“The most indispensable ingredient of all good cooking: love for those you are cooking for” – Sophia Loren
Our family loves food, and especially sharing that food with each other. My husband Tony, our daughter Tara, son-in-law Conrad, and son Colin are all great cooks. We are always sending each other recipes, recommending cookbooks and food websites and blogs, and when possible, cooking for each other.
One of the highlights of visiting Tara and Conrad in Los Angeles is the wonderful, unique restaurants they take us to. And when they visit us, a highlight is always the night they take over the kitchen. And now that Colin lives in the Manchester area, we have an excuse to explore restaurants there with him. And of course, they all love joining us at their favorite spots in our area.
But nothing beats gathering together to share food made with love for one another. That is what I have missed the most over this year of COVID-19. So, for this month’s column I asked them to a share a recipe that they love. Even though we can’t be together with family, we can find other ways to share that love. Make some soup for a neighbor who isn’t feeling well. Pick up groceries for an elderly person who can’t get out. Bake something special for a friend just because. Or share the word, and maybe donate to, the new Peterborough Community Meals to Go program. This wonderful program provides free meals to the food insecure, prepared by local restaurants. The monies raised are used to pay the restaurants to prepare the meals, helping to make up some of their losses due to the pandemic.
So, you can feed your neighbors in need, provide income for food service workers, and keep our local eateries in business. A great way to share the love. For more information on getting free meals, or donating to the program visit https://bit.ly/CommunityMealsToGo.
This is a fall and winter staple for our home. We have it for lunch with toasted sourdough. This meal has been evolving as I just riffed it into existence. It’s very easy and quick to make, which is good for people with little time but want something satisfying, cozy and delicious. We began making this when we were poor and cold living in Brooklyn. The recipe has joined us, and in my opinion, elevated here in LA where it’s not quite as cold, but something we look forward to when the temperature starts to dip. – Conrad Burnham
■32 ounce carton of vegetable broth
■1/4 yellow onion, diced
■2 tbsp olive oil
■½ cup packaged rice medley
■3 15 oz cans of beans – not drained (I like black, navy and red kidney)
■15 oz can diced tomato – drained
■Spices around the house (I use oregano, onion salt, garlic powder) about ½ tsp each
■Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté the onion in olive oil till golden. Add broth, beans (in their liquid) rice, spices (I just eyeball it) and drained tomato. Simmer on medium add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rustic bread.
A friend made this traditional Ayurvedic dish from India for me several years ago as comfort food after losing a loved one. Just one bite in, and I was asking for the recipe.
I now make this dish almost weekly during our Los Angeles winters. It has a nice coziness to it, but still feels super fresh thanks to all the veggies and the brightness of the lemon. It makes a great weekday lunch and keeps well in the fridge if you want to make it a day or two ahead. The Ayurvedic elements of this dish promote healthy digestion, detoxification and cleansing. The veggie and spice measurements are loose – try this recipe a time or two to see what suits you personally.
For a little more seasonal flair, I recommend adding cinnamon and a pinch of cloves to get that extra cozy feeling. The veggies I tend to use are peas, broccoli, cauliflower, onion and orange bell pepper. But again, go for what you like – this dish is very easy to mold to your own tastes. Fresh veggies are best, but frozen will work, just decrease the water slightly if you use frozen veggies. Enjoy, and I hope this brings you as much comfort as it does me! – Tara Cassady
■½ cup Basmati rice
■¼ cup split mung dal
■1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
■1 tsp grated fresh ginger
■1 tsp cumin
■1 tsp cardamom
■1 tsp coriander
■½ tsp salt
■¼ tsp black pepper
■¼ tsp turmeric
■5 cups water
■3 cups coarsely chopped vegetables of your choice
Melt the ghee in a large pot. Add ginger and spices, sauté on low heat for two minutes. Add the basmati rice and dal, stir to assure all the rice is coated, cook for two minutes. Add water and vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered at medium heat until the water has evaporated, and the rice, dal and vegetables are soft. Serve immediately and season with salt, pepper and fresh squeezed lemon to taste (I use 1/4 a lemon per serving)
I like making pizza using my “Big Green Egg” ceramic grill along with a pizza stone. The grill lets you get the temperature very high for an extra crispy crust, but this crust also works well in most any oven. Either way, using a pizza stone helps make for a crispier crust. – Tony Cassady
Pizza Crust
■¼ ounce active dry yeast
■¼ tsp sugar
■¾ cup hot water
■1 ¾ cups flour
■½ tsp salt
■2 tsp Italian seasoning
Preheat Big Green Egg to 600 – 700 degrees (or oven to 550) with pizza stone inside.
Heat water for 2 minutes in microwave. Dissolve yeast and sugar in hot water, then allow to rest for 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine flour, salt and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. Pour yeast over flour mixture and mix well with a heavy spoon. Add a little extra flour if needed.
Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes, dusting more flour onto surface if needed. Roll dough into a 12” – 13” circle of even thickness. Or, instead of rolling it out you can hand-stretch the dough if you know how. Cut off any excess and pinch up the edges to make a neat circle that fits your pizza stone. Slide dough onto a pizza peel or slide your hands under the dough, lift carefully and place it onto the hot pizza stone. Bake for 4 minutes. Remove from grill or oven and top with toppings. Return promptly to grill or oven for 6-8 minutes.
Toppings
Place the following toppings onto the crust using whatever quantities suit you, in the following order:
■Shredded Mozzarella (just enough to lightly cover the surface)
■Pizza sauce (a thin layer will do – too much may run over the edges)
■Lightly chopped fresh spinach
■Quartered artichoke hearts
■Sliced roasted red peppers
■Crumbled feta cheese
Our son Colin is also a great cook. I think he picked up some tricks working in restaurant kitchens in his teen years. Since he was a little guy, quiche has been one of his favorite foods. He recently surprised us by showing up at our door with this quiche he had made for us. I had baked him a pie at Thanksgiving and he brought back the pie pan filled with this quiche for Christmas. It seems we have started a new pass the pie pan tradition – Marie Cassady
Crust for 9 ½ inch pie pan
■4 large eggs
■1 cup half and half
■14 ounces Dubliner cheese, shredded
■1 cup Vermont cheddar, shredded
■3 cups baby spinach
■6 ounce jar artichoke hearts, very well drained and chopped; or 1 cup other filling of your choice
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place crust in pie pan. Combine the Dubliner cheese, spinach and artichokes. Place in pie crust and spread evenly. Mix eggs and half and half until well blended. Pour over filling mixture. Top with Vermont cheddar. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.
Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 35 minutes.