Apps and Sides

Pumpkin Pie with Pumpkin Seed Crust

October 28, 2009 by Charles 3 Comments

Pumpkin isn’t just a scary face anymore.

Carving pumpkins seem to dominate the Fall season, their faces appearing on plastic buckets and billboards, their representatives occupying porch steps and window sills. When we think of pumpkin patches and Halloween, we have carving pumpkins in mind. And that’s sad. Pumpkins have become one of the few vegetables – if not the only one – that has been turned from a food into a decorative device to be discarded. Etching and cutting a design into a vegetable should not be intuitive.

Instead, we should look away from the beasts and monsters, and turn our sights towards sweeter pursuits. Pie pumpkins, unlike the carving pumpkins, are …

Spanakopita

October 20, 2009 by Charles 19 Comments

During my senior year of high school, I got my first laptop. By today’s standards, it was slow and it was heavy. It hardly had any memory and it couldn’t even play a movie. But it had an ethernet port, and so, it had potential.

When I got to college, Firestone library was only a few hundred yards from my dorm room. But on a cold, wind-swept winter day, its collection and online database couldn’t have seemed farther. Fortunately, with a few keystrokes, and mouse clicks, its newspaper articles and scholarly journals were within reach. From the university network, I could also stream my Russian language files and download my French politics assignment. Early into freshman year, my laptop had become the epicenter of my college education.

Ten years later, …

Pumpkin-Ginger Souffle

October 13, 2009 by Charles 4 Comments

Nothing says Fall like the bright orange and reds that surround the season.

The glow of flickering candles set in hollowed-out pumpkins. Crimson leaves swept aside by an errant football. Classroom displays of construction-paper cornucopias and scissor-cut turkey feathers. A scarecrow, straw tumbling from his furrowed brow, as he patrols a lonely field. Thoughts of the harvest and a Thanksgiving meal.

What evokes Fall for you?…

Apple Pie

October 6, 2009 by Charles 4 Comments

This weekend, Caitlin and I went apple picking in nearby Belleville, Illinois. Armed with our plastic bags, we each set off to collect the perfect apples. Careful not to overload on the apples, we each filled our respective bag to the half-way point. Yet, when we made it to the scale, we had collectively picked over sixteen pounds of Red and Golden Deliciousness.

Faced with the prospect of an overflowing fruit drawer, …

Ina Garten’s Perfect Pie Crust

October 6, 2009 by Charles 4 Comments

As with any recipe by Ina Garten, the question is not whether the dish will be great: it will be. Rather, the question usually is: “How much butter can I leave out, and still have a great dish?”

In this case, Ina called for twelve tablespoons of butter, which struck me as a bit much. I consulted my Cooking Light Dessert book, and found a nearly identical recipe, calling for six tablespoons. Being my judicious self, I simply…

Falafel Sandwich

September 29, 2009 by Charles 3 Comments

Every dish has two stories behind it. The first story describes the origin of a dish, and sets out the historical underpinnings behind a recipe. The second story centers around the making of a dish, and notes the step-by-step details of assembling the meal. In several cases, my posts have focused on the former story. But in this case, Caitlin assured me that the second story of falafel was far more interesting than its first.

The Sunday before Labor Day, Caitlin suggested we make falafel. Together. We printed off a recipe, and went to the store to collect the ingredients. Since we were making it later that night, we bought canned garbanzo beans, though we also went ahead and purchased the dried version as well. We followed the recipe, but with little success. Upon hitting the oil, our chickpea mixture slowly disintegrated. We added a little flour, but that did not help. Our joint effort at falafel was a disaster.

The next day, I tried shaping a few more falafel balls, hoping the lengthy period of refrigeration might have shored up the chickpea mixture. Again, no luck. The canned garbanzo beans were apparently not going to cut it. I remained undeterred.

Later that night, unbeknown to Caitlin, …

Tzatziki Sauce

September 28, 2009 by Charles 2 Comments

This yogurt and cucumber sauce is a staple of Mediterranean cuisine. It can be served with pita bread, as an appetizer, or accompany falafel or meat, as part of hearty meal. To reduce the water content, tzatziki sauce is traditionally made with strained yogurt. Fortunately, most grocery stores now sell Greek-style yogurt, which is already strained, meaning you can prepare homemade tzatziki sauce…

Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

September 23, 2009 by Charles 2 Comments

Risotto is one of those perfect dishes with which to experiment. From chicken broth to mushroom soup, the short-grain rice is eager to absorb whatever liquid you throw at it. At the same time, it’s creamy color and texture make colors and crunch a welcome addition. Pairings range from smoked trout and roasted butternut squash, to the ever-popular asparagus spears and mushrooms. Even cold leftovers provide a reason to rejoice, with warm suppli just around the corner!

Having recently made roasted asparagus, I decided…

Roasted Asparagus

September 21, 2009 by Charles 4 Comments

Roasting is one of the best ways to enhance both the color and flavor of an item. In this case, just a little time and olive oil brings out the crisp crunch and sharp green of asparagus spears. These roasted asparagus spears can be served in their own right, or …

Apple-Cinnamon Cake

September 14, 2009 by Charles 6 Comments

Jewish holidays are nothing if not symbolic. And part of the symbolism naturally encompasses the food. On Purim, it’s hamantashen, triangular confections meant to evoke the villain of the day. On Passover, it’s matzah, unleavened bread meant to evoke the speed with which the ancient Jews fled Pharaoh’s Egypt. On Hanukkah, it’s latkes, fried potato pancakes meant to evoke the miracle of the burning oil.

Rosh Hashanah, which begins this Friday at sunset, is no different. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, and to ensure that the new year is a sweet and good one, it’s customary to eat apples and honey. But unfortunately, where there’s honey, there’s honey cakes – too often a dry, and …