May 19, 2013

The quest for perfect pesto

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by Sandy Johnson I have the perfect recipe for pesto. It came, quite insistently, from my friend Don. We were friends for 29 years: two generations of journalists working for The Associated Press in Washington. After a chance collaboration when the Soviets shot down a civilian Korean airliner in 1983, Don pretty much adopted me [...]

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Tomato fatigue? Try this soup!

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by Amy Saltzman I’m still getting a bag of tomatoes every week in my CSA.  Now, this may be heresy, but I have tomato fatigue.  I’ve canned them, I’ve turned them into spaghetti sauce, I’ve made caprese salads, and I’ve tossed them into sandwiches, omelets, and whatever else I’m cooking.  I know, I know, I’ll [...]

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Pickled Peppers

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by Amy Saltzman I came home from vacation recently to discover that my jalapeno pepper plant had gone into overdrive.  My garden struggled through the summer, but seems to have taken nicely to slightly cooler weather.  After foisting peppers off on every friend I have, I decided I had to figure out a way to [...]

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Basil…Jelly?

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by Amy Saltzman This week, I’m taking time off from writing about my CSA to write about my garden.  It’s not much – a raised bed made of a converted IKEA TV stand and several planters are all my tiny yard can fit.  It’s been a mixed harvest so far; my tomatoes have stubbornly refused [...]

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When in Virginia: Taking a Swing at Southern Food

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by Whitney Pipkin I bought buttermilk. I had a few things in mind when I did this, besides drinking it with a dash of pepper like I did as a kid (and have since lost the stomach for). I had elaborate plans to make homemade biscuits, like the ones my Atlanta-raised culinary champion of a [...]

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Summer Birthday Cake: Peach with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

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by Amy Saltzman In my office, I am one of the designated birthday cake bakers.  It all started when my officemate celebrated her birthday shortly after I arrived on the job.  Wanting to make a good impression, and knowing the fastest way to make friends is to feed them delicious things, I offered to bake [...]

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What do I make with bitter melon?

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by Amy Saltzman My CSA usually sends me recognizable vegetables, but this week I met my match:  a mutant cucumber-looking thing that turned out to be bitter melon.  What is bitter melon, you ask?  It’s not an odd zombie fruit, but actually a plant of the tropics that is most commonly used in Indian and [...]

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Watermelon Overload

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by Lise Metzger A few weeks ago, after spending all day working outside in the 100° heat, all I could think about was watermelon. I picked one up at the store and made about half of it my dinner. I was too hot to eat anything else. Later on, as a massive amount of liquid [...]

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You want zucchini recipes? We got zucchini recipes.

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By Pamela Hess, editor of Flavor. Here’s a favorite. It’s adapted from Padma Lakshmi, the star of Top Chef who unfairly is both stunningly beautiful and apparently a great cook. I learned it from my friend Heidi who makes it every summer when my friend Meg and I visit Chicago. If she doesn’t make it [...]

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Blackberry Cardamom Tart

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You can throw this together in an instant. Pinch together 4 oz cold fat (lard, butter, shortening) 1 cup flour 1/4 tsp salt 1 Tbs sugar When it looks like a mix of sand and small peas — that is, some large pieces of fat which when they melt in the flour create pockets of [...]

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