Pesto-list-ious

I am the kind of weirdo who makes to-do lists for her weekends. Why do I, a normally sane person, do this? Well. Personally, I find that seeing things written down makes me feel pressure to do them. I tell myself I make them so I won't forget things--but of course that's not true. I make them because there is only one thing better than seeing every item on a neatly scribed list checked off, and that's making a new list. Should anyone who reads this know of someone specializing in the psychology of list-making, send 'em my name. They need look no further for their next subject. My dad has a saying that has had, it seems, an outsize effect on me; "If it's not on the list, it doesn't get done."  Looking at a list, checked or unchecked, is the sign of someone with things to do, and that's the kind of person I tend to respect.

While this is all well and good for being organized and responsible, I'm starting to learn that you cannot make a list for your life. Part of being alive is forgetting things, being impulsive, making it up as you go. I used my Fourth of July weekend to return to humanity. I'd lost sight, you see, over the past week or two, of what it means to be a person. Being "busy" doesn't mean you have a life--it means you have a job. And telling people you haven't cleaned, read a book, called your college friends, or cooked a meal for yourself because you're too "busy" is no excuse. Making lists can also be an excuse--at least it is for me. After two weeks of not really reading any books, two weeks of an empty fridge and too much takeout/scrounging for food, I'd had enough. I gorged myself this weekend on grocery shopping and books, new and used and borrowed (the books, not the groceries!). You can hunger for a lot of things--for food, for knowledge, for that high, electric note of pure aliveness that you feel when you're about to do something reckless and unplanned. These cannot be sated by listing--only by doing. 

Applying this philosophy to cooking is one of the best things you can do. Instead of being guided by a list, or even a recipe, step on back and just feel. It's what led me to summer's best condiment--pesto.

Shrimply Delicious Chickpea Pancakes

In March, my roommate and I threw our first big dinner party. I'd always wanted to throw a dinner party, and we may have gone a little overboard, seeing as there were twenty people in our large-but-not-really-that-large Brooklyn apartment. It was everything I thought adult life would be; lovely people having witty conversation, delicious food, and of course copious amounts of alcohol.  I fretted for at least two weeks over what kind of food we should serve. For someone who reluctantly acknowledges herself a perfectionist when it comes to these things (hem hem), there is nothing simultaneously more exciting and more nerve-wracking than a dinner party. I think my unhealthy obsession with them stems from my wish to have everyone in my life that I love meet everyone else in my life that I love. To feed them food they will like, to see them meet other people who are just as amazing as they are and just enjoy being, to drink with them...Dinner parties are my version of hedonism. 

When it came time to choose a menu for these twenty lovelies, my roommate wisely encouraged something that would be easy to make in large batches, like lasagna. Instead we went with something only slightly more involved--daal and rice, and chickpea pancakes with cucumber raita. Being hella neurotic (or maybe just a good planner if I'm not being hard on myself), I did a test run of the chickpea pancakes since I'd never made them before, using raw chickpea flour. They were unspeakably delicious, and were inspired by a Mark Bittman recipe (naturally). I had a feeling they would be a dinner party success.

Of course after the test run of dreams, I created a nightmare for myself when I realized 10 minutes into the dinner party that I had bought an insane amount of the wrong kind of chickpea flour. It was toasted, not raw, and so absorbed less of the water and made a flatter, less crispy pancake....fortunately, I was assured they were still pretty damn good. This is me setting things right...and in the process creating a fairly delicious Dara dish. 

Hippie Bread

This morning, I'm starting my first job. I've been asking myself a lot of questions--will I totally mess this up? Will my co-workers like me? Most importantly, what will I eat as a quick breakfast before hopping on the train? 

This bread is the answer. It is the most delicious food ever created. 

Two summers ago, my lovely roommate Carson and I were interning in D.C., asking ourselves these same questions. Carson's fabulously talented friend Brigid gave her this recipe for a vegan bread. I was skeptical at first--not because it was vegan (well, a little), but mostly because of the number and variety of ingredients it required. But it was actually a really simple recipe to follow, and when it came out of the oven, well, I was sold. 

