A Recipe for Fava Bean Soup with Garlic, Leeks, Fennel, Carrots, and Fresh Rosemary A SICILIAN CELEBRATION OF SPRING VEGETABLES Many Sicilians believe that fava beans bring good luck and therefore it is prudent to carry one in your wallet or pocket and to always have a few in the pantry. During the Middle Ages,…
Did you know that basil is considered one of the seven lucky plants for 2021 according to Feng Shui? I wondered if combining a lucky plant like basil, with the leaves of the lucky fava bean if you could double your luck…. A Recipe for Fava Greens Pesto served over couscous with carrots, spring peas,…
A Recipe for a Spicy Fig Reduction served over Fregola, Crispy Cauliflower, Shiitake, Mizuna, and topped with roasted hazelnuts. Figs. Scientists and historians have found evidence of fig cultivation dating back over 11,000 years ago in Jericho on the West Bank. Figs are really a fascinating fruit with a long and significant history! Since figs…
A Recipe for Roasted Grapes, Mint, Basil, Spring Onions, & Serrano Pepper served over Crispy Crostini I was in the mood for bruschetta this evening. Sadly, one of the key components for bruschetta are fresh tomatoes and it is just not tomato season yet. However, I did have some beautiful, fresh grapes on the counter…
Bandits Bounty… A Bit of History: Throughout history, spices have been valued for cooking, medicinal uses, and religious ceremonies. The word spice has Latin origins, meaning an item of special value. Since many spices only grew in certain regions, their rarity further increased value. People have been trading spices since 2000 BC! (Read more here…
Roasted Radishes, Rainbow Carrots, Murasaki Sweet Potatoes, Peas, and Scallions with a Cashew Wasabi Miso-Soy Sauce An Unlikely Doppelganger… Introduction: I love picking up a CSA box! Sometimes, the ingredients are a complete surprise and other times I know a day or two in advance what to expect. Either way, I like to imagine I…
Liquid Gold for Carpool Days… Food is such a beautiful expression of memories and for me the aroma of dill and lemon evoke thoughts of my home, family gatherings at the Parthenon restaurant for avgolemono soup, and comfort. This soup draws its flavor from celery, carrots, onion, and garlic and a secret twist: a little…
Easy Chocolate Hummus I have to admit when I first came across chocolate hummus at the store, I thought it sounded revolting. I decided to purchase it anyway because; hey it’s chocolate how bad could it be? Thankfully, my willingness to try a new product paid off and I loved it. There are lots of…
A Recipe for Fregola Sarda with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto, Celery Root, Carrots, Rutabaga, and Crispy Rosemary Olives & Baguette Croutons Fregola sarda is a minuscule handmade pasta crafted from semolina and water and looks very similar to Israeli couscous. It is typically available dried and pre-toasted to enhance its nutty flavor. Fregola comes from the…
I don’t blame you if this title confused you, but I found out so many cool things about grapes while researching this post. Genetic research has demonstrated that grapes are 65 million years old: that’s when the dinosaurs became extinct (read article here). Mind blown! So, did dinosaurs die first or grapes appear first? This…