Barley Risotto with Pumpkin and Sage

To make a rich and creamy risotto, you stand around carefully ladling broth and stirring for a while. Then you add some butter. It’s a great system and I don’t even mind when my arm gets tired in the last five minutes (I am an obsessive stirrer). But this isn’t really risotto.

Carrot Slaw with Citrus-Mustard Dressing

When I think cranberries, I think cranberry sauce. This may not seem like the most exciting revelation but when I was planning to make this carrot slaw, I kept imagining it with vague holiday associations. When I went to write about it, I realized that I was being completely silly. People eat dried cranberries and [...]

Apple-Filled Acorn Squash Rings with Curry Butter

Thanksgiving is over, I’m back at work and it’s officially the holiday season. It was approaching 80 degrees when I left LA on Saturday and it’s 65 in DC right now, but that’s not the point. As a southern Californian, I was trained to mark the seasons without much regard for the weather. It’s officially [...]

Asparagus with Feta and Roasted Garlic

I didn’t mean to make this dish. It was kind of an accident. But, looking back, it’s easy to connect the (really delicious) dots. First, when I got to the register at Whole Foods I realized I was a few dollars short on spending a $20-for-$15 Living Social deal, so I dashed off and grabbed [...]

Sweet Potato Galette

I did it. I made the Galette of My Dreams. It was even better than I thought it would be. And so photogenic. It all started with this picture from Cook’s Illustrated. I immediately wanted to make what I interpreted as a giant potato-chip-crusted potato pancake. I had never heard of pommes Anna or a galette that wasn’t a free-form tart, but [...]