When I grew up, it seemed like we only used paprika to add a little color to deviled eggs or potato salad. . . That paprika, in just about everyone’s spice rack, is made from dried, sweet pepper pods. Varieties differ, some hotter or sweeter than others, but the beautiful, red color is constant. It’s…
Soup
Nourishing Soups: Carrot
When temps get below 80 in Florida, I like to fire up the stove for soup. And with this month’s theme of ’Nourishing Soups,’ I’m starting with carrot. From September to January in Florida we get beautiful carrots from local farms. But you can find them just about anywhere – just look for firm, smallish, slender carrots, not…
Minestrone Soup
This veggie-packed soup is adapted from the Nika Hazelton recipe, as published in the NYT in 1973.
New England Clam Chowda
When you grow up in New England, you usually gain a fondness for seafood since it’s prevalent, fresh and really delicious. So that’s where my love of clam ‘chowda’ began. . . But before we go any further, I feel it’s important to qualify myself. When I talk about New England clam chowder (a.k.a. chowda),…
Butternut Squash Soup
Our long-awaited Florida Fall is here! Temperatures have dropped and the humidity is all but gone! Not only did I open all the windows in my house, but I’ve also been busy in the kitchen prepping squash recipes. Today it’s a batch of warm, creamy soup using Butternut — one of my favorite winter squashes because…
Fresh Tomato Soup
When I was a kid, I was definitely not a fan of tomato soup. My mom usually served it on days when I had been playing in the snow for hours and basically would have eaten anything because I was starving (and frozen). But it was definitely a tough go — the only saving grace…
Summer Corn Chowder
With all the rain we’ve been having in southwest Florida lately, I’ve been making lots of soup and this corn chowder was definitely a crowd pleaser (well, as much as you can call two people a crowd, because our two cats don’t count). The same day I made it, a re-run of The Devil Wears Prada was…
Refreshing Watermelon Gazpacho
Summer in Florida can be intensely hot, so I take any opportunity to prepare meals that don’t require a stove or a grill (not as easy as you might think!). Gazpacho is a perfect dish because it’s easy to make and you can be creative and flexible with the ingredients, depending on what you have…
Portuguese-Style Fish Stew
When I was a kid my family regularly visited my grandparents in Fall River, Massachusetts — a city known for not only textile manufacturing, but also, a unique culinary history. It all started in the late 1800s, when the Fall River and New Bedford areas attracted Portuguese folks from the Azores seeking work in the…
Easy Leek & Potato Soup
I was at the St. Petersburg Farmer’s Market recently and got my hands on some beautiful leeks — big, fat, fresh, bright white and green. I couldn’t wait to get home to cook up a batch of this soup — it’s one of my favorites. This soup always reminds me of my grandmother, and one…
Spicy Asian Noodle Soup
I love to make (and eat) soup. The more flavorful, the better. I’ve been playing with flavor combos in soups, and this one kept coming to the top of my list. I wanted to make something with lots of spicy ginger and jalapeño, balanced by mild flavors of veggies. This soup gives a kick that…