They say variety is the spice of life. And, a variety of herbs and spices will definitely make your cooking repertoire more exciting and interesting. I have an (ever growing) cupboard full of spices/spice blends and a small, urban garden where I grow an assortment of herbs.  One of my favorite spices (actually, a berry) … Continue Reading

Most everybody’s heard of matzah ball soup. But, that’s not the only Jewish chicken soup in town.  If you like robust, flavorful and a bit spicy, this is the chicken soup for you.  Its origin is Yemeni, but today you can find this soup in Israel, where an overwhelming majority of Yemen Jews reside.  What … Continue Reading

A little ways back, I made these Indian-spiced Turkish style eggs, a fusion of sorts pairing çilbir — Turkish poached eggs over yogurt topped with chile-spiced butter — and an Indian smoky, eggplant-yogurt — baingan ka raita — topped with a tadka, spices tempered (i.e., briefly roasted in oil or ghee) to release their essential oils, which makes them … Continue Reading

I had half a [Marina di Chioggia] pumpkin left over after making my pumpkin gnocchi the other day. I decided to roast it up and layer on the flavors. I simply tossed the pumpkin wedges in olive oil, maple syrup, chile flakes and sea salt and roasted in the oven until tender and caramelized. The … Continue Reading

Needed a little break from blogging. Even food bloggers get tired of cooking from time to time 🙂 Thought I’d ease back in with a simple, yet tasty recipe — fatteh — a Lebanese dish of toasted pita chips topped with warm chickpeas, a yogurt-tahini-garlic sauce, toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley. Layer upon layer … Continue Reading