cooking for two – julienne.red

Mango-Saffron Scallops

Did you ever buy too many mangoes? No, I didn’t think so — but I did! Last summer, when I was just getting into canning in a big way, I wanted to make mango chutney. For canning safety, you have to use unripe mangoes. That’s because their acidity fades as they ripen, and the acidity…

Apple Butter Crumb Bars

Last fall, I canned some apple butter for the first time. I don’t think I’d ever even had it before, and I had no clue what I would do with it other than giving it as gifts. Why did I make it? Because I could! I only started canning a couple of years ago and…

Gyros

One of the most memorable meals of my life was in Athens, Greece. My husband was in the Navy at the time, and his port call happened to coincide with my school’s winter break. So I flew, alone, to a country where few at the time spoke English, to meet up with him — without…

Sautéed Baby Radish Greens With Onions & Basil

Radishes are one of my favorite things to grow in the garden. I always scatter the seeds rather than try to plant them individually in rows. It’s faster and uses space more efficiently. Once they sprout, you can start to thin them by gently pulling up the ones that are crowded. Sometimes I’m really good…

Fish Curry

“This curry was like a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony that I’d once heard…..especially the last movement, with everything screaming and banging ‘Joy.’ It stunned, it made one fear great art.” — Anthony Burgess Thirty-eight years?! Okay, I’m really dating myself here, but as far as I can tell, that’s how long it’s been since I had…

Roasted Turnips With Dill and Caraway

The things we do for love. Like, grow turnips! I’ve mentioned before that I grew up thinking I didn’t like them. Thing is, it was a “didn’t like” that was based on precisely zero experience. Not the kind of thing a sciency person such as I likes to admit, maybe, but I was just a…

Anisage Chicken

I don’t remember why I bought whole anise seed. Well, I remember why I bought it whole: it’s one of those spices that loses its flavor rapidly once it’s been ground. Maybe I had a recipe in mind. Maybe it was on sale at Penzeys. It doesn’t matter — this dish is yummy enough to…

Planked Maple-Molasses Salmon Fillet

Necessity is the mother of invention. — old proverb The first time I made this, it really wasn’t planned. I’d been in an unfamiliar grocery store and realized they had a decent fish department. When you’re standing right in front of the case and can’t smell fish at all, that’s an excellent sign! Just a…