I can't really describe it...it's moist (sorry for those of you who hate that word!). It's crumbly. It's a little spicy. Yes, the ingredients list is long and a little weird, but do not be daunted, my friends! The amount of hippie bread this makes is well worth it. Eat it in the morning. Eat it in the evening, all over this land. Carson and I call it Hippie Bread because this stuff is pretty darn good for you!

Cold-Brew Coffee

Do you remember that freaky snowstorm last October? The one that left millions of children across the Northeast in tears because they had to cancel trick-or-treating on Halloween? Where thousands of people were without power?


If you do, you might think I'm crazy for still being obsessed with this storm. What's the big deal, you might say. Halloween got rescheduled. There was pretty snow. It was romantic because of the darkness from power outages, so you could take a break from technology and really get back to connecting with people. I'm going to stop you right there, imaginary person who's arguing with me. I'm all for romancin' in the dark, but no electricity? You know what you need to make coffee? ELECTRICITY!


Throughout the three day long power outage in Massachusetts, I was berated. And shamed. Because at 8 a.m. when the power went out, I ran around like a crazy person insisting that cold-brew coffee existed, and that I could make it in an hour. Guess which one of those things is true? Right. It exists, but it's a pretty long (hands-off) process. So when I tried to serve nasty, slightly coffee-flavored water with huge grinds in it to several caffeine-addicted friends who were already getting headaches (you know who you are), they were merciless. This post is my vindication, my restoration to the halls of culinary awesomeness, and most of all--my revenge. Cold-Brew: it's a thing.

Put an Egg on It: BLT Salad Edition

Today is a really exciting day. I'm kicking off my "Put an Egg on It" series here on Dishes! Inspired by the Portlandia sketch "Put a Bird on It," this recipe series will celebrate my relatively newfound love of fried eggs. They're cheap, delicious, full of protein, most vegetarians eat them...and did I mention they're cheap?


 Runny egg yolks used to gross me out. Now I love them. Why the change of heart? One word--bacon. When I was in France a few years ago, I went out to lunch with a fellow American on the trip (hi Alix!), her student host, and the host student's father. Ordering in French was fine--I saw "Frisee aux Lardons," or curly bitter salad greens with porcine yumminess on the menu, and I felt set. Imagine my horror when my lunch arrived with two jiggly eggs on top! I had just started picking around them when Alix's father gave me an accusing look--"That's obviously the best part, and you're not going to EAT it?"--that I couldn't ignore. So I sighed, and pricked the eggs with my fork until the yolk began to drip down the salad. Taking an apprehensive bite, I was ready to hate it.


Wrong. So, so wrong.


The silky yolks were the perfect complement to the crispy bitter tangles of endive, chunks of crunchy bacon, and vinegary bite of the warm dressing.  This is by far my favorite salad, and it's pretty easy to recreate without fancy ingredients and with minimal effort. I ate it as brunch, but it's another one of those dishes that you will love anytime...including right now!! Put an egg on it!

Spiced Kale Chips

As some of you may know, my lovely roommate Carson is here!! She really likes kale chips. Kale is one of those vegetables that is pretty much always around in huge, cheap bunches, and we had about 3 pounds sitting in the fridge. To celebrate her arrival, we turned 'em into kale chips! Together! Now, kale chips are delicious with just a little olive oil, salt, and time in the oven--but my mother had other (brilliant) ideas, and spiced kale chips were born. We made two varieties: Chili Garlic and Tandoori Spiced. 

The Perfect Burger

It's grilling season. And you know what that means: fried tomatoes. No, just kidding. It means burgers! It is, of course, also high season for grill-mands (like gourmands? See what I did there?) to get all fancy and grill up watermelon, pizza, and even truly "grilled" cheese. But the most basic of all backyard BBQ staples is the humble burger.

There are a couple of tricks to making the perfect burger. First, you need a meat with a good meat-to-fat ratio like 80/20 or 85/15. This ensures that you'll have a moist (sorry! juicy) burger. I also add some onions for flavor and additional juice (more on that below). Second, you need some good seasonings. Mustard for kick, Worcestershire to enhance that beefy flavor, garlic because garlic should be in everything, and of course salt and pepper to round everything out. Third, you need to shape the patties so they don't dome in the middle, which a) makes them cook unevenly b) makes your toppings slip off and c) increases the likelihood that you'll be tempted to press down on the burger while cooking, thereby pushing out all the juices and losing the tasty fruits (or burgers) of your labors! This list is getting pretty long, so let's just make 'em and you can see how it's done.

Celery Soda

It's hot out today. Like, tear-all-your-clothes-off-and-go-running-through-the-sprinkler hot. Or do-nothing-but-nap-in-an-air-conditioned-library hot. If neither of these options are available, I highly suggest making a cool and refreshing drink--celery soda.


I had my first celery soda along with my first pastrami on rye many many years ago. And while Dr. Brown's Cel-ray is still my drink of choice with mustard, pickles, and copious amounts of smoked meat, it's pretty darn excellent any time, any where. A lot of the Jewish delis by me have stopped stocking the celery variety, which makes me bat-knish crazy. So a few years ago I started to make my own...now you can, too!

Chicken Saltimbocca

Sometimes, you just have to put your head out the window and feel the wind on your face. Other times, you just have to make America's Test Kitchen's Chicken Saltimbocca because you want to know if their recipes really are the best.

I won't doubt it again.

Italian Mini Frittatas

I woke up starving this morning. Stumbling downstairs to the kitchen, I had a couple of options. There's cereal--minimal effort. There's scrambling an egg--still minimal effort. 


But no.


I had a sudden, uncontrollable urge to make quiche. I am a quiche master. Also, quiche is undeniably delicious at any time of the day. But there was one problem--I didn't have a pie shell. I could either make one (even though it was already going on 11.30) or I could adapt. So I made miniature frittatas instead! 

Chocolate Tofu Pudding

I was feeling kind of fancy. So I made three kinds of Chocolate Tofu Pudding--one with ginger, one with mint, and one with coconut. While this pudding is amazing by itself, I felt like trying something new. Out of the three new varieties, the coconut was definitely my favorite. I can also see a salted caramel version...a nutella version...a Mexican chocolate version...the possibilities are endless! The basic recipe is below, along with a whole bunch of suggestions for different flavors!

Lemony Greens Vichyssoise

The first chilled soup I made turned out so well that I just had to make another! Now for all of you smart-alecks out there, no, this is not really a vichyssoise. A true Vichy is a leek and potato soup with tons of cream. But to me the term implies a chilled potato soup, which is at its core what this soup is. Because I had a feeling that I would miss green things for the few days after wisdom teeth surgery, I added zucchini and a whole bunch of spinach. Instead of cream, I used lemon to really take it to the next level. It's pretty much the same process as the Carrot Ginger soup, except for the last few minutes of cooking. 

Chilled Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

In two days I am getting my wisdom teeth out. All four of them. I had an inkling that it wouldn't be a picnic, but I was definitely not prepared to hear that I would not be attending picnics of any kind for a week--my cheeks would be swollen and bruised, and I wouldn't be able to chew (or suck through a straw!) for about 5 days. Needless to say, I did some serious panic grocery shopping. Inspired by Mark Bittman's timely column from last Sunday's New York Times Magazine, I decided to make a cold soup that would be both tasty and healthy--and that I could drink from a mug. Here is Chilled Carrot Apple Ginger Soup!

Quinoa Salad with Mushrooms, Sausage, and Arugula

For months I had been hearing a good friend rave about this salad. A mutual friend had whipped it up for her last summer, and while we had promised to make it there just wasn't time during the insanity of graduation. It sounded pretty ideal--healthy quinoa, spicy arugula, and the best meat of all time? What could be better? So for the first dinner I cooked at home, I knew I had to try it out.