This hearty rice pilaf uses vitamin-rich wild rice, vegetables, herbs and chopped almonds to create a savory dish that goes with anything! The word “pilaf” comes from the Hindi word pulav, which translates into “dish of rice and meat.” The first known recipe for pilaf is from 10th century Persia, and variations can be found all over the world, especially in the region from Spain to Afghanistan.
My boyfriend received a book for his birthday called “Wild Fermentation: the Flavor, Nutrition and Craft of Live-Culture Foods.” Since then, our house has transformed into pickle-making central! His first batch turned out better than expected, so we’re stepping it up a notch by buying pickling cucumbers and experimenting with types of brine, spiciness levels and chilled vs. pantry pickling.
I have been given several monstrous zucchinis this summer from people who have overflowing gardens! These plants grow in most temperate climates, and are low-maintenance enough to easily grow huge zucchinis in your own backyard. I have been looking up tons of zucchini recipes to find a way to cook these enormous vegetables, because loaves of zucchini bread get tiresome after a while!
Scallion pancakes, or cong you bing in Chinese, are savory unleavened flatbreads that can be both an informal street food and a restaurant dish. It’s made with dough, which is drier than a traditional pancake batter, which makes it crispier than a breakfast pancake. Variations of scallion pancakes can be found in Vietnam, Japan, Cambodia and Korea.
Samosas originated in the Middle East as early as the 9th century, then spread across Africa and Asia under a variety of names. The pastry dumplings are usually filled with a combination of potatoes, peas, lentils and spices, and are either baked or fried. This recipe comes from chef Melanie daPonte, a vegan personal chef located in Florida who posted these samosas on her blog earlier this summer.
Many classic Hungarian flavors appear in this creamy mushroom soup, such as paprika, onion, dill, sour cream and lemon. This recipe is a version of the traditional gombaleves, which predictably translates into “mushroom soup.” It’s similar to a cream of mushroom soup because it uses a flour roux stirred into the soup as a thickener, but it’s a far cry from the cans of Campbell’s mushroom soup that you would find on the grocery store shelves.
This gorgeous soba noodle salad from Rachael Ray has tons of crisp vegetables and a light ponzu dressing, and is a great addition to any summer picnic or cookout! The recipe is very simple to follow, and easy to customize by adding your favorite protein.
Outside of Vietnam, Seattle is one of the best places to find authentic pho noodle soup. In fact, the world’s largest bowl of pho can be found in the city’s International District! Dating back to the early 1900’s, pho is traditionally made with beef broth and rice noodles, and filled with a combination of vegetables, tofu, meat and garnishes. This savory veggie pho broth is filled with aromatic spices, and can be frozen to use as soup stock for any number of vegetarian recipes.
The May 2017 issue of Food & Wine magazine was the special travel issue, and featured tons of traditional recipes from around the world and international twists on modern favorites. This fantastic tabbouleh from chef Yousef Hanna was included in the section on Israeli foods.
Continue reading “March: Tabbouleh with Pine Nuts and Almonds”
I have a huge 3-ring binder filled with recipes that I collect: magazine pages from the doctor’s waiting room, labels torn from a can of beans, online articles and printed for inspiration or written down on scraps of paper. Some I have already tried and loved, but the rest I keep “just in case” of… what? The next time someone asks me, “Can you please bring this very specific dish that you’ve never made before?” That’s never going to happen. So in 2019, I’m going to dig through my binder and finally try all the recipes that I’ve been saving up.
Continue reading “January: Lentil Soup with Cumin and Lemon”
Louisa Gaylord 