Ed: Back when I had a gluten sensitivity and had to select my food very carefully, avocados were the one of the top ingredients on my list. I no longer have that excuse for eating them, but they are still one of my favorite foods. Stuffed avocados are a popular appetizer in Latin America, where…
My Mom’s Pear Cake
Robin: When they lived on a tiny-but-lovely Royer Lake in northeast Indiana, Mom and Dad had their very own pear tree. Some years the harvest was huge, others not so much. When the supply was abundant, Mom would find creative ways to take full advantage of the delicious fruit, using pears in salads, desserts, and…
Meet the Traditional Peruvian Hot Peppers
Ed & Robin: Although Mexican chile peppers seem to get all the press, Peruvians are proud of the long and delicious history of their own varieties. In South America, a hot pepper is called an ají (instead of the Mexican term chile), and the plural is ajíes. Dozens of varieties are cultivated in Peru, but…
Spaghetti Squash a la Mexicana
Robin: The other day at work I overheard part of a conversation. One women made a comment that went something like, “Spaghetti squash? Yeah, I’ve had it, and it doesn’t fool me!” I had to smile, because I don’t think that spaghetti squash intends to actually fool much of anyone. Yes, its long strands can…
Mexican Spaghetti (Sopa seca de fideos)
Robin: It might not “look Mexican” at first glance, but pasta made this way is one of millions of Mexicans’ favorite everyday dishes and beloved comfort foods—due, perhaps, to the fact that it is made with simple ingredients (tomato, onion, chicken broth) and brings back warm childhood memories of the dinner table. Like many other…
Zucchini Marmalade
Robin: It looks like pickle relish, right? Ed actually thought it was pickle relish when I offered him half a bagel dressed with this delicious zucchini/pineapple/ginger marmalade. Why he did not protest or even mention that it seemed strange, I do not know; perhaps he has just become that comfortable with trying unusual combinations of…
South American Beef Empanadas
Ed: These baked ground beef empanadas are one of my most beloved comfort foods. I remember my school days, when my mom used to put one or two empanadas in my lunch box, and I would enjoy them at recess. I don’t recall what other kids were eating, but I loved my lunch! Every time I…
Tuna (or Salmon) Loaf
Robin: I love tuna loaf because it calls for ingredients that I usually already have on hand, and because it is so versatile. In fact, this is what I chose to make when Hurricane Irma was about to hit us last fall. I knew that it would delicious and nutritious whether we ate it warm,…
Into the Limelight: Latin/Caribbean Limes 101
Robin: Few liquids pack more flavor punch per drop and are more versatile than freshly-squeezed lime juice. Non-Latinos in the U.S.A. may be most familiar with the Persian or Tahitian lime—the large-ish, thicker-skinned one that looks like a green lemon. Those plastic lime-shaped bottles full of juice are the cutest things, are they not? I…
Peruvian Chicken Cau Cau
Ed: Here is a very special recipe for an old, yet still very popular, authentic Peruvian stew. Cau cau is one of my favorite foods in the vast domain of my native land’s cuisine. More than a rigidly-defined specific dish, it is a certain style of cooking a protein (most traditionally tripe, but also chicken,…