The forecast calls for Pork Stew with Caraway Seeds

Chunks of pork cooked with onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots, caraway seeds, bay leaves and peas create a homey, peasant-y, comforting stew perfect for winter. Recipe below.

OH, THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL. Snow is the lead story across great swaths of the country. And around the world. Two storms collided on the east coast, dumping as much as two feet of snow on New York City. Madrid had the worst snowstorm in 50 years, a foot and a half in a city that rarely sees snow at all. And the UK issued a “risk of life” warning. So here in Chicago, Marion and I were thinking about food. Continue reading “The forecast calls for Pork Stew with Caraway Seeds” →

Warming up to winter cooking: six stew recipes

Cardamom Beef Stew with Roasted Root Vegetables

IF THERE’S ANY BRIGHT SIDE TO WINTER COMING, it’s that it signals time for making stews again. Slow cooking, flavors blending, earthy fragrances filling the kitchen. Here are six recipes to get us all back in the game. Continue reading “Warming up to winter cooking: six stew recipes” →

Like the weather, soup runs hot and cold: three soups for all seasons

AS I WRITE THIS, THERE IS SNOW IN COLORADO AND RECORD HEAT IN CALIFORNIA. And here in Chicago, unseasonably cool temperatures are having us hauling out blankets and thinking of soup. Here are three recipes we like, for whatever weather you’re facing. Continue reading “Like the weather, soup runs hot and cold: three soups for all seasons” →

Tasting history: West African Groundnut Stew

From the cookbook Jubilee: Recipes from Two Hundred Years of African American Cooking, this comforting stew features chicken, aromatics, tomatoes, spices and peanut butter. Recipe below.

IF YOU’RE A READER OF FOOD BLOGS, YOU PROBABLY ALSO HAVE COOKBOOKS. Maybe even a fairly impressive collection. By her own count, Toni Tipton-Martin has “rescued nearly 400 Black cookbooks—many of them rare—dating back to 1827.” To Tipton-Martin, a James Beard Book Award-winning food and nutrition journalist, these are more than cookbooks. They are a history of African Americans, primarily women, told through the filter of food and the kitchen. Continue reading “Tasting history: West African Groundnut Stew” →

Fennel seed finesses Instant Pot Pork and Cabbage Stew

Pork, cabbage and potatoes create a hearty, peasanty stew; fennel seed subtly elevates it. Recipe below.

IT IS NOW DAY WHATEVER IN THE SHUTDOWN, and we are still self-isolating. I said three weeks ago that we hadn’t been inside any building that is not our house for some time. That remains true. We also have not eaten anything that was not cooked by one of us. I’m happy to report that we are okay with that. Continue reading “Fennel seed finesses Instant Pot Pork and Cabbage Stew” →

Simple comfort when we need it most: Tuscan Lentil and White Bean Soup

Tuscan Lentil and White Bean Soup is delicious, comforting, infinitely flexible—vegetarian, not vegetarian—and easy to make from what you have on hand. Recipe below.

SHELTER IN PLACE. Enough has been said about how we got to this strange time and place that I don’t need to add anything here. But suddenly, more of us are cooking at home than ever, oftentimes with what we have at hand. Partly, of course, it is by necessity. But many of us are taking comfort in cooking. Continue reading “Simple comfort when we need it most: Tuscan Lentil and White Bean Soup” →

Two distinctly French ingredients flavor Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew

Cognac and two Dijon mustards flavor this rich, hearty classic French stew. Recipe below.

LOOK UP CARNIVOROUS FRANCOPHILE in the dictionary and you’ll probably see my picture. Okay, it’s not a real dictionary term, but it should be. The French are particularly good at taking humble cheap cuts of meat—beef chuck roast, for instance—and slow cooking them into something spectacular. Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew is a perfect example. Continue reading “Two distinctly French ingredients flavor Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew” →

Easy, subtle comfort: Cream of Belgian Endive Soup

Belgian endives, leeks, onions, celery and cream are the basis for this delicately flavored traditional Belgian soup. Recipe below.

SOME YEARS AGO, MARION AND HER SISTER VISITED PARIS REGULARLY. On one trip, they also went to Belgium. Marion said they ate better there than any place they had eaten in Paris. So when I recently discovered the apparently appropriately named Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook, I was intrigued, to say the least. Continue reading “Easy, subtle comfort: Cream of Belgian Endive Soup” →

A vegetarian Okra Stew offers balancing, restorative powers

This traditional, vegetarian Sudanese stew of okra, tomatoes, onion, garlic and cinnamon, topped with cinnamon-flavored couscous, is perfect for re-energizing—or just enjoying. Recipes below.

Alek Wek’s Balancing Okra Stew

[su_dropcap style=”flat” size=”3″]T[/su_dropcap]his refreshing, healthy recipe is by the model, author and Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Alek Wek. A traditional Sudanese dish, it originally appeared in the New York Times in 2018, part of its occasional My Detox series. Continue reading “A vegetarian Okra Stew offers balancing, restorative powers” →

Have a happy, lucky new year: Black-eyed Pea Soup with Thyme

Black-eyed Pea Soup with Thyme

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]I[/su_dropcap] only realized well into Christmas day that I hadn’t done a post for last week. Christmas day is when it would have posted. New Year’s Eve, I found myself practically in the same boat. But then I remembered a dish that could bring you luck in the new year, Black-eyed Pea Soup with Thyme. Black-eyed peas are apparently chock full of luck if you eat them on New Year’s Day. And while fresh ones are delicious, you can also use canned. Whether you manage to eat some black-eyed peas or not (in this recipe or another), have a wonderful, luck-filled new year.