WINTER SQUASH SOUP WITH FENNEL AND CORIANDER

This is a beautiful creamy orange winter squash soup, with warm undertones of coriander, fennel, and red pepper flakes. While this soup is good served the day it is made, it really shines if prepared the day before serving. It will keep well in the refrigerator for 5-6 days, and also freezes wonderfully, should you like to save some for a later time.


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FRIKADELLER: DANISH MEATBALLS

Frikadeller (Danish pork meatballs) are one of those quintessential foods that almost every Dane, young or old, knows how to make; children are even taught how to make them in school. Anne's frikadeller, however, are particularly special; she uses an handheld electric mixer to beat the ingredients together, producing an exceptionally fluffy meatball.


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ELIZABETH’S FRIED CHICKEN

Oma’s fried chicken is great eaten hot or cold at a picnic, or big family gathering. It pairs particularly well with collard greens, potato salad, or coleslaw. This is the type of recipe that you will learn to do by feel, gaining a sixth sense for variations in the oil temperature, and knowing when the chicken is done perfectly.


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RØDGRØD MED FLØDE: DANISH COOKED RED BERRIES AND CREAM

Ask any Dane what they think of when you say summer, and they will almost certainly respond with strawberries. Ask them about Danish summer desserts, and it will be Rødgrød med Fløde, a beloved, slightly thickened berry soup, served with a decadent amount of loose heavy cream.


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OMA’S MAC AND CHEESE

This Mac and Cheese is one of Elizabeth "Oma" Fisher's masterpieces. It was always there for any big family or church occasion. Everyone loved it, with no exception! Made with freshly grated cheddar and eggs tempered in warm milk, this is a custardy macaroni and cheese, with a crunchy, browned top.


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STRAWBERRIES WITH SUGAR AND ROSEWATER

Every season we do a vote on the Facebook page for people's favorite ingredient; I then create a simple recipe with the winning ingredient. Strawberries won in the Spring of 2016. Inspired by my time cooking at Boulettes Larder, with chef Amaryll Schwertner, I created this super simple, delightful recipe. Strawberries macerated with sugar and rosewater make the perfect accompaniment and drizzling syrup for vanilla ice cream, cakes, or unsweetened yogurt throughout the late spring and summer.


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SUE’S OVEN APPLE PANCAKE

Sue grows eleven varieties of apples on her seaside farm in British Columbia and says that the best apples for this recipe are hard and crisp, so the slices stay discrete during cooking. For her this means Transparent apples in the summer, and Gravensteins or Kings in the autumn. The best grocery store apple to use is the Granny Smith. Softer apples will still taste good, but will melt down and not make as pretty a finished dish.


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GALLINA RIPIENA (CHICKEN STUFFED WITH BREAD, BORAGE, AND PARMESAN)

Armida only stuffed and boiled a chicken for Christmas and Ferragosto (August 15, the assumption of the Virgin Mary). We ate the simple chicken together on Ferragosto. To this day Armida's chickens are her most prized possession; she has many, and the hens all produce dozens of orange-yolked eggs. She said that although she has no money and was not able to marry well, at least now she can feed everyone very well. Armida used foraged borage leaves as the greens for her stuffing; if you do not have access to them, spinach, chard, and stinging nettles all make good substitutes.


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CHICKEN SOUP WITH POACHED EGGS AND HERBS

After Armida had prepared her bone broth, she cooked with it to create a variety of different dishes. Her favorite way to consume the broth was simply, with only a small handful of tiny pasta simmered into it; she didn't miss her absent teeth in her enjoyment of it. When Armida sent me home with a jarful of broth, a freshly laid egg, and a shoot of green garlic, I discovered my own favorite way to use the broth: I made a simple chicken soup by simmering the garlic, fresh herbs, and Armida's orange-yolked egg right in the mineral-rich broth. Just as Armida described, I found the broth to be deeply restorative, and cooked in this way it seemed the perfect joining of chicken and egg.


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ARMIDA’S STICKY TOMATO FRITTATA

Armida had all sorts of tomatoes growing in her garden, and combined them with celery leaves to create earthy-sweet dishes. This frittata (a crustless Italian quiche) pays homage to these flavors, and to the prevalence of pecorino (sheep’s milk) cheese) in the hills of Lunigiana. To make the frittata, I slowly dry oiled, cut tomatoes; this is lovely to do under a hot summer sun, but is also easily accomplished in a low-temperature oven. The rich and sticky tomatoes are an integral part of the frittata, but also make for a delicious addition or garnish to many other dishes.


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ROASTED APPLES WITH HAZELNUT, BITTER CHOCOLATE, AND LEMON ZEST

These are the most delicious roasted apples I have eaten, with the bitter chocolate (typical of Northern Italy) and lemon zest adding depth and brightness. I highly recommend using a chocolate with 80 percent cocoa content for this recipe, and a tart fruit, such as the Granny Smith.


