Reviving Traditional Foods
Preserved lemons enhance the cooking of North Africa with their pronounced saltiness and a sourness that is oddly mellowed, rather than enhanced, through fermentation. Even with no other ingredients but salt and lemon, preserved lemons take on other unique and complex flavor profiles that can become even mint-like over time and after proper fermentation. While [...]
No-knead sourdough bread, with crisp crust and its ballooning airy pockets in the crumb, is our favorite bread. And, recently, I’ve taken the time to return to the kitchen and my roots within traditional foods by embracing the pleasure breads, grains and pulses bring to the kitchen table in addition to all those lovely fats, [...]
If you had two girls under the age of two, and your husband, a fighter pilot, was flying cover during a war in Iraq, would you be thinking about converting your diet to organic, whole foods? I wasn’t. My life had enough stress without another distraction. But, that’s what happened in 2003. Daily Migraines and [...]
To drink beet kvass is to taste the blood of the earth - sweet and salty with a mineral-rich undertone that speaks of the soil itself. Beet kvass is an acquired taste, much like other fermented foods whose characteristic sourness can offend tame palates. In spite of – or perhaps because of – its briny [...]
This recipe and post are contributed to Nourished Kitchen by Megan and Rose of Fig and Fauna. If you are interested in contributing to Nourished Kitchen, please read these guidelines. While every carrot, beet and potato still rest deep beneath the soil, perfectly ombre painted radishes emerge from the surface of the ground. They are [...]
As kids we were always told that cookies were not an acceptable meal for breakfast. I’d like to know who made up that rule, and then tell them that I’m breaking it. I let my 18 month old eat these cookies for breakfast. They’re made with all natural ingredients so even though they’re cookies, I [...]
Want an easy homemade yogurt? It doesn’t get easier than matsoni or the many other traditional yogurts that culture best at room temperature (think of villi, piima and filmjolk). Even if you’re so clumsy in the kitchen that you manage to burn water, you can make this simple, easy yogurt. Just whisk starter culture with [...]
Love sourdough breads? Wondering how to make your own sourdough starter? It’s easy. While the internet is full of sourdough starter recipes that call for odd ingredients like pineapple juice, orange juice, potato flakes or sugar water, to make a truly good sourdough starter you need just three things: flour, water and time. It’s easy, [...]
I have a secret love of porridge, and, in the winter months, it is one of our favorite breakfasts. We eat soaked oatmeal porridge, mostly, and congee from time to time, but occasionally I like to focus on other grains and pseudocereals like buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa whose grassy undertones blossom when paired with fresh [...]
The Thing About Blueberries . . . is that they don’t grind their Harleys over the hot desert tarmac, or throw eight-course dinner parties at Monet’s garden in Giverny, or eat jellied eels from a stall in London. Because – let’s face it – blueberries are homebodies. Plump, delectable little delights that know all too [...]
Lovage Soup for Spring
Moroccan Preserved Lemons
campfire roast chicken with flowering onion and dill
Our Daily Bread: No-knead Sourdough
A Story of Recovery (and a Recipe for Grain-free Carrot Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting)
A Recipe for Beet Kvass: A Deeply Cleansing Tonic
What People Are Saying