Food and Recipes

Final stretch

Plan for today: first, submit my votes for a thing I agreed to jury for — this one is quick, but I am increasingly convinced that such jury work should come with honoraria, so one of my priorities for 2018 is figuring out how to offer those to all the SLF jurors. Somehow — I […]

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Autumn Cookies

Owl and owlet.  These are made with my speediest form of decorating — make a six-second icing, color it, dip cookies and scrape off excess (takes a light touch to get the right amount off, but you get used to it), sprinkle with colored sugar.   These are quite time-consuming, adding these details, because you

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Cheesy

Kavi just took Anand a little plate with his allotment of four apple-cheddar croissants. I told her she was a nice Acca, and she laughed and said, “I’m doing this so I’m not tempted to eat his too.” (Pillsbury crescent rolls wrapped around a slice of apple and some pre-grated cheddar, bake for about 12

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Mango Pickle

This is a fiery, fruity accompaniment that will keep refrigerated for a long time — you can add a little to your plate of rice and curry whenever you want to kick things up a notch. It would also be tasty with cheese and crackers, or layered in a sandwich with roast meat.   2

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Sri Lankan Red Rice Congee

‘Congee’ comes from the Tamil word ‘kanji,’ and refers to a rice-based porridge, eaten through Asia. This variation is a comforting way to start your morning, a traditional breakfast made either with fresh rice or leftover, and served with a little jaggery to sweeten it. It’s also good for building up the strength of recovering

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Beef Smoore

(4-6 hours, served 8)   This is a dish of Dutch / Sri Lankan origin, perfect for a Sunday roast, when you have time for long, slow (yet easy) cooking. A great dinner party dish. Yummy with rice — also great in weekday lunch sandwiches on hearty Italian bread, or shredded into a pita or

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Okra Curry

(45 minutes, serves 6) For those afraid of okra, I promise you that this will not be slimy at all. A tender vegetable dish, with a nice toothsome chew to it. 1 lb. okra, washed and dried 1/2 t. turmeric 1/2 t. salt vegetable oil for frying 2 T ghee or oil 1 onion, sliced

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Papadums (Three Ways)

Papadums are little lentil crisps, high-protein and good for you; they’re typically eaten with a rice and curry meal and lend a delightful crisp texture and flavor. Traditionally, they were fried, but many of us avoid frying these days, so I decided to make them three different ways to compare the results.   I’m afraid

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Homesick

Homesick The problem with going deep is that you can fall in. You find yourself reheating frozen food, a pale imitation of the real thing. Making other dishes over and over trying to remember decades-old cinnamon in the nose, lime on the tongue, chili heat lingering on your lips — a pain that you seek

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