Yields 2–3 quarts

3 1/2–5 pounds chicken bones, parts, or leftover carcasses (or a combination, I like to use a leftover carcass along with some fresh wings or feet)

1 large yellow onion, halved lengthwise

2 carrots, halved

2 celery stalks, halved

1 head garlic, halved across the equator

Yield: 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped

1 leek, trimmed, cleaned, and roughly chopped

8 ounces button, cremini or shitake mushrooms, cleaned and halved

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves

By Minimally Invasive / Serves 8 to 10

WHO: Minimally Invasive, a graphic designer and freelance writer living in Ringwood, New Jersey, is always up for trying something new. Her latest projects are perfecting her smoker technique, as well as turning out the perfect focaccia. She blogs at www.chimeraobscura.com/mi.

WHAT: A hearty, earthy ragu best made a day in advance. We’re confident this would be just as satisfying over pasta as it is over polenta.

HOW: Mushrooms, which are pureed with the rest of the sauce once the short ribs are fall-apart tender, make the liquid cloaking the shredded short ribs nice and meaty, and the wine, anchovy, tomato paste, and mustard make it sing.

WHY WE LOVE IT : Minimally Invasive wrote, “Let’s be honest, short ribs are great in any incarnation, but I wanted to use them in a ragu that had a little more oomph than the typical braise, so I went into umami overdrive with porcini.” The gremolata is a nice bright touch at the end. On a frosty winter evening, this would be perfect with a big green salad and the other half of that bottle of red wine.

By Midge / Serves 4

WHO: Midge lives in Boston and is a journalist specializing in travel. She says, “Cooking, especially baking, is my way of winding down after a long day.”

WHAT: A rich pudding that has just the right balance of bitter and sweet.

HOW: Starting the water bath with cool water, rather than hot, cooks the pudding very gently, giving it the most incredibly silken, glossy structure.

WHY WE LOVE IT: Puddings thickened with cornstarch make great comfort food, but Midge’s luxurious caramel custard, which uses egg yolks as its only setting agent, elevates pudding to dinner party fare. As with any egg-enriched custard, the key is careful tempering. As for the caramel, be sure to brown it as far as your nerves allow.

Midge says: “So far, one of the best parts about living in Boston is my proximity to Toscanini’s burnt caramel ice cream. I’m not even that into ice cream, but this flavor, with its slight bitter edge to cut the richness, is cracklike. I attempted to capture it in a pudding, and after incinerating a lot of sugar, I think I finally got it.”

By Table9 / Serves 1

WHO: Table9 is a Greensboro, Alabama, youth program director and passionate home chef.

WHAT: A refreshing, balanced toddy that won’t make you feel as if you’ve been hit over the head with booze.

HOW: Table9 was adamant about using Maker’s Mark bourbon—“the only true bourbon to drink”—as the base of this toddy.

WHY WE LOVE IT: It turns out that bourbon and citrus are a great match, and just a hint of honey smooth out any rough edges. Cheers!

1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (regular lemon juice will do in a pinch)

1/2 cup fresh blood orange juice

1 teaspoon honey

1 shot (1 1/2 ounces) Maker’s Mark bourbon

1 cinnamon stick

1. Combine the citrus juices with the honey and bourbon in a tumbler. Add just enough hot water

to fill the glass almost to the top. Serve with the cinnamon stick.

What the Community Said:

hardlikearmour: “Congrats! What a beautiful drink. Love the blood orange.”

From The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks, by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs.

Caraway Kringles "Christmas Cookies and Candies"
Submitted by Barbara Myers

Cream: 1/4 lb butter and 1 cup sugar.
Add 1 egg, 2 tsp caraway seeds

Sift 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt

Alternate adding flour mix and 3 tbs brandy to above butter mix.

Chill 2+ hours.

Roll 1/8 inch.

Cut, dust with confectioner’s sugar, bake at 375 degrees about 10 minutes – until lightly browned.

Notes: Important to use fresh caraway seed (homegrown is nice) or at least not old seed. Brandy can be good cognac, Drambuie (my favorite), or Irish Mist, or your choice.

Time: about 45 minutes, plus cooling

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white rice flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted, cold butter, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 tablespoon chestnut, or other dark, full-flavored honey

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Pulse together the flours, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and honey and pulse to fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some of the crumbs start to come together, but don’t overprocess. The dough should not be smooth.