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PIZZOCCHERI ALLA VALTELLINESE

Pizzoccheri is one of my favorite things to eat. It is an earthy, creamy mess of buckwheat pasta, greens, and cheese, designed to delight the child in us. Giovanna, and I cooked it as a one-pot dish, boiling the pasta and other ingredients all together, then tossing them with butter and sage and stinky cheese at the end. After talking with Giovanna about the recipe, however, I decided to develop it further to better articulate the strengths of the dish. I make the noodles slightly thicker and stouter, boil the vegetables separately so as not to overcook them, and broil the dish at the end for a slightly crunchy and caramelized top. If you do not have the time to make the fresh buckwheat pasta for this recipe, you can substitute 8 to 12 ounces of dried buckwheat noodles.


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FRAGOLE AL VINO

Lightly sprinkling strawberries with sugar and loosening them with a splash of good red wine creates this easy, slightly boozy dish. An alternative to the alcoholic version is to simply serve the berries with a chug of thick cream and a sprinkling of sugar on top.


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WALNUT BLACK PEPPER COOKIES

Carluccia loved the earthy, creamy taste of her land’s walnuts; for this cookie I combined their flavor with one of her favorite spices, the black peppercorn, which we foraged for together along Calabria’s wild coastline. The mixture of the peppercorns and walnuts with the butter and honey creates a light, nutty, and ever-so-slightly spicy tea cookie.


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CHARD-SESAME BALLS WITH RED ONION JAM

Although Carluccia was not accustomed to cooking in the early afternoon, when I went to say good-bye she pulled these emerald-green polpette di bietola (chard balls) piping hot from her oven. Out came some Tropean red onion marmellata (jam) and a fizzy glass of the family’s red wine to accompany them. It was the perfect, verdant last treat with Carluccia, and she sent me off with an extra paper bag filled with them for the long plane ride home.


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ROASTED LEEKS WITH EGGS AND OLIVES

This appetizer dish is a tribute to the three foods Armida loved most from her farm: alliums (members of the onion/garlic family), eggs, and olives. In particular, Armida favored alliums, always growing many varieties of them to add to soups and sauces, and to pound into pesto for testaroli. One of my favorite ways to eat leeks is slowly roasted in a cooling wood-burning oven until they become crispy and slightly sweet. Roasting them in a regular oven produces a very similar effect, one that is complemented perfectly by a dip into a soft-boiled egg and a bite of salty olive. These leeks are rich, and make for a somewhat addictive and unusual hors d’oeuvre.


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PLUM ALMOND TART

While this tart is at its most beautiful when made with susine (dark purple oblong prune plums), other plums and stone fruits will also work well here. Make sure that the fruits are ripe—they will melt down beautifully when baked, releasing their juicy syrup.


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GNOCCHI WITH TOMATO-BEEF RAGU

The airy flesh of the ubiquitous russet potato makes it the perfect choice for gnocchi. To create light, pillowy gnocchi, make sure that your dough is neither too wet nor overworked. Armida uses the fine markings of the back of her cheese grater to mark the gnocchi; I recommend using the fine side of a box grater to do this, or forming the gnocchi and running them along a wire whisk to mark them. The gnocchi are wonderful with Armida’s easy, rich ragu. They are also delicious with a simpler dressing of melted butter and grated cheese.


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THE IDA COOKIE

I have been thinking a lot about remembering, and how things are distilled down into lasting memories. The Ida Cookies got me thinking about this, as does the closing of the year, which inevitably involves assessing the passing year’s events: What were the joys and losses experienced? How have we cared for one another? What […]


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PERSIMMON-CINNAMON ICE CREAM

This recipe is a shockingly simple persimmon-cinnamon ice cream, perfect for the late autumn and a wonderful accompaniment to Thanksgiving dessert (especially nut-based ones). Inspired by Silvana, a grandmother I cooked with in the Marche region of Italy, who grew the most luscious persimmons I have ever tasted.


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BEEF RAGU

The ragù con carne over spaghetti alla chittarra is the dish that most reminds me of my grandparents’ relationship: it cooks for very long and when ready it takes on a particular color, somewhere between dark red and brown, that always makes me think of their dark bond. This recipe changed as we let go of some […]


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BRAISED PIGS FEET IN SOY-CARAMEL SAUCE

These succulent braised pigs feet were a regular meal in Mrs. Lee Sin's house. Naturally high in collagen and gelatin, they also nourished her family, keeping their digestion and joints healthy. The pigs feet were always served with perfectly steamed white rice, and can be garnished with cilantro.


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KINDERGARTEN BREAD

KINDERGARTEN BREAD Print Recipe Votes: 6 Rating: 4.17 You: Rate this recipe! Making Kindergarten Bread is a great activity for families and classrooms; it’s foolproof, and can include all sorts of fun and meaningful stories and songs. Both Betty and her daughter, Anna, baked the bread weekly with their Kindergarten classes. The students got to […]


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