Have a hankering for bagels but your local shop isn’t open right now? No problem! These homemade bagels are easy to make and super customizable. Make up a batch and believe me, even the kids can roll them out. Get everyone in the kitchen, have some fun and the end result is delicious. Just don’t forget the lox and schmear!
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When the holidays come around, we all start thinking about cookies! Cookie swaps, trays, and even parties all centered around holiday themed cookies. I love making the cookies of my youth, cookies I have been eating and making since I was little with my mother. One of our favorite customs was to recreate our favorite Italian American bakery classics at home.
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As an Italian, I have been eating meatballs my entire life and the recipe has been passed down to me from my mother who learned it from her mother. I believe they are the best meatballs you will ever taste.
To make these meatballs taste just like Mamma's, you will need to make her sauce too! Click here, for the recipe for Brodo Di Mamma.
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I have always been fascinated with Cuba. A place where the culture is dynamic and rich and yet, riddled with struggle and oppression causing so many to flee the country they love. Upon arrival from Cuba, they flocked to where other Cubans had already landed, taking each other in, and helping until a family of aunts, grandparents, parents and children could carve out an American life for themselves.
Angela Diaz Porta came to the US when she was seventeen years old. She is an incredible person and talented cook. Angela cooks traditional Cuban food for her daughters and grandchildren to this day.
She cooks many delicious dishes, but for me, she made Cuban Black Beans. A staple to any Cuban dinner table, served with rice, this dish is simple and yet spectacular.
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My latest Heirloom Kitchen landed me in Lebanon with an Iraqi woman, from England. Yes, you read that correctly, Scheherazade ‘Cherie’ Jafar was born in London, England and then moved with her family to Bagdad, Iraq until she was ten years old. At that point, she returned to Bathe, to study. At nineteen, she married and headed to America as a young bride.
Because of her diverse background, Cherie is versed in a number of different cuisines. She cooks dishes from her native England and Iraq but also makes a number of Lebanese dishes taught to her by her mother-in-law. It was fascinating to go through her little recipe book with her. A link to her well traveled past, her hand written recipes come from her homeland, her in laws and also her place of birth. She can throw together an authentic tabboleh, Middle Eastern stew and finish the meal with an English bread pudding.
Through our conversation, we got to cooking the most delicious zucchini dish from the middle east, Kousa Mahshi. Savory ground beef with rice all stuffed into a zucchini. It was delicious, simple, and healthy. Try this Lebanese stuffed zucchini made by an amazing English woman from Iraq and you will not be sorry!
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Recently, a quick road trip to Brooklyn landed me in beautiful Haiti with my culinary guide Nikki. Nikki came to the U.S. in the mid 1980s to explore New York City, the art world, French literature and a new exciting life.
She eventually settled in Brooklyn with her son and has called it home ever since. While we cooked, she played Haitian music so that when I closed my eyes; the smells and sounds truly transported me. We spoke about her life in Haiti, her family and favorite dishes her mother and grandmother cooked for her as a child.
Nikki made sure to teach me dishes that truly represented Haitian cuisine. We made a rice with a very special mushroom, djon djon that only grow in Haiti. In addition, we made Cashew Chicken, a very well known (and delicious!) dish.
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When I had the opportunity to cook with a talented Filipina home cook in my Heirloom Kitchen, I knew exactly what we could make: adobo, which is considered the national dish of the Philippines. Magda was warm, sweet and incredibly willing to show me this dish she makes for her family on a regular basis. I was excited to taste it to experience this popular dish. Adobo is typically made with bone-in chicken or pork ribs; what’s consistent is the sauce, always a blend of vinegar and soy sauce. Magda told me that Adobo is a matter of taste. Some like it more tart and will add more vinegar. The ratios in her recipe provide for a balanced sauce, but if you prefer more sweet or tart, adjust the vinegar and sweet soy until you create a sauce just for you. As Magda said, the acid-sweet level of an adobo depends on the taste of the chef and her family.
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One delicious Mexican dish I have always wanted to learn to make was tamales. So, when I had the opportunity to cook with Janet, a wonderful Mexican woman. I asked her if she would show me how they are made in Mexico. She warned me that tamales are a labor of love and is certainly not a quick dish but she ensured me they would be worth the work!
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Candy for Passover! Matzo covered in caramel, chocolate, and nuts makes for a delicious treat. Make it your own with all your favorite toppings.
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This morning I was invited to be a guest on Channel 8 News, TNH out of New Haven, CT. It was a great opportunity to promote my Heirloom Kitchen, talk about the incredible ‘Nonnas’ I have cooked with and also let any talented immigrant cooks out there to contact me for a ethnic cooking lesson.
I had a great time chatting about my experiences in the kitchen and was also able to cook a delicious Mexican dish I have learned. Huevos Divorciados (Divorced Eggs) is an incredible dish of eggs, served on top of some lightly fried corn tortillas. The secret to great Huevos Divorciados is the homemade salsa verde and salsa rojo poured over the eggs. Now, one fried egg is covered in salsa verde and the other egg is covered in salsa rojo. The sauces don’t mix. That is why these two eggs are divorced!
Janet, the lovely Mexican woman that taught me this dish told me to garnish the dish with some sliced avocado. Its not a super quick breakfast but I can guarantee those two eggs will reconcile in your stomach. Unbelievably good!
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Each trip into my Heirloom Kitchen has become about so much more than the food. Now, learning the cuisines and special dishes from around the world has been incredible. I have been introduced to new flavors, techniques and am constantly surprised at how each woman I cook with can teach me something I have never seen before.
This time, I made a stop in Iran. I met Sharareh Oveissi and I knew from the minute I walked through the door we would be fast friends. Beautiful and warm, she quickly began showing me all that she prepared. A beautiful table called a ‘Haft-Sin’ was set for Nourez, Persian New Year so she could teach me this sacred tradition.
Nourez is celebrated all over the world. For Iranians, Persians and Zoroastrians all of the items on the table represent hopes for the new year. I love the idea of celebrating the new year by creating a table scape of items that will bring health, happiness, prosperity and all the other wonderful things a new year an offer.
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