3. Press the dough into an even layer in an ungreased 8- or 9-inch square baking pan or 9-inch pie pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes for the 9-inch pan, 45 to 50 minutes for the 8-inch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares, bars, or wedges while still warm. 

Makes one 8- or 9-inch shortbread.

Avocado Goat Cheese Spread
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 Medium Ripe Avocados
1 Tomato
1/3 Cup Goat Cheese
2 Tbsp Chopped Coriander
1/3 Tsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper To Taste

Directions:

Cut the avocados in half, removing the pit and peel off the skin.  In a small bowl mash the avocados with a fork until fairly smooth. Dice the tomato and add to the avocados. Gently crumble the goat cheese and add to the mixture. Add spices and combine. Drizzle in two tablespoons of olive oil and using a spatula make the mixture smooth. Set aside.

Personalize it: make the spread your own by adding flavors your family enjoys. Delicious additions to this recipe include items such as; spinach, basil or raw onions

Sautéed Shrimp
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Fresh Shrimp
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Mustard Seeds
12 Curry Leaves
1/2 Tsp Chili Powder
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Heat a nonstick frying pan or skillet.  Add olive oil and heat for a few minutes.  Add the mustard seeds and cook until the seeds begin to pop like popcorn kernels, then immediately add in the shrimp, curry leaves, chili powder, salt and pepper.  Cook just until shrimp is light pink throughout.

To serve:

Open and lay flat one washed and dried leaf of Boston Bibb Lettuce. Spread a table spoon of Avocado Goat Cheese Spread in the center and place one or two shrimp on top, then roll the leaf closed.

She hasn’t said so in so many words, but I have a hunch that my editor thinks I should explain why it took me no fewer than seven muffin recipes to stop fussing and find the perfect one to tell you about. Are muffin recipes that hard to come up with? No, not really. Do we perhaps just enjoy eating muffins so much that I looked for excuses to make more? Unfortunately, not that either. Am I really so terribly indecisive? Apparently, yes, but only in what I believed to be the quest for the greater muffin good. Okay, fine, and when I’m choosing earrings.

What finally led me here was, innocently enough, a basket of boring- looking lemon– poppy seed muffins at a bakery one morning; they got me wondering when poppy seeds would come untethered from lemon’s grasp. Poppy seeds are delightful on their own— faintly nutty bordering on fruity— but they also play well with fruit that is richer in flavor and texture than lemon. Inspired, I went home and, a short while later, finally pulled a muffin out of the oven I’d change nothing about. Poppy seeds, plums, browned butter, brown sugar, and sour cream form a muffin that’s rich with flavor, dense with fruit, and yet restrained enough to still feel like breakfast food. Seven rounds and six months in, I bet somewhere my editor is breathing a sigh of relief.

Over the years, we’ve had a lot of dinner parties. I’ve made mussels and fries and red pepper soup; I’ve made meatballs and spaghetti repeatedly; brisket and noodles were on repeat until I got the kinks ironed out of the recipe in this chapter, and there was this

one time when I decided to make nothing but delicate flatbreads for dinner. It was a terrible idea. Don’t do this unless you want to spend three days making doughs and mincing vegetables, only to have everyone leave hungry.

I’m pretty sure if you asked my friends what the very best thing I’ve ever served them was, they’d still go on about chicken pot pies I made from an Ina Garten recipe all those years ago. People, it turns out, go berserk for comfort food— especially comfort food with a flaky pastry lid—doubly so on a rainy night. I liked them too, but the chicken— which often ends up getting cooked twice— has always been my least favorite part. What I do like is the buttery velouté that forms the sauce, and it was from there that I decided to make a pot pie I’d choose over chicken, peas, and carrots any night of the week.

You really have to try this for a dinner party, especially if your guests were expecting something fancy. The crust and stews can be made up to 24 hours in advance, and need only to be baked to come to the table; this means that you could spend that time getting cute, or at least making pudding for dessert. And if people are expecting the same old same old beneath the lid, this will be a good surprise— the lid is so flaky, it’s closer to a croissant than a pie crust, and the pancetta, beans, and greens make a perfect stew, one you’d enjoy even without a bronzed crust. But, you know, it helps.

yield: serves 8

1 cup (180 grams) long- grain white rice
¾ teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
One 12-ounce can (1½ cups or 355 ml) evaporated milk
One 13.5-ounce can (17/8 cups or 415 ml) unsweetened coconut milk
One 14-ounce can (1¼ cups or 390 grams) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) heavy or whipping cream, chilled
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
Ground cinnamon, to finish

