If you’re a regular reader of food blogs then you’ve likely noticed that the whole world seems mad for Nutella™. For those of you who’ve been living in a cave or otherwise missed this trend, let me explain. Nutella™ is an alluring, proprietary spread that combines ground roasted hazelnuts, skim milk, and cocoa. Available almost everywhere, it has a comfort food appeal similar to that of peanut butter and is eaten in much the same way: on bread, in desserts of virtually every type, and (best of all for some) spooned directly from the jar into one’s mouth.
The weather is heating up where I live, and it occurred to me that Nutella™ would be a perfect flavor for ice cream sandwiches, one of my favorite childhood desserts. I’ve added both Nutella™ and extra chocolate to the shortbread layers in these sandwiches. [go to recipe...]
Corn, or maize, is a traditional ingredient of comfort foods in my native American South. Although less complete nutritionally than several other grains, corn makes up for this with its versatility. Dried and milled, it’s used for our beloved cornbread, spoon bread, and hoecakes. Processed through the 3,000-year-old technique of nixtamalization, it gives us hominy and grits. In its fresh form, it finds its way into many of our favorite soups, main courses, side dishes, and salads. And, of course, what movie would be complete without popcorn?
Fresh corn is harvested nine months of the year where I live in Florida and is often on the menu at our house. Yesterday I had a serious yen for corn fritters and developed this spiced up, savory recipe for them with an Indian flavor twist. These fritters include fresh corn [go to recipe...]
Sometimes the best laid dinner plans go awry. For example, how often have you arrived home late after a busy day to find a scenario similar to the following? Junior was hungry and made an afternoon snack of last night’s leftover meatloaf, which you intended to serve for dinner tonight. The chicken you could have sworn you took out to defrost this morning is still in the freezer. Or your partner was supposed to pick up the beef needed for tonight’s planned cottage pie, but…oops! Now what?
In order to deal with such eventualities, I like to collect, and think up, quickly prepared recipes based on staple ingredients that I always keep on hand in the pantry, fridge, or garden, as in the following recipe. This pasta dish was inspired by the bold flavors of classic [go to recipe...]
