July 2009: Essie’s matapa feast in New York

DISH: Matapa
MAIN INGREDIENTS: Peanuts, Coconut Milk, Cassava Leaves (or Kale)

Tuesday marked the very happy occasion of our dear friend Essie’s permanent immigration to the States. Since November 2007, she had been living on and off in a small city called Vilanculos, about halfway up the Mozambican coastline from its southern border with South Africa.

There, she was first a volunteer and then a project manager at African Impact, and Essie and her…

BRUNCH MENU: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Pickles, Baked Sweet Potato Fries, Banana Chocolate Chip Bread, Orange Juice, and Coffee

This recipe makes enough for one mini-loaf of banana chocolate chip bread, plus a couple of extra mini-muffins. The loaf spends less time in the oven than the epic hour of a regular-sized banana bread, and the muffins cook even more quickly, which means you get an appetizer to tide you over.

I know everyone has his or her own favorites when it comes to banana bread. For a long time, I wouldn’t…

Even Marley knows a good cauliflower curry when he smells one

EVENT: Mag Club October
VENUE: Calia & Nick’s apartment, Upper West Side
PARTY SIZE: 10 (including Marley, the dog)
TYPE: Potluck Party
MENU: Risotto Cakes (Phoebe); Cauliflower Curry, Spinach Dip (Calia); Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad (Julie); Avocado Salad (Alana); Caprese Salad (Leora, ovi); Assorted Salads (Kate); Brownies (Cara)

It seemed rather ironic as we gathered at Calia’s new apartment for our October installment of Mag Club that just that morning, Conde…

EVENT: L.A. Bon Voyage Dinner
VENUE: Amy’s House, Los Angeles
PARTY SIZE: 4
TYPE: Formal(ish) Dinner Party
MENU: Orange and Red Shrimp Curry; Arugula Salad with Ginger-Honey Vinaigrette
WINE: 2007 Santa Barbara Winery Chardonnay

A few months ago, over dinner at my parents’ table in Martha’s Vineyard, my mother’s friend Amy offered up her house should I ever need a place to stay in Los Angeles. To all reading, warning: do not present me with this type of offer unless you really…

EVENT: Pre-Movie Dinner Date
VENUE: Cara’s apartment, Park Slope
PARTY SIZE: 2
TYPE: From the Farmers’ Market (and the freezer)
MENU: Rockfish in Fennel-Saffron Broth, Orange Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Fennel
PHOTOS BY: Alex

Last Saturday, I was among the first 20 people to arrive at the farmers’ market. Now, this is not an easy feat in Park Slope, land of the chipper young parent and early-bird dog owner. But I was out bright and early for a different reason than my neighbors, one…

DISH: Eggplant Caponata Crostini with Pomegranate-Balsamic Drizzle
MAIN INGREDIENTS: Eggplant (Purple); Golden Raisins (Fruit); Basil (Local)

On Sunday, as I reported on The Huffington Post, twelve foodie hopefuls kicked off the first installment of The Food Obstructions’ monthly cook-off by gathering at The Gutter, a Williamsburg bowling alley I’ve been to before on weekends and never thought would have passed the Department of Health’s regulations for a cooking competition.But given the contest’s parameters, which placed five culinary obstacles between each contestant and our dishes, it seemed rather fitting that we embrace the…

MENU IDEAS: Appetizer / Butternut Squash & White Bean Puree; Main Course / Lemon-Garlic Roasted Chicken Breasts; Vegetable / String Beans a la Marc; Dessert / Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Bread

This past week on Food52, Amanda and Merrill made a call to action for the Best Autumn Vegetable Puree. Since I had bought a HUGE butternut squash at the farmers’ market, I was inspired to transform it into puree form, even though I never managed to write up my recipe…

EVENT: The Naptime Chef’s Book Launch Party
VENUE: The World Wide Web
TYPE: Virtual Potluck
DESSERT: Praline Pumpkin Pie

We were invited by The Naptime Chef to participate in a “virtual” dinner party with food bloggers and writers, to celebrate a book she’s helping to release, Park Avenue Potluck CELEBRATIONS.
It’s the sequel to the best-selling cookbook, Park Avenue Potluck, and it comes out today. Created and authored by members of The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC),…

RECIPIENT: Sister Kate
REASON: Champion Commenter
TYPE: Gratitude, as usual
GOODS BAKED: Peanut M&M Blondies

I’ve been known to add the odds and ends of my pantry and fridge to my blondie, cookie, and brownie batters. Nothing gross of course, but a handful of raisins, a bit of lemon zest from a lemon I bought for some savory purpose, maybe some sweetened shredded coconut lingering in the freezer. It’s all about being resourceful, really.

Back when I was catering, in college, I made great use of the flexibility of my go-to cookie-dough base, customizing…

DISHES: Salmorejo (Cream of Gazpacho Soup); Carrots with Parsley Butter
MAIN INGREDIENTS: Tomato, Bread, Garlic
TYPE: Orange. Adventurous.

In my global food reminiscences, I keep coming back again and again to my two-month post-college travel adventure—in particular, the final two weeks I spent flying solo in southern Spain. I’ve been trying ever since I returned to recreate some of the tapas I sampled during the meals of this trip, and always seem to fall a little short when it comes to the expert simplicity of the presentation…