Pumpkin Masoor Dal: It’s Vegalicious!

This is not an authentic Indian recipe.
This is an authentic Barbara recipe.
I came up with the idea of using pureed pumpkin in masoor dal while I was making vegan stuffed acorn squashes with rice, almonds, golden raisins and Punjabi spices last weekend at Restaurant Salaam as a dinner special.
The smell of the […]

It’s Kimchi Time Again!

Yes.
The nights have become crisp and cool, and the autumn harvest of Napa cabbage has begun.
The Farmer’s Market is filled to bursting with locally grown goodness: garlic heads nearly as big as my palm, cayenne chilies longer than my hand, Japanese globe turnips, bok choy, Chinese bunching onions, crinkly violet and vibrant green […]

Eggplants So Sensual That They Made the Imam Faint

I love me some eggplant, and I love them every way you can make them. I like them battered and deep fried, with a tomato sauce. I like the little Asian ones braised in a Thai curry sauce, or stir fried with a Chinese garlic sauce. I love them in baba ganoush. I love them […]

Rice and Lamb Stuffed Pattypan Squash

I adore pattypan squash.

They are those round summer squashes that come in colors ranging from jade-green or cream to yellow to orange to dark green that have fluted or ridged edges and range in size from wee babies the size of a fifty-cent piece to ones that would easily fill a professional basketball player’s palm. […]

Figs a l’Aziz: Poached Fig, Pomegranate and Blackberry Parfait

One of the most fun things about being a chef is the spontaneity required when it comes to making up specials: the challenge is to make dishes that utilize what is plentiful and in season, and combining these foods with pantry items to create flavors that are new and exciting to our guests.
And while […]