My list of rice pudding loves is long. There’s the Danish risalamande, with chopped almonds, whipped cream, and a sour cherry sauce, usually served at Christmas with a prize inside— one that I never win, not that I’ve been trying for thirteen years at my best

friend’s house or anything. There’s kheer, with cardamom, cashews or pistachios, and saffron. There’s rice pudding the way our grandmothers made it, baked for what feels like an eternity, with milk, eggs, and sugar. And there’s arroz con leche, which is kind of like your Kozy Shack went down to Costa Rica for a lazy weekend and came back enviously tan, sultry, and smelling of sandy shores. As you can tell, I really like arroz con leche.

But this—a riff on one of the best variants of arroz con leche I’ve made, which, in its original incarnation on my site, I adapted from Ingrid Hoffmann’s wonderful recipe—is my favorite, for two reasons: First, it knows me. (That’s the funny thing about the recipes I create!) It knows how preposterously bad I am at keeping stuff in stock in my kitchen, like milk, but that I seem always to have an unmoved collection of canned items and grains. Second, it’s so creamy that it’s like a pudding stirred into another pudding.

The rice is cooked first in water. I prefer to start my rice pudding recipes like this, because I’m convinced that cooking the rice first in milk takes twice as long and doesn’t get the pudding half as creamy. Also, it gives me a use for those cartons of white rice left over from the Chinese take- out I only occasionally (cough) succumb to. Then you basically cook another pudding on top of it, with one egg and three milks— coconut, evaporated, and sweetened condensed— and the end result will be the richest and most luxurious rice pudding imaginable. But why stop there? For the times when the word “Enough!” has escaped your vocabulary, I recommend topping it with a dollop of cinnamon- dusted whipped cream, for the icing on the proverbial cake.

Cook the Rice
Put the rice, 2 cups of water, and the salt in a medium saucepan with a tight- fitting lid. Bring to a boil— you should hear the pot going all a flutter under the lid and puffing steam out the seam. Reduce to a low simmer, and let the rice cook for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Remove the rice pot from the heat.

Once the rice is cooked, whisk the egg in a medium bowl, and then whisk in the evaporated milk. Stir the coconut and sweetened condensed milks into the rice, then add the egg mixture. Return the saucepan to heat and cook the mixture over medium- low heat until it looks mostly, or about 90 percent, absorbed (the pudding will thicken a lot as it cools), about 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract, then divide the pudding among serving dishes. Keep the puddings in the fridge until fully chilled, about 1 to 2 hours.

To Serve
Whip the heavy cream with the confectioners’ sugar until soft peaks form. Dollop a spoonful of whipped cream on top of each bowl of rice pudding, dust with ground cinnamon, then enjoy.

Cooking Note
If you have 2 cups of leftover white rice, you can skip the first step, and jump in with the egg and three milks.

Excerpted from THE SMITTEN KITCHEN COOKBOOK by Deb Perelman. Copyright © 2012 by Deb Perelman. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

This creamy soup, served in tiny cups and bright with chive oil, is easy to make and serve. Kids will like the little cups and the crazy green swirl. Adults will appreciate the healthfulness and the flavor.

2 cups dried Great Northern or other small white beans, rinsed and picked over

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)

1 large tomato, halved, seeded, and chopped

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

8 garlic cloves, chopped

11 cups homemade chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth, or more as needed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 cup half-and-half

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chive Oil for drizzling (recipe follows)

Put the beans in a large pot, add enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches, and let soak overnight. Drain.

Heat the olive oil in the same pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, leeks, tomato, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute until tender, about 6 minutes.

Add the beans, chicken stock, thyme, and rosemary and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender, about 1 hour.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and add the half-and-half, then add more chicken stock to thin the soup if needed, and reheat the soup if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle into espresso cups and top each with a few squirts or a drizzle of chive oil.

Makes 18 small servings

Amazingly, the New York Times fashion critic, Cathy Horyn, is also an accomplished cook and intrepid baker. The equivalent would be if I, a food writer, were also a sleek fashion plate with a deep bench of vintage and modern pieces. This is certainly not the case, so I find her extremely impressive. She claims that these cookies are a Swedish- American tradition in her hometown of Coshocton, Ohio, but I feel they are the cookie equivalent of Paris Fashion Week: a modern, edgy take on a classic. They are truly remarkable, with a robust and smoky undertone that sets them apart from other gingersnaps.

