Handmade, No Machine

Imagine, first time making pasta, no machine in sight, nor an Italian grandmother.  Guess what happens next.  Watch as hilarity unfolds?  Maybe, but not from the countertop, thanks to a nice recipe for Ravioli featured in Cook’s Illustrated‘s May/June 2019 issue. Specifically, today’s entry is Chicken-Spinach Ravioli, as the magazine’s ricotta-based filling didn’t inspire culinary…

Good Pick!

This crisp weather is ideal for encouraging apples to ripen to perfection on the tree, soon to be eagerly gathered by the basketful.  As with most outdoor activities this time of year, the chill simultaneously invigorates and brings anticipation of a warmup indoors somewhere.  What better way to encourage that coziness than to take the…

L’Chaim!

To life, indeed.  When greeting the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah, coming up this week), it’s customary to share Honey Cake as a means of encouraging similar sweetness in the coming year.  With two cups of amber nectar in each diminutive cake, it’s only natural such a dessert is enjoyed prominently in Israel, “The Land…

Rock the Casbah!

What if  a successful afternoon of shopping the markets in a casbah, the Near Eastern equivalent of a town square, yielded a fragrant haul of cardamom, rose petals, almonds and pine nuts, and what if you were to take these flavorful aromatics and infuse a cupcake with them?  Perhaps nobody has asked this question before…

North African Staples

Planning to fill an evening in Marrakesh?  Dinner plans for Tangiers?  Better swing by the local market in town and pick up some supplies.  Chances are, you’ll return from your expedition laden with the culinary treasures North Africa offers, from pine nuts eked from the windy mountains to sweet and tart apricots, dried in the…