Moroccan Style Chicken with Oranges, Black Olives, and Fennel

I am not calling this a tagine, per se, because it isn’t really. But it is based on the idea of a tagine, which is a Moroccan long-simmered stew that is served over couscous. The recipe which gave me the idea for this one was based on a real, traditional Moroccan tagine which contains lemons, […]

Hillbilly Ragu Bolognese: No, It Ain’t Traditional, But It Is Authentically Tasty

The first time I ever tasted a pasta sauce that could truly bear the name “ragu bolognese” was in Providence, Rhode Island in a little restaurant up on Federal Hill. That is the old Italian section of town, and literally, you can walk into any little eatery there and get fantastic Italian food–food that tasted […]

The Shiksa’s At It Again: Sephardic Matzo Ball Soup

“Sephawhuh?” I am sure that thought is running through many folks’ minds when they read the title of this post, but be at peace, and let me explain a bit.
“Sephardic”, is a term which refers to Jews from Italy and the Iberian Peninsula–meaning Spain and Portugal. It is one of the designations of Jews […]

Peasant Food is Good Food: Beans and Rice

There is a song by Spearhead that I love, and it goes (in part) like this:
“….The way to my heart/ is with a garlic clove
it smells hella sexy/ when it’s on the kitchen stove
(chorus)
Red beans and rice, red beans and rice, red beans and rice,
make everything nice
red beans and rice, red beans and rice, red […]

Pork and Apple Enchiladas Verde Casserole

Apples are gloriously in season this month; at our farmers market, a double handful of varieties are currently available, including two of my favorites, MacIntosh and Jonathan. MacIntosh apples, in fact, were the first apples I introduced Zak to in order to convince him that he really liked apples. He was convinced for years that […]