3/4 cup bacon fat (from 1 1/2 to 2 pounds bacon), at room temperature

1 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for rolling

1/4 cup molasses (not blackstrap) or cane syrup, such as Steen’s or Lyle’s

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until a smooth, stiff dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put the 1/4 cup sugar in a shallow bowl. Breaking off 1-tablespoon lumps, roll the dough into balls, drop into the sugar, roll to coat, and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are dark brown. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies

Bourbon and Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
3 large eggs
1/2 cup half and half
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons Bourbon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Pinch ground clove
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 9-inch fully baked pie crust

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Once melted and the white solids have begun to rise the top, swirl the pan every 30 seconds or so. Stay close to the pan - the butter can go from browned to burnt very quickly. The butter will begin to brown after about 4 to 5 minutes, it will smell nutty and look dark golden. Once it hits that color, and the furious bubbling dies down somewhat, it’s ready. Remove from the heat. Allow the browned butter to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the browned butter, pumpkin puree, cream, eggs, sugar, brandy, spices, and salt. Pour mixture into the cooled pie shell.

Transfer pie to a large baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden and center jiggles just slightly when shaken, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Yield: 8 servings.

For the gnocchi:

2 cups buttercup squash purée (yielded from 2 to 3 pounds buttercup squash)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (then more if needed)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 450ºF.
Cut squash in half length-­wise and scoop out seeds. Salt squash and place skin side down on a baking sheet. Cover the bottom of the baking sheet with water. Cover squash with aluminum foil and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Scoop out the flesh into a strainer. Squeeze out excess moisture in batches (but not completely dry). Measure out 2 cups of squeezed squash and pass through a food mill into a large bowl.

In a small bowl whisk the egg. Mix the egg with the squash. Mix in the flour, cheese, and salt until the dough just comes together. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes.

Place dough on a heavily floured surface. Divide the dough into eighths. Roll out one segment into a snake about 1/2 inch thick, working from the middle out applying even pressure. If the snake won’t roll wipe excess flour from the workspace and roll using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking. Cut into gnocchi about 3/4 inch long. Transfer to a well floured baking sheet using the edge of a chef’s knife or flat spatula. Repeat with remaining dough and place in the freezer until hard, about 1 hour.

To finish:
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/3 inch dice to render about 3 cups
8 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 1/8 inch thick
4 sage leaves, julienne
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Toast the pine nuts until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Heat a large sauté pan very hot, add 2 tablespoons butter. When butter is melted and browning add the squash. Sauté until golden and tender, about 6 minutes. Set aside.

To the same pan, add 2 tablespoons more butter and sauté the mushrooms over high heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Place the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan, add the cooked squash and mushrooms to the pan. Add sage and pine nuts and set aside. Reheat the pumpkins and tops in oven.

Bring a large pot (12 quart) of lightly salted water to a vigorous boil. Cook gnocchi until they all float to the top and then cook one additional minute. Drain gnocchi in a colander reserving 4 ounces of the cooking liquid. Add cooking liquid to the pan with the squash and mushrooms and bring to a boil over high heat to form a creamy sauce. Add drained gnocchi and parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

2 cups buttercup squash purée (yielded from 2 to 3 pounds buttercup squash)
1 small leek, white and light green parts only, split lengthwise, sliced and washed
½ small onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock or water

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Cut squash in half length-wise and scoop out seeds.

Salt squash and place skin side down on a baking sheet.

Cover the bottom of the baking sheet with water. Cover squash with aluminum foil and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Scoop out the flesh into a strainer. Squeeze out excess moisture in batches (but not completely dry). Measure out 2 cups of squeezed squash and pass through a food mill into a large bowl.

In a 2-quart pot heat olive oil over low heat. Add the remaining vegetables, salt and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add squash and carefully purée in a blender or food processor. Adjust seasoning.

Serves 4

2 pounds acorn squash
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seed
1tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
2 cups parsley leaves, washed and dried
1/2 cup chopped, peeled hazelnuts
1/2 cup small-­diced black forest ham

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Break off the stem of the squash and cut in half from top to bottom with a heavy knife. Remove the seeds and cut each half into 4 wedges.

In a large sauté pan melt the butter on high heat until bubbly, add the squash and move pan around to lightly brown. After 2 minutes, place in oven and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, flip the squash and return to oven to finish cooking, about 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, drizzle with syrup, sprinkle with coriander, and return to oven for 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Place hazelnuts in a sauté pan, place in oven and toast until lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Place vinegar in a bowl and whisk in oil, season. In another bowl, mix together the parsley, nuts, and ham, toss with the vinaigrette.

