Recipes

By Debra Samuels Globe correspondent APRIL 02, 2013 By April, weary New Englanders are looking for anything to poke through the thawing ground. It is often a crocus, welcomed like an old friend. To help lift our culinary spirits, we asked you to peek into your recipe collections for favorite dishes featuring spring greens. For […]

First in a 2-part post on the cookbook, “Secrets of a Jewish Baker: Recipes for 125 Breads from Around the World” by George Greenstein I’m on a toot. I get like this every once in a while. I read a book by an author that is new to me and I have to read everything […]

Sylvia Poggioli loves Rome’s food culture and cooking with vegetables.

We arrived in Rome on March 1st after 6 months in Tokyo, for the second leg of my husband Dick’s sabbatical year. I hope to catch up with a photo log of our time there. I think I had a bit of writer’s block after the publication of  My Japanese Table in September, so I […]

Our readers sent their favorite dishes to The Recipe Box Project and we put together a Thanksgiving menu. Not a green vegetable in the lot.

TOKYO – Many foods brought to America by new immigrants evolve into dishes that combine ingredients from both cultures. California rolls are a good example.

Recipe collections hold treasures — in the food itself and between the lines. Isn’t it time to organize all those cards?

Makes 2 cups or enough to serve 6 Chopped liver is served during the Passover holiday with matzo. The basic ingredients are chicken livers (or a mixture of chicken and beef liver), onions, and hard-cooked eggs. At one time, the onions were cooked in schmaltz (rendered chicken fat), and mixed with boiled, broiled, or sauteed […]

This baked winter fruit dish falls somewhere between a crisp and a compote. It uses some dried fruits, which are usually simmered in liquid. But whatever fresh fruits you have on hand can go into the dish, even those starting to show brown spots.

I wrote this piece just after my nana, Beatrice Bloom, passed away on Valentine’s Day 2000. On this 11th anniversary of her death and the upcoming Passover holiday I wanted to share this personal reminiscence with you. I was on my hands and knees, plucking pot after broken-handled pot from beneath my Nana’s cabinets cluttered […]

Boston Globe, May 5, 2010 Chinese spare ribs are restaurant food, and usually gnaw-the-bone good. You can also make delicious ribs at home, where you don’t have to worry about table manners. There are three cuts of ribs: meaty pork ribs, sometimes called St. Louis-style; baby-back pork ribs that have less meat; and country-style ribs […]

Boston Globe, March 31, 2010 Conza is a traditional Sicilian sauce/soup made with chickpeas, favas, kidney or cranberry beans, white beans, black-eyed peas, and lentils. You can add a handful of whatever dried legumes you have on hand; think of it as spring cleaning your pantry. Nina Groppo cooks each variety of bean separately the […]

Chinese egg drop soup Serves 4 This popular restaurant bowl is easy to make at home but the technique is a little tricky. The finished soup should have pale yellow petals of barely set egg floating in a rich chicken broth. To achieve this, you have to wave chopsticks above the surface of the hot […]

Open with classic roast beef, then a hearty shepherd’s pie Boston Globe,　December 30, 2009 The classic pairing of roast beef and potatoes can go from Sunday night supper to something special – depending on the cut of meat you use. For a New Year’s Eve celebration, a rib-eye roast, which has plenty of flavor for […]

Boston Globe, January 6, 2010 Chinese steamed silken tofu with ginger and scallions Serves 4 At Rice Valley in Newton, cooks use silken tofu, which they steam with shreds of ginger and scallion. Then they bathe the cubes in hot soy sauce and chicken broth. You don’t need a wok or steamer. Use a deep […]

Makes two 8-inch (20 cm) pancakes Batter 1 1/4 cups flour 1/3 cup rice flour 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt or kosher salt 1 1/2 cups (500 ml) water Vegetables 1 large zucchini, cut into 2-inch long matchstick strips 1 carrot, cut into 2-inch long matchstick strips 1 medium onion, cut into thin strips 3 […]

Boston Globe, October 14, 2009 Carrot and daikon salad–Serves 4 Light vinegared salads, known in Japan as sunomono, can be made with most any vegetable. In Shizuo Tsuji’s “Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art,’’ the author pairs carrot and daikon radish in a light and refreshing dish with a sweet and sour dressing called amazu (the […]

(Photos by Debra Samuels for The Boston Globe) The classic method for Lobster Cantonese calls for chopping the raw crustacean – a scary proposition. Instead, start with a cooked lobster – unconventional, but perfect for squeamish cooks. This recipe is based on one from Irene Kuo’s “The Key to Chinese Cooking,’’ which does begin with […]

