”, probably to make up for the steaks and burgers he has on the road. One of his absolute favorites is melanzane alla parmigiana, a typical Italian dish featuring eggplant. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Mighty Melanzane”
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