Last Saturday at the farmers market, I saw a new (to me) vegetable: purslane. I’d heard of it a few times before, but only vaguely. I sampled a leaf and really liked the flavor: raw purslane has a pleasant crunch, not unlike the pod of a sugar snap pea. Its flavor is mild and spinach-like, but with a tart, lemony note; almost a milder sorrel. It was tasty and I’m a sucker for anything new or unusual; I had to pick it up.
How to consume your weekly allowance of saturated fat in one meal without regret.
Usually I try to eat reasonably well. I’m not on any kind of weight loss plan; I don’t count calories or follow a specific plan, but I try to eat a lot of whole grains and fresh vegetables and limit my meat consumption. Sometimes though, I just want something completely indulgent something that doesn’t follow anyone’s definition of eating healthy. This is that thing.
This is a really great, simple weeknight dinner. (And don’t just take my word for it, Deb over at Smitten Kitchen likes it as well.) I’m not saying it’s ground-breaking or mind-blowing, but it’s pretty close to the top of the “things to make for dinner in 15 min without resorting to pre-made” list. And some nights that’s just what you want.
Back in culinary school I took an elective in Indian cooking. One of the dishes we made along the way was dal makhani, a stew made of urad dal (also known as Indian black lentils or black gram), kidney beans, ginger, garlic, garam masala, tomato and plenty of butter and cream. (There’s something quite satisfying about being able to unwrap a whole stick of butter and just drop it into a pot of stew.) The recipe was simple, rich and easy to make in bulk. Definitely a keeper.
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My parents gave me a pasta roller for Christmas this year. Now that I have one, I’m not quite sure how I managed not to have one for so long. It’s not like I can claim I didn’t know how much better fresh, homemade pasta is than the dried, boxed stuff. (And if you’ve never had it fresh, trust me on this one, really.) I learned to make it at Kendall and worked with it during my externship at Green Dolphin Street. I guess what matters is that it’s back in my repertoire now.
