Lisa on December 12th, 2011

I’ve never been much of a beef fan — I’ll take the surf over the turf any day — but ever since I first went to Olga’s as a kid and had the Original Olga, I’ve been crazy about lamb. (I’d love to try mutton, but I guess I’ll have to wait until I’m in [...]

Continue reading about Lamb: The Tastier Red Meat

They call it raita in India, tzatziki in the Middle East, and tarator in Bulgaria. We call it tartar sauce, and we make it with pickles instead of cucumbers and mayonnaise instead of yogurt. Frankly, though, it’s time to revisit the original versions for some inspiration, because rich, creamy Greek yogurt kicks commercial mayonnaise to [...]

Continue reading about Adventures in Sauce (or How to Make the Dip Your Own)

Lisa on May 3rd, 2010

There’s something ever-so-charming about edible little packages: tamales, spring rolls, pasties, grape leaves…every culture seems to have a neatly-wrapped specialty.  (Maybe they appeal to our sense of orderliness?)  Not only are these wrappables practical to eat and fun to make, their central position in any given cuisine means that centuries of tradition have fine-tuned their [...]

Continue reading about Wrapping Up a Grape-Leaf Dinner

Lisa on April 3rd, 2009

Here’s a twist on taco salads:  Ethiopian lamb salads!  Simple, satisfying, and significantly lighter than its North American cousin, this salad was a happy meeting of leftovers and inspiration.  (I had cooked ground lamb with berbere spice mix, chopped onions, minced garlic and diced tomatoes the day before.)  When I saw the lettuce and Greek [...]

Continue reading about Move Over, Mexico!