Vegetarian
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'Violettes' Artichokes - 8 Apr 2010
Baby artichokes are relished across Europe and the Middle East, in countries from France where the most popular type are called 'Violettes' after the purple streaking on their leaves, to Egypt. They're pretty much ignored in the US. But you can find them in Latino, Asian and especially Middle East markets at this time of year. Cook them Middle East style, with the fresh fava beans that come into the stores at the same time... read more...
Banana flowers - display or food? - 8 Oct 2008
Sometimes called banana heart for their shape and color, banana flowers are vegetables, used from India right across South East Asia.
Remove all the outer leaves and curious white bracts till you reach the paler inside. If you need to steam them, you can microwave them wrapped in clingwrap. read more...
Borlotti beans, fresh - 4 Mar 2009
Borlotti beans found fresh should be snapped up. Inside those pretty pink and white husks are similarly zebra-stripped pink and ivory beans. They appear in Super H Mart and H Mart in March. read more...
Creamed Maitake Mushrooms with Edamame, Toasted Pistachios and Tarragon - 17 Jan 2010
Maitake, also known as Hen of the Woods, are one of Nature's most beautiful edible fungii. Haidar Karoum, co-owner and chef of Proof, uses them in this recipe which he serves as an appetizer. But increase the amounts and you have an elegant main course recipe for vegetarians that carnivores will envy. read more...
Durian - ecstasy or seriously disgusting? - 28 Jan 2009
You can find Durian pretty readily these days in Asian markets, though they'll have been frozen. Native to Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, Thailand has become the major exporter of the two- to seven-pound cultivated fruits. South East Asians go delirious about them, battling for the best once it appears in early summer. For the rest of us the experience is either an acquired taste or one seriously to be avoided. read more...
Extras: Pickled garlic - 4 Nov 2007
Pickled garlic - Kratiem Dong - is a popular Thai specialty that is very good for high blood pressure sufferers. Since you can buy huge containers of ready-peeled cloves at CostCo or H Mart and even some Giants, it's worth knowing how to make it at home. read more...
Falafel - DC's best - 11 Feb 2009
Ground and fried chickpeas molded with spices into a mini Zeppelin and fried may not sound like much to celebrate. But pushed into a warmed pitta along with shredded lettuce, fine slices of tomato, onion and maybe some turnip pickle then drizzled with tahini or a garlic-yogurt sauce, it becomes heaven. DC boasts a number of good places to find it. read more...
Gazpacho - 28 Jul 2010
Terri Cutrino, executive chef of Cafe Atlantico's' recipe for that refreshing and pretty soup perfect for summer soup which you can prepare well ahead of sitting down to eat it. read more...
Kosher rennet - 20 Nov 2008
Kosher rennet, sold in Halal markets as shangesh, is key to the making of a Kosher cheese. read more...
Nummy nummy mushrooms - 15 Apr 2010
This recipe of Jamie Oliver's comes from food blogger Orangette. The photo is of the mushroom lady who sells at Penn Quarter farmer's market on Thursdays after 3 p.m. and at Dupont Circle on Sundays, though she doesn't man it herself. You'll find her, too, at the Arlington market. Her morels were $20 for one of those green boxes. But Morel Season is so short...Other mushrooms are less expensive. The recipe title is Orangette's own. Jamie calls it Sliced Mushrooms with Fresh Mozzarella and Thyme read more...
Pea Vichyssoise - 18 Aug 2010
King Louis XV of France, being convinced that someone was trying to poison his food, accidentally invented Vichyssoise. Apparently, he made his servants taste everything before he ate it and his favorite hot leek-and-potato soup eventually arrived at his place setting, cold.
Nonsense. It was invented in New York, in 1917.
Try this contemporary version with peas. read more...
Pesto - 17 Jun 2010
One taste of pesto is an instant ticket to Italy. And it isn't hard to make, with no really precise amounts. It's worth making yourself because pre-packed pesto too often tastes like damp lawn clippings. read more...
Potatoes - earthy delights - 27 Jan 2010
Potatoes get such a bad rap. But they're one of the world's most versatile and nutritious ingredients. Here are some spud, tatty and tater facts. read more...
Pumpkin patches - 7 Sep 2009
Pumpkins are a focus of Hallowe'en front porches. But they're also good to eat, the pulp stewed in butter with onions and a grating of fresh ginger, or nutmeg, stock added and the whole cooked then whizzed into puree for soup. read more...
Ribollita - wondersoup or wodge? - 3 Jul 2008
He Who Must Sometimes Be Obeyed has strong views about stodge and wodge. So to eat the wonderful Italian Ribollita, a soup that is stuffed with soggy bread I have to hive off to Florence on my own. It's tragic what must be done in pursuit of favorite foods. read more...
Sides: Chilled Jumbo Asparagus and Shallot Remoulade made with Homemade Mayonnaise - 10 Nov 2007
Jamie Stachowski was the owner-chef of now closed Restaurant Kolumbia. His recipe offers a great technique for cooking asparagus as well as a sauce that would go well with grilled beef or dolloped on a roast beef sandwich. read more...
Sides: Quinoa - an alternative to risotto - 8 May 2008
If you feel cooking risotto successfully is a daunting process, try quinoa instead. Not only is it one of the most nutritious grains around, it's also a breeze to turn into a dish to eat with meat or fish or cook up with vegetables for a vegetarian meal. read more...
Sides: Rapini - 17 Sep 2008
Rapini are an under-rated green. Peter Pastan, owner-chef of Obelisk and 2Amys' recipe gives these leafy stalks a chance to star - on their own or as a mildly bitter side vegetable that would go well with grilled meat. read more...
Sides: Swiss Chard & Tomato - 24 Nov 2007
Bernard Marchive, ex-chef of Pesce, serves this recipe for Swiss Chard and Tomato with his Cod with Coconut Milk. But it goes just as well with a lamb or pork chop, or a roast. read more...
Sides: Tomatoes - much ado about nothing - 17 Nov 2007
If there's one vegetable that should be eaten in season and gathered from the garden or fields, it's the tomato. Here's a cooking tip to get maximum flavor from those red balls masquerading as tomatoes in our supermarkets. read more...