Sardine sandwich
If you have a can of sardines staring at you and no inspiration, make a croque-sardines! Inspired by the ubiquitous croque-monsieur, except my croque-sardines has Middle-Eastern flavor. Get some rustic bread, slather a slice with muhammara, layer a few sardines; in the meantime, broil another slice with goat...
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Amardeen cake
Amardeen is a beloved snack for every kid raised in the Near-East; Amardeen is a sheet of apricot paste. The apricots are grown in the area of the Ghouta, near Damascus in Syria. Amardeen is tangy, sweet and has an intense apricot flavor. This is a basic sponge cake...
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Fennel yogurt soup
Sweltering heat that makes you want to dunk in the pool all day; this cold and refreshing soup, great for one’s digestive health by the way, is one way to deal with these temperatures. As easy as 1,2,3, this is a recipe from Mercotte, one of my favorite French...
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Yucca fries and lentil salad
Yep, that vegetable was a yucca or cassava. Is it like a potato? Not really, its taste is distinct and wonderful. However, just like the potato, it is very versatile. INGREDIENTS: 4 servings 1 Large yucca (about 1 pound) Olive oil, as needed 10 cloves of garlic (or as...
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Taro root
Whether you know it intimately or have never even tasted it, I have got a little dish with it, mañana!
Tomato tart
A simple tart in which the flavor of the tomatoes really pop. The key is to have a buttery and very crisp crust, which contrasts with the soft texture and intensified flavor of the tomatoes. Rub the crust with a good mustard prior to baking, drizzle the croustade with...
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Carrot burger
This dish is inspired by an idea from a French-Armenian chef I admire, Sonia Ezgulian. She made the carrot burger and in the middle, shaped a patty with a cooked chicken breast mixed with fromage blanc; I made patties with kafta instead and served it with extra lemon...
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Cream of wheat biscottis
Don’t they say necessity is the mother of invention? These biscottis were devised after I realized that it was a good idea for me to consume fortified cream of wheat on a regular basis, due to its iron-rich component. However, the thought of starting the day with a soupy porridge...
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Pasta salad
Heat is on, every day, unrelenting; I had been watering that basil bush hoping it would not succumb to the 100F plus temperatures; luckily it doubled in size in a few weeks and here is the result. A pasta salad coated with fresh basil pesto and garnished with a...
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