It took years to convince me that vegetables could belong in desserts. But Italy’s cucina povera, or peasant cooking tradition, is actually full of cakes with vegetables that perfectly embody the cuisine’s spirit: They use whatever is abundant and in season—not just fruit, but vegetables, too—in an inventive way, turning poor ingredients into rich treats….
Torta Di Verdure Coi Becchi (Swiss Chard Tart)
The sweet dessert torta coi becchi, made with Swiss chard, was born in Lucca, Tuscany thanks to locals’ knowledge and expertise about the many herbs that grow spontaneously throughout the area. Chard is categorized as a sweet herb, along with nettle and borage, opposed to bitter herbs such as dandelion or chicory. It is a…
Scarpaccia Viareggina (Sweet Zucchini Cake)
This thin, moist cake, filled with tender young zucchini and the unmistakable fragrance of basil, is a traditional cake from the coastal town of Viareggio in northern Tuscany. It was traditionally baked by old sailors with zucchini from their vegetable gardens. Now, come summertime, when zucchini flood market stalls and overtake backyard gardens, locals still…
Simple Secrets for Grilling Cheap Cuts of Meat
Getting our outdoor grill cleaned, polished, and ready for summer got me thinking about how much fun it would be to celebrate. After all, summer is just a few months a year, so why not do things up right with an amazing menu and a few good friends? What happened next I can only attribute…
Moules Marinières: Fast Food, the French Way
The French have long had a love affair with mussels. According to local lore, they have a shipwrecked Irishman to thank for that. In 1235, as the story goes, Patrick Walton was shipwrecked in Aiguillon Bay, off the Atlantic coast of Vendée, France. Starving, he stuck two wooden poles in the water and attached a…
Moules Marinières: 10-minute Mussels to Transport You to the French Coast
The French have long had a love affair with mussels. According to local lore, they have a shipwrecked Irishman to thank for that. In 1235, as the story goes, Patrick Walton was shipwrecked in Aiguillon Bay, off the Atlantic coast of Vendée, France. Starving, he stuck two wooden poles in the water and attached a…
Jeffersonian Ice Cream
Thomas Jefferson first encountered ice cream as the ambassador to France, and brought back a special French ice cream maker, called a sorbétière, to Monticello. Ice was harvested from the Rivanna River in the winter and stored in Monticello’s ice house, then used throughout the year to preserve meat and butter, but also to chill…
Making Ice Cream Memories, the Old-Fashioned Way
I have fond childhood memories of family reunions on Pine Lake in Eldora, Iowa. Coming together from several central Iowa counties, my mother’s side of the family got together each summer to reconnect. As the adults caught up with each other’s busy lives on the farm, the kids ran up and down a sandy bluff…
A Picnic-Perfect Mash-Up: Deviled-Egg Pasta Salad
This pasta salad looks like the classic picnic side, but in one bite you’ll know it’s special. It holds all the incredible flavors of deviled eggs and is creamy, too, thanks to mashed avocado and hard-boiled eggs. For the best texture, don’t make this more than a few hours before you plan to eat it….
Raw Summer Squash Salad
Almost like in ceviche, where the citrus juice cures the fish, the lemon and lime in this dressing soften the delicate ribbons of summer squash as the salad rests. Look for zucchini and yellow squash between 6 and 8 inches in length; avoid the really big ones, as they tend to be pithy. If you…
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