Category Archives: Food

My Mom’s Vegetable “Meatloaf” with Chevan Sauce, by Giada de Laurentis

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This is a departure from my NYTimes recipe repetoire – I found this one on Epicurious. It is pretty tasty but really hard to get out of the pan without the whole thing falling apart. Putting the finished cooked loaf in the fridge to cool before cutting (then reheating) helps. If I made this again I would probably add a handful of walnuts to vary the texture. But in spite of all my comments it was still quite tasty.

I should add that I injured my knee over the weekend and could not have made this at all without my good friend Tanya, who kept me company all afternoon in the kitchen and let me order her around while I sat at the table, feet up, chopping away. It made me acutely aware of the physicality of cooking and thankful to have such a good friend to serve as my legs in my time of need. It is definitely something to pay forward.

Lasagna With Spinach and Roasted Zucchini by Martha Rose Shulman

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I made so many changes to this recipe it is almost a different dish, in part because my baking dish was twice the size required for the original recipe. I started with the same basics: roasted zucchini, marinara, ricotta (I used goat cheese ricotta), and non-cook lasagna noodles. Chard is in season so I substituted a large bunch of chard for spinach. I wilted the chard in a hot pan with olive oil and garlic. I added fresh mozzarella, half cup of toasted walnuts, and doubled the Parmesan. I added mushrooms to my sauce to make it more hearty. The walnuts were a great addition in texture. I did not add the cinnamon to the ricotta, and I think it would have balanced the flavor a bit. This is a much more hearty dish than what what the recipe intended – more like a traditional meat lasagna but without the meat! It was a big hit both with the vegetarians and carnivores!

Turkish Shepherd’s Salad by Martha Rose Shulman

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My friend Sousan has introduced me to the wonders of Sumac and it is a subtle but key ingredient in this dish. It was a little bland at first so I used more lemon and sumac than was called for in the recipe – probably another 1/2 tsp of sumac and another Tbsp of lemon/olive oil mixed. (I didn’t have time to let it sit in the refrigerator for a full half hour and that may be the reason.) I served it with crushed Pita chips on top which is a little trashy but yummy.

Garlicky Chicken Thighs With Scallion and Lime by Alison Roman

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The first part of this recipe requires cutting a full clove of garlic in half and putting both halves cut side down in the pan. However often my garlic falls apart when I do this so I just add a few extra whole cloves. I also trim and cut the scallions into thirds, rather than putting them in whole. It’s a good idea to remove some of the chicken fat rendered after browning the chicken before putting in the broth, otherwise it’s too greasy. This dish is a family favorite, the lime garlic combo is a hit.