Arrange 2 wedges of the squash per plate, on their side, creating an oval. Place salad in the center and serve.

This pudding makes a great winter holiday dessert with its jewel-like red and cream colors. The light fluffiness of the sweet rice pudding pairs nicely with the barberry’s full-bodied wild flavor with hints of cranberry. You can prepare this ahead of time, keeping it in the refrigerator and taking it out an hour before serving.

Serves 4 to 6

Rice Pudding

1⁄2 cup short-grain or sushi rice
3 1⁄2 cups whole milk
7 tablespoons heavy cream
1⁄2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Barberry Coulis

11⁄2 cups ripe barberries
1 cup sugar

Custard

1 cup whole milk
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
1⁄4 cup sugar

1. To make the rice pudding, preheat the oven to 300°F.

2. Rinse the rice by submerging it in a bowl of cold water, swishing it around, and draining. Repeat twice.

3. In a large ovenproof saucepan, heat the milk and cream, stirring in the sugar, salt, and vanilla. As the mixture begins to simmer, add the rice. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven for 1 hour until the rice is cooked and has absorbed the liquid. Remove the lid and set aside to cool.

4. To make the barberry coulis, in a medium saucepan combine the barberries and sugar with ¾ cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until softened and the liquid is a jewel-like red color. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Pass through a food mill or strainer to remove the black seeds. Be sure to press through as much of the pulp as possible so that the coulis is nice and thick.

5. To make the custard, heat the milk, cream, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat until nearly boiling. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until well combined. Slowly pour half of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking to combine, and then pour everything back into the saucepan. Stir with a wooden spoon over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until thickened. Do not boil or the mixture will curdle. Remove from the heat, pour into a heatproof bowl, and cool completely in the refrigerator.

6. Mix the custard with the rice. Spoon half of the mixture into 4 to 6 individual serving dishes (such as ramekins or martini glasses), add a dollop of barberry coulis, and top with the remaining pudding. Serve immediately or refrigerate overnight.

From Foraged Flavor: Finding Fabulous Ingredients in Your Backyard or Farmer's Market, with 88 Recipes by Tama Matsuoka Wong, Eddy Leroux and Daniel Boulud

This easy-peasy side dish was inspired by the classic soy-sesame combination in Asian home-style cooking. Serve with hot steamed rice and roast pork or grilled fish.

Serves 4 as a small side dish

1⁄4 cup sesame seeds
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces (5 cups) tender chickweed greens
1 tablespoon light soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Pinch of salt

1. In a small pan (cast iron is great), spread out the sesame seeds and toast over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, or until about half of them pop and turn a light golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

2. In a medium skillet, heat the sesame oil, onion, and garlic for about 2 minutes, or until soft. Add the chickweed and cook for 3 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the heat.

3. Mix in the soy sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, and sesame seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

From Foraged Flavor: Finding Fabulous Ingredients in Your Backyard or Farmer's Market, with 88 Recipes by Tama Matsuoka Wong, Eddy Leroux and Daniel Boulud

Grandmother’s Fried Tomatoes with Gravy (as written in “At Grandmother’s Table,” edited by Ellen Perry Berkeley)
The recipe and story behind it are written by my aunt, Jane Jacobs. The recipe has been in our family since the 1840’s. It is served as the main course of the meal. Note that fully ripened tomatoes are used.

6 bacon strips, or 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 fully ripened tomatoes
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 ½ to 2 cups milk

Fry the bacon, then remove it from the pan and set it aside. (If you’re using vegetable oil, omit the bacon and heat the oil now)

Slice the tomatoes thick and dredge each slice in salted flour.

Fry each slice in the fat or oil into the flour is nicely browned. The slices will break up somewhat, and small bits of tomatoes and flour will collect in the pan.

Place the fried slices in a serving bowl, straining the fat and juice from the bowl back into the pan. When all the tomatoes are fried and in the serving bowl, add flour to the hot pan, stirring constantly to blend the flour with the fat, juice, and residual bits of tomatoes. Then, still stirring, gradually add milk to make a thick (but not stiff) gravy. Pour the gravy over the tomatoes in the serving bowl. If you’re using bacon, pile the crisp bacon on the top.

 This recipe serves 2 people.

Submitted by Jane Henderson