New Orleans has its own cuisine shaped by what grows there, but also by the people who live there. Dirty rice is as old as the city itself and was a dish invented in the kitchens of resourceful cooks to avoid waste and turn less desirable ingredients into something amazing. It’s a dish that satisfies…
Maque Choux — the Big Easy
It’s Labor Day, so take it easy with maque choux. Easy yet elemental, maque choux features the Creole holy trinity of onion, pepper and celery, and three summer besties — tomato, basil and corn. It honors the big-hearted spirit of Louisiana, offers the pleasure and bright flavors of summer, nourishment when we need it, and…
Calabacitas | Cinco de Mayo During Coronavirus
Calabacitas–roughly translated as “zucchini” is a hearty, vegetarian Mexican dish that is intensely satisfying. Serve it alone as a side or add rice and tortillas to make it a meal. We see — or want to see — glimmerings of hope, of life after Covid-19, of a return to normal life. But honey, I think…
Curried Pumpkin Soup
Originally posted on 09/29/2014 for Huffington Post. Meatless Monday: The Seed of Something Great — Seed Food and Wine Festival Getting your Halloween game on? Pumpkins aren’t just for carving, they’re for eating, too. Here’s a curried pumpkin soup recipe from Mark Reinfeld (www.veganfusion.com). October kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month and the celebration’s happening in…
Asian Rice Noodles With Chili, Mint and Lime
Posted originally on 09/03/2009 for Huffington Post Meatless Monday: Mint Condition Two weeks back, a friend and I were discussing fresh mint with the passion of true believers. This was made trickier by the fact we do not share a common language. But we bond over many things including an abiding appreciation of mint’s underrated…
Iftar Quinoa With Olives, Dates and Dukkah
Posted originally on 08/01/2011 for Huffington Post Ramadan And Compassion — We Are Like Family Ramadan began last night at sundown, so I wished my next door neighbors a heartfelt, but no doubt, badly pronounced Ramadan Mubarak — blessed Ramadan. They are Muslim, from, well, it doesn’t matter what country they’re from. Muslims make up…
Nourishing Noodles — Japchae
I am just back from Austin, where I attended my first-ever IACP conference. This is not, as a friend thought, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, but the International Association of Culinary Professionals. I am a card-carrying member. I am a professional. But I also know I could be doing more to forward my…
