Nothing is predictable as I write this except that we’re in for an emotional week. Soup to the rescue. It nourishes, soothes and sustains us, and a bean soup like this one even waits for us. Make it now, enjoy it later. The fat Greek white beans called gigandes produce an especially creamy result, but chickpeas, cannellini beans or cranberry beans would be just as successful in this recipe. I crumble feta on top (of course I do), and garnish with pickled Greek peperoncini for some zip.
Read moreMove Over, Avocado Toast
This is fig week in Napa Valley, where I live. Seems like everyone’s backyard crop matures at once. Ripe figs wait for no one. Use ’em or lose ’em. Poking around online for inspiration, I stumbled on an appealing Greek recipe that I would be making for dinner guests if only we could have dinner guests. Oh, well. More for me. Roasted figs, feta, honey, thyme, lemon, sesame seeds—plus my secret ingredient. Soooo good.
Read moreBathing Beauties
Oil-packed herbed cheeses are lovely for summer salads. You’ve seen those jars and tubs in stores. But here’s a secret: you can make your own in five minutes for a lot less money. I bought a log of fresh goat cheese, sliced it into rounds, then packed the rounds in a jar with extra virgin olive oil and seasonings. Two weeks later, I warmed a couple of slices in the oven on a bed of garden vegetables. What a delicious summer lunch.
Read moreDip of My Dreams
Greek salad dip…brilliant. Two of everyone’s favorite foods—hummus and Greek salad—come together on one plate. Wish I’d thought of it. With cucumbers, tomatoes and basil in their glory right now, and good weather luring us outdoors, this layered dip is the perfect start to a summer evening. Use store-bought hummus and pita chips to keep it simple or make your own.
Read moreBetter with Feta
Photo: Sara Remington
I’m not a big cheeseburger fan, to be honest. I prefer my burgers plain. But a lamb burger topped with feta? Well, that’s another matter. Ground lamb shoulder makes the tastiest burger, and crumbled feta on top contributes a creamy, briny, tangy note—like adding a sliced pickle but better. Everything else about the Fourth of July will be different this year. Why not shake up your menu, too, with these succulent burgers?
Read moreDinner’s Ready
In the Napa Valley, where we are sheltering in place, caterers are delivering cassoulet to people with deep pockets. The rest of us are plundering our pantries, gardens and freezers. Frankly, I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of making do in the kitchen. What tasty thing can I concoct from the bits and pieces? Being resourceful feels good, especially now. With my own hands, I can feed my household. I remember an elderly Italian friend who lived through the Second World War telling me that the rural people were better off than the city folks because the people in the countryside knew how to forage. Feeding yourself is a basic life skill, and this crisis is revealing that a lot of people can’t.
Read moreThis Meze’s Moment
June = peas. Peas = feta. Maybe that’s not the way you think, but my mind turns to feta every time I see the season’s first sweet English peas. That’s because one of my favorite Greek meze is the pea, feta and dill salad from Kokkari, the acclaimed San Francisco restaurant. I collaborated on the restaurant’s cookbook with chef Erik Cosselmon several years ago, and many of the Kokkari recipes entered my repertoire, but this one is probably the one I make the most. With warm pita and chilled rosé, you have the perfect first course.
Read moreFeta: The Highlight Reel
I have long thought that feta was the most useful cheese you could have in your fridge, and a recent trip to Greece convinced me of it. I ate feta from morning to night, in salads (of course), breads, bruschetta, risotto, dips, and pies both sweet and savory. I had squid stuffed with feta; cooked greens topped with feta; and fried feta with sesame seeds and honey. Here’s the highlight reel plus a recipe for one of my favorite dishes from the trip.
Read moreHit Refresh
I’ve had watermelon and feta salads before but never one this refreshing and unusual. My friend Julie Logue-Riordan, a Napa Valley cooking teacher, brought it to a potluck at my house and it was the hit of the evening—cool and crunchy, sweet and minty. With tomatoes and watermelon both at peak flavor, now’s the moment. If you can get tomatoes in multiple colors—well, wow.
Read moreThin is In
The last time I was in France, visiting Comté producers in the Jura Mountains, I thought I might find a beautiful old cheese plane in an antiques shop. But I didn’t know how to ask for a cheese plane in French, and my French host—a veteran of the cheese business—was no help. He had no clue what a cheese plane was.
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