Photo by Debra Samuels for the Boston Globe By Debra Samuels Boston Globe, April 1, 2009 As Lexington resident Norma Currie explains it, she and her siblings did what many children do: “None of us would eat our vegetables,” she says. But their mother was smarter than her kids. She cooked the vegetables and mashed […]

Boston Globe, July 29, 2009 Photo by Debra Samuels Think spicy tuna and a sushi bar comes to mind. But there are other ways to meld rich fish and hot condiments. One is this composed canned tuna salad, made with the same spicy sauce used in those popular sushi rolls. You can make the same dish […]

Boston Globe, February 25, 2009 In this fish curry from the Maharashtra region in western India, you get both delicate and piquant in one dish. Coconut milk makes the sauce creamy but you get plenty of heat and flavor with a balanced blend of spices. Most Indian cooks toast and grind whole spices – some do […]

Photo by Debra Samuels Boston Globe, February 11, 2009 Instant cocoa mixes are made for the moments when you come in from shoveling, can’t feel your fingers or toes, and need something hot and nourishing – fast. This easy hot cocoa mix requires only boiling water. To make it, mix nonfat dried milk with high-quality […]

Photo By Debra Samuels Boston Globe, January 21, 2009 This Chinese chicken hot pot combines the heartiness of a casserole with a light, warming chicken broth. Slices of fresh ginger root and scallions are two aromatics that signal that this is not Grammy Greenberg’s Jewish penicillin. But like hers and other pots of chicken soup, […]

By Debra Samuels Boston Globe, December 17, 2008 Kasha varnishkes Serves 8 Eastern-European Jewish immigrants brought kasha varnishkes to this country at the turn of the 20th century. Kasha is roasted buckwheat groats; varnishkes means noodles in Yiddish (bow ties are now classic), and Wolff’s Kasha is the brand most cooks use. Mix eggs into […]

This is an updated version of the old presentation that is served with vanilla ice cream and liquer-infused whipped cream. Here the berries are macerated in Cointreau and sugar. Strawberries Romanoff Ingredients: Serves 4 1 quart strawberries, rinsed and hulled (leave 4 berry stems intact) 1/4 cup Cointreau or other orange liqueur or orange juice […]

Boston Globe, July 25, 2007 Buttermilk was originally made from liquid left over after churning butter. My butter churn is next to the spinning wheel somewhere in the basement. Today, buttermilk, which has a month long refrigerator life, is made from pasteurized skim milk that is slightly fermented. The thick consistency and slightly sour taste add […]

The cucumbers in this recipe are slightly crushed under the broad part of the blade of a knife. This breaks the skin of the cucumber creating a craggy surface to allow the hot sesame oil and dressing to seep in instead of slide off. Listen for the sizzle as the hot oil hits the cold […]

This simple but flavorful Chinese soup cooks up in a flash. Aromatic sesame oil and spicy Vietnamese sauce Sriracha are added at the end for maximum impact. Changhai’s Shrimp Soup Ingredients: Serves 4 1/4 pound shrimp, peeled and cooked 2 1/2 cups chicken stock* 2 slices ginger, smashed 2 scallions, smashed 3 tablespoons tomato paste […]

These little onions make a wonderful condiment with roasted meat dishes, as part of an antipasto platter or served on their own as an appetizer served with drinks. Sweet and Sour Onions Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds cipolline, Italian baby onions or yellow pearl onions 4 1/4 cups water 1 teaspoons salt 1/4 cup white wine […]

These sushi pieces are served on a platter sprinkled with scallions, with soy sauce. To dip the pieces, turn them salmon side down; if you dip the rice end first, the pieces fall apart. Ingredients: Rice (about 30 bite-size pieces) 2 1/2 cups short-grain white rice 2 3/4 cups water 5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar […]

Somewhere between a popover and a muffin, these puffs rise like magic in the oven. The airy texture and sweet taste make them a perfect breakfast treat. Mary Lindeblad’s Dutch Babies Ingredients: 4 teaspoons butter 4 eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon salt non-stick oil spray Directions: 1. Set oven to 475 […]

Making your own pizza dough is not the fuss you may think. In Italy pizza is served in individual size portions and fills an 8-inch plate. The crust is crispy and the toppings are exactly what you want! Don’t be afraid of the yeast. Kids will love watching the dough rise and punching it down. […]

This is a classic Japanese home style preparation for eggplant. The dish is served hot or cold. The eggplants are first scored and then soaked in water to remove some of the natural bitterness and then patted dry. They are then sautéed in oil and a bit of sugar to form a sweet crust. Eriko’s […]

Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake filled with shredded cabbage, bits of briny seafood, slivers of meat and pickled red ginger (beni shoga). After cooking it is shellacked with a tangy glaze made of Worcestershire-like sauce with a dusting of dried seaweed flakes (aonori) and a flourish of shaved bonito flakes (katsuo) that seem to dance, […]

I was offered these homemade candied orange rinds that Giovanna Catinella, brought as a gift for the hostess at a dinner party in Palermo, Italy. The slender matchsticks of bitter orange with their crunchy sugar coating, were passed around with the digestive Amaro, a dark, spicy, bitter liqueur. Ingredients: about 100 strips 5 large thick-skinned […]

Somewhere between a soup and a savory bread pudding lies aquacotta “cooked water”- a traditional peasant dish from Tuscany that uses stale bread, tomatoes, onions and whatever vegetables are available. Its name reflects its origins– lean times for farmers. When things were better, perhaps each member of the family would add an egg atop the […]

Boston Globe, November 12, 2008 Escarole and meatball soup Serves 4 as a main course Often referred to as Italian wedding soup, this hearty bowl has been mistranslated for many years. The name, minestra maritata, really means “married soup,” which refers to the pleasing combination of vegetables and meatballs. Light but substantial, the soup contains escarole, […]

 Boston Globe, June 18, 2008 Summer stretches ahead with its picnics, beach days, weekend guests, and impromptu suppers. Often that means looking for ways to feed friends and family without much fuss. This colorful layered omelet can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated overnight. It leaves the kitchen cool and the cook unflustered. Begin by […]

Boston Globe, May 14, 2008 Baby bok choy Serves 4 Baby bok choy, steamed with slivers of fresh garlic and plenty of ginger, is ready in about 10 minutes and produces a flavorful dish of mini green bundles. The small greens are often used in Chinese dishes as a bed for tofu or scallops, but […]

Boston Globe, March 26, 2008 Caponata Makes about 2 cups Caponata is the sweet, sour, and salty Sicilian eggplant appetizer that looks like a relish and often comes as one of the tastes in an antipasti course. The dish begins with sauteed eggplant cubes, which lend their deep purple color to the mixture, and is […]

Boston Globe, January 16, 2008 If there was ever a universal crowd pleaser, it’s lasagna. This dish is a variation on the layers of wide noodles and tomato sauce that usually go into the dish. Here spaghetti, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese are stacked in a dish, then baked until the top turns golden. Cut […]

Split Pea Soup Isestrasse Market Hamburg, Germany Split pea soup is just what you need when the chill goes right through your coat. In the port city of Hamburg last month, it was sunny but cold as I walked through the Isestrasse market in the center of town. German markets in winter boast stands brimming […]

Boston Globe, November 7, 2007 If you’re hosting or contributing to a party and looking for an appetizer, a crudite platter is always welcome. For years, Americans had a mundane approach to this French tradition by dipping veggie sticks such as carrots and celery into ordinary mayonnaise-based sauces. Raw broccoli and asparagus spears joined the […]

Boston Globe, October 30, 2007 Watching squirrels gathering and stashing nuts for the winter reminds me of Japanese and Korean friends filling their rice cookers to maximum capacity to make small packets of cooked rice for the freezer. When it’s time to eat, they microwave the rice until it’s steaming hot. Recently, a Korean guest did […]

Boston Globe, October 3, 2007 Makes about 9 cups or enough to serve 9 To achieve white rice and brown rice with perfect textures, cook them separately. If you prefer to serve them separately, you’ll have about 6 cups of white (to serve 6) and 3 cups of brown (to serve 3). WHITE RICE 2 cups […]

Boston Globe, June 20, 2007 Tofu, the sensational block packed with protein that is popular in Korean, Japanese, and Chinese cuisines, is no longer exclusively available in Asian markets. Unfortunately, while the widely distributed brands like Nasoya are good, they don’t have the same strikingly fresh taste as tofu from Asian grocers. When you go to […]

Boston Globe, June 13, 2007 Some desserts, like one I was served recently in Italy, are stunning on the plate. In this case, triangles of puff pastry were set into a pool of vanilla custard sauce. Tiny strawberries were strewn around the dish, which was decorated with zig zags of chocolate. In fact, this impressive confection […]

Boston Globe, May 16, 2007 If you’re hosting a crowd for a graduation party or wedding shower, you might want to turn the oven off and keep things light. Stash away the stew and lasagna recipes for fall — it will be here soon enough. A flavorful fresh salmon mousse makes an elegant addition to […]

Boston Globe, March 7, 2007 When Sandra Silva, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, has a crowd for brunch at her home, she serves a dish she calls Café Brasil or Brazilian breakfast. Instead of laboriously making eggs individually, like a home-based short-order cook, she has perfected a dish that can be prepared all at […]