posts by Debra Samuels
Tschüss from Berlin!
We arrived in Berlin on June 1st. Spring was in full bloom and the deep sweet aroma of the linden trees, with their white furry blossoms, enveloped us. We are in the home stretch of my husband Dick’s, sabbatical year before we return to Boston. He is at the Free University finishing up his project …
Read moreIn Rome, NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli covers crises and eats well
Sylvia Poggioli loves Rome’s food culture and cooking with vegetables.
Read moreChow from Roma: Campo de’ Fiori
I took a walk through the Campo de’ Fiori, a market with, flowers, food, spices and housewares. The spring vegetables are all shades of green from the yellow green of the Fava beans to the light green of puntarelle, chicory hearts (stems), and all the deep hues of the broccoli, artichokes and chicory. I have …
Read moreChow from Roma: urban giardiniera
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 …
Read more6 Alternatives to the p in pb&j
Since peanut butter, long America’s favorite lunchbox spread, has been banned from many schools because of allergies, alternatives have stepped in to fill the void.
Read moreCooking (and dining) from Japan
We have lived here for a total of 11 years and this month, I wrote about all my culinary experiences in “My Japanese Table,’’ beginning with a breakfast of grilled fish, rice, pickles, and miso soup from our very first home stay in a rural area on the southern island, Kyushu.
Read moreA taste test of whole wheat bread loaves
We sat down with seven brands of 100 percent whole wheat bread, ranging from the artisanal looking Nashoba Brook, squared-off dense Iggy’s, to airy Wonder Bread. It was hard to think of these as the same species, yet they are all entirely whole wheat.
Read moreA Thanksgiving feast from our readers
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.
Read moreJapanese American Matcha Mochi Cupcakes
TOKYO – Many foods brought to America by new immigrants evolve into dishes that combine ingredients from both cultures. California rolls are a good example.
Read moreThe best of the dark, bar none
Dark chocolate is all the rage. So much so that supermarkets are putting out their own house labels, Trader Joe’s packages a brand, and companies like Hershey’s are in on the act. We decided to taste. Twelve students in a gastronomy class at Boston University had the enviable (and somewhat messy) task of tasting 11 …
Read morePut a little life in a child’s lunchbox
I have been bonkers for obento for more than 25 years. On one of our year-long stays in Japan my son Brad, went to fa local elementary school. Like any mom, I prepared lunch for him–American style. I soon learned that wasn’t going to cut the mustard — or wasabi as it were. So I …
Read moreBento: Build a Better Lunch
Debra Samuels, bestselling author, food writer and cooking instructor, wants to give the American lunchbox a makeover. In the chapter on “bento,” the traditional Japanese lunch box, in her upcoming book, My Japanese Table, Debra encourages the use of color, texture and taste to create healthier and more visually appealing meals. Debra moved to Japan …
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Bento:Build a Better Lunch
Debra Samuels, bestselling author, food writer and cooking instructor, wants to give the American lunchbox a makeover. In the chapter on “bento,” the traditional Japanese lunch box, in her upcoming book, My Japanese Table, Debra encourages the use of color, texture and taste to create healthier and more visually appealing meals.
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