We first tried this recipe in 2007 when our friend Sandhya served it at a party. The recipe is here: https://www.food.com/recipe/barley-pilaf-with-chickpeas-and-artichoke-hearts-301799 Our modifications: first, we halve the amount of marinated artichoke hearts (to a 6 oz jar), drain, and slice them vertically in half. Second, for the pesto, we prefer Safeway private label brand or… Continue reading Barley pilaf with artichoke hearts and chick peas
Tag: vegetarian
Italian-style eggs in a nest
I woke up with a sudden craving for this breakfast dish from a scene in the film, Moonstruck. It involves two components: marinara sauce and an egg fried in a slice of bread. First, the marinara sauce: I had to improvise here with whatever we had in our pantry and balcony garden. Heat olive oil in a… Continue reading Italian-style eggs in a nest
Curried acorn squash seeds
I saved all of the seeds from our recent acorn squash dishes, making sure they were removed from membranes and as dry as possible (I let them air-dry overnight and then set at 200 in the toaster oven for about 10 minutes). Toss the dried acorn squash seeds (equivalent to the seeds from one whole… Continue reading Curried acorn squash seeds
Mrs. Tasca’s pumpkin nut bread
Preheat oven to 350. Combine 3 cups sugar, 1 cup neutral vegetable oil, 4 eggs, 1 ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ginger, ½ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp cloves, and 1 tsp salt. When well-mixed, use an electric blender to fold in 1 cup canned pumpkin, 2/3 cup water, 2 tsp baking soda,… Continue reading Mrs. Tasca’s pumpkin nut bread
Roast acorn squash with maple glaze
Preheat oven to 425. Clean, halve, and remove seeds from 2 acorn squash. Place acorn halves on a cookie sheet, cut side up. Separately, mix 2 Tbsp each brown sugar, maple syrup, and olive oil. Spoon the mixture onto the cut portion of each squash half (the mixture likely will pool in the hollow). Bake… Continue reading Roast acorn squash with maple glaze
Italian caponata
In a wide, high-walled, and heavy skillet, heat ¼ cup olive oil on medium heat. Add one celery stalk (chopped) and sauté until crisp-tender. Fold in one medium eggplant (cubed), and saute until a little wilted (the eggplant will absorb most of the olive oil). Season with a little salt. Then add a chopped, seeded… Continue reading Italian caponata
Korean zucchini fritters (hobak jun)
Slice 2 zucchini into ½ inch penny slices. Set up two small bowls on the stove: one with 3 Tbsp flour, the other with 3 eggs mixed with 1 tsp water and a dash of Korean beef bouillon (sogogi dashida); if you use a vegetarian bouillon powder, this can be vegetarian. Dip a few zucchini… Continue reading Korean zucchini fritters (hobak jun)
Greek sweet cheese pastries (bougatsa)
This is a Cretan specialty that I saw on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations many years ago, and that Imade only once before (in 2011) because it is so time-consuming and phyllo so temperamental. Preheat oven to 375. For the filling: combine 15 oz ricotta cheese, 8 oz cottage cheese, 4 oz cream cheese, 1 Tbsp… Continue reading Greek sweet cheese pastries (bougatsa)
Venezuelan black beans
This is a recipe I learned from Cristian’s cooking class in Tampa in October 2010. Mix the following in a bowl: 3 diced Roma tomatoes (I forgot fresh tomatoes, so I used 4 oz of drained, canned diced tomatoes), diced ½ onion, chopped ¼ bunch curly parsley, 3 minced cloves garlic, and 2 tsp cumin.… Continue reading Venezuelan black beans
Fried sweet plantains
This is part of the Venezuelan Pabellon recipe that I learned from Chef Cristian Feher in 2010. Take 3 sweet, ripe plantains (the blacker the skin, the sweeter the flesh – which will caramelize when cooked), peel, and cut into ¼ inch diagonal slices. Heat ½ to 1 inch of peanut oil in a cast… Continue reading Fried sweet plantains
