Cafe Liz

Most recipes for rhubarb involve turning it into mush, without taking advantage of the beautiful, red stalks’ appearance. Thai food often involves a mix of tart, lemony flavors. Hmm, I know! I’ll use the rhubarb in a stir-fry, with Thai seasonings! I was inspired to make a savory rhubarb recipe by the New York Times, which put the vegetable into an Indian-inspired curry. Meanwhile, as I was planning dinner, I had this idea of making rice noodles in a coconut [...]

I’m always sad to see the various fruits fade out of season, to return only in a year. Fortunately, others are always arriving in their stead. At the neighborhood greengrocer today, as I was mourning the present passing of the citrus fruits, soon to be followed by strawberries, I was pleased to see that plums and loquats were ready to fill the gap. Well, not really. All fruits have their own special place, at the very least in my heart [...]

I’m not entirely sure this merits a recipe, but it certainly merits a photo. So I might as well explain how I made it. We’ve been buying purple vegetables since we discovered them at the Friday farmer’s market in the Tel Aviv port. They definitely liven up any meal. And yes, it seems the color of the cauliflower bled slightly onto the egg.

I fondly remember my time in Madrid, which was marked by many a visit to various tapas bars, frequently for the ubiquitous patatas bravas — gently crispy potatoes in a hot tomato sauce. In fact, I liked the dish so much that I still have a bottle of salsa brava that I brought back from a trip more years ago than I’d like to admit. The brand is “Uncle William,” a subsidiary of Heinz. Authentic? I think not. Lo and [...]

It’s yet another purple dish! As purple food week continues, today we had pasta for lunch, topped with a cream sauce of purple cauliflower and walnuts. Beