Monthly Archives: December 2010

Hoppin’ new year (black-eyed pea soup)

In Gourmandistan, we recognize there is a tradition saying eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day will bring good luck in he coming year. We also agree with Edna Lewis that black-eyed peas “are a little dull.”  So, in an … Continue reading

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Struffoli, Steve’s sole holiday food tradition

It’s a sign of how denatured Steve’s Neapolitan heritage is that he believed a traditional family holiday dish was spelled “struvela.” It’s actually struffoli—something Steve didn’t figure out until recently. Steve has memories of picking at the honey-covered dough bits … Continue reading

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Pursuing perfect Parker House rolls

These days Steve can bang out a perfect pâte brisée without looking at a recipe. He’s also now pretty good at pizza dough, as well as pasta and no-knead bread. But Michelle found Steve a new challenge in the November … Continue reading

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Snappier Ginger Snaps

Nashville Seasons was one of Michelle’s earliest cookbooks (the very first was Betty Crocker’s New Boys and Girls Cook Book, and the second was the 1979 Marion Cunningham version of Fannie Farmer). Her mother gave Michelle a copy of the … Continue reading

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Couscous and Coincidence

Yotam Ottolenghi came into Gourmandistani consciousness from two different directions. Michelle, constant comber of media and things food-related, had seen his weekly “The New Vegetarian” pieces in The Guardian and mentioned them to Steve. Steve, adrift in a sea of … Continue reading

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