locavore

Peperonata: Mixed Pepper Salad

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Mixed Berry Custard

Mmmmm … berries. I love to pick them myself, which I often can at my CSA farm. My mind buzz turns off, replaced by bee buzz; the bees are way too busy to bother me. In the quiet berry patch, the focused search and careful reach for ripe berries is contemplative and soothing. Eat one […]

Kasha and Zucchini Salad

Courtesy Judith Hausman The zucchini just keeps on coming, so this week, I’m using it in a wonderful salad with kasha, herbs and a light lemon-oil dressing. Kasha is buckwheat groats, popular in Russian and Balkan cuisine, and contrary to the name, not wheat at all. I love the nutty taste and rough texture of […]

Summer Squash and Corn Pancakes

At the height of the summer, the amount of zucchini is overwhelming and it’s easy to find yourself in a rut. However, these tender, small squash, in all their wonderful variety, can be a welcome raw material many simple summer dishes. Whether bright-yellow, pale-green, striped, scalloped, tennis ball-shaped, you can grate them, dice them, sauté […]

Dolmas: Stuffed Grape Leaves

Photo by Judith Hausman Wild grape vines grow like weeds where I live, climbing up over hedges, trees and rock outcroppings. Sometimes they even bear foxy-tasting little grapes at the end of the season. But in early summer, while the leaves are large but not yet toughened, I pick them to make dolmas. If you […]

French-Style New-Potato Salad

Courtesy Judith Hausman As I wait patiently for the summer’s first tomatoes, squash and peppers (can eggplant be far behind?), it’s easy to forget that new potatoes are ready to harvest first. My CSA share included 6 pounds of small potatoes last week in white, red and purple. Generally, I choose grains over potatoes in […]

Walnut Red Pepper Spread

Use those shiny peppers from your CSA or farmers’ market to make this tasty dip.

Rice, Ham and English Peas

Photo by Judith Hausman “So, what do you call this,” a dinner guest recently asked me upon serving up a side of rice, ham and peas. “Un-risotto?” You could say this dish is sort of like risotto. Peas are indeed a classic risotto ingredient, but instead of making this dish with the traditional Arborio rice, […]

Chicken Liver Pâté

Jam-Swirled Cheesecake with Saltine Crust