The Three Opportunities: You can dictate the character of your soup by how you decide to start cooking it.
Regardless of cooking method, you'll produce dumplings filled with the elements of classic Chinese steamed fish. For the best results, select the freshest fish possible — it should have a bit of sheen and be devoid of any off odors.
Pit cookery is familiar all over the world: in Hawaii, there is the luau, the Maya have the pib, and we have curanto. Curanto has always been part of a coming-of-age rite of the Tehuelche people of Patagonia. Traditionally, it began when the chief took his place, surrounded by the bare-breasted maidens of the tribe. To attract the attention and win the favor of the young ladies, the young men danced and engaged in feats of horsemanship. All in attendance sipped a fermented corn beverage. Over the course of eight days of drinking and dancing and even animal sacrifice (involving removing the beating heart from a prize mare), people whipped themselves into an ecstatic and inebriated state. The communal meal was a curanto of potatoes, corn, squashes, guanaco (a cousin to the llama), rhea (ostrich), and, in later times, lamb, beef, and pork. In a less wild form, this rite is still practiced by the Tehuelche to mark the first full moon of spring.
This scramble of mild flavors, soft textures and small bites is toddler friendly. Grown-ups have been known to enjoy it, too.
For some people, the gutsiness of escarole and curly endive can be hard to take in a salad, but cook them into a soup like this one and those same folks will fall in love. Those greens simmered in good broth with a little wine, tomato, pasta and chickpeas are pure Italian home food.
These super healthy, vegetarian pitas from Chef MD are perfect for lunch or a light, easy supper.
Darra Goldstein, in her book The Georgian Feast: The Vibrant Culture and Savory Food of the Republic of Georgia, tells how suckling pig is rubbed with a blend of soaked black and red pepper pounded with garlic, coriander and summer savory. When she mentioned it was also excellent on roast chicken, we gave it a try.
Food writer Maureen Abood learned how to make these fragrant cinnamon-laced Lebanese lamb and onion pies from her grandmother. Maureen fondly recalls how her grandmother, who used about twenty-five pounds of flour a week for baking, made the dough and filling and shaped the pies. Fatayar are eaten out of hand as part of a meal or as a snack on their own. They are relatively quick and easy to put together once the dough has risen.