I heart watermelon salad

15 July 2010

I’m not really into cute food. And presentation isn’t my forte, but I was pleased pink with this watermelon salad. The combination is far from novel—red leaf lettuce, watermelon, scallions, blueberries, fresh feta, walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette—but it’s a plateful of summer fruit love. And the watermelon hearts were a simple flourish made with small, heart-shaped [...]

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Better than expected butternut squash orzo

10 July 2010

William went crazy for this orzo dish, spiked with sweet butternut squash, brown butter, roasted hazelnuts and sage. Thanks to fresh, local produce and a gratuitous helping of fat—why not add butter and cream—the orzo far exceeded my expectations. It was creamy, rich (but not obnoxiously so) and chock full of nutty flavor.
What made the [...]

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More on mangos from Edible South Florida

7 July 2010

This winter’s extended cold weather set the season back by about a month, but mango season is finally in full swing. You can read all about mangos—how to eat and cook them, grow them, select and store them, and more—in the latest issue of Edible South Florida Magazine (with a juicy cover photo of Dr. [...]

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Fall in love with Indian mangos at Fairchild’s 18th Annual International Mango Festival

6 July 2010

The mango of my childhood is the Haden, a common Florida variety that we picked from a tree that peeked over my grandma’s property line. To me the Haden was exotic—something we couldn’t get unless we schlepped eight hours from South Georgia to Palm Beach County in late summer.
Almost everyone who grows up in the [...]

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Any way you stack panelle

30 June 2010

With a half-forgotten bag of chickpea flour in the freezer and a bowl of rag-tag pesto in the fridge, I set out to make a (relatively) elegant vegetarian meal for next to nothing.
The chickpea flour went toward panelle—Sicilian fritters that I discovered last summer but hadn’t yet tried to replicate. Most panelle recipes are a [...]

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What’s hiding in my red pepper?

25 June 2010

Halloumi, a big thick slab of it, along with harissa (a hot chili paste used in North African cuisine), lemon zest, oregano and black pepper.
I’ve blogged about halloumi before. It’s a Cypriot cheese that can stand high heat without melting, making it perfect for grilling and frying. In the past, we’ve just topped salads with [...]

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Seriously delicious butternut squash curry

20 June 2010

I’ve always associated butternut squash with fall. But Miami’s growing seasons have surprised me once again. Last week’s summer sales from Redland Organics offered fat, fresh butternut squash.
But with temperatures in the 90s and big-hair-inducing humidity, I strayed from my usual winter squash repertoire of risotto, soup and polenta. Instead, I looked to the hot [...]

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Eggplant: two days, two ways

16 June 2010

With eggplant from Redland Organic’s summer sales, William and I went on a two-day eggplant binge, starting with Moroccan Chicken with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Almonds from epicurious.com. We’re not big chicken fans, but the dish’s spice-heavy liquid (tomatoes + paprika, turmeric, coriander, fennel seeds, pepper, cumin and ginger) simmered once-bland chicken thighs in a seductive Middle [...]

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The other carrot soup

10 June 2010

I’ve loyally prepared my Carrot Soup with Lemon and Ginger since 2006. This is the other carrot soup.
It’s not that I was unhappy with my standby, but I felt a pull to dabble with a chilled version. One that was exotic (curry and coconut milk) and low-maintenance (we didn’t want anything to get messy).
This soup [...]

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Cool pleasures: pimento cheese sandwiches and avocado soup

3 June 2010

Miami is heating up. And our dinners are cooling down. More salads. More pasta with raw sauces. Cold soups have been revived.
This open-faced pimento cheese sandwich and avocado soup fits the chilled bill. And better yet, you can assemble everything in the morning and come home to a picnic dinner. Just crack open a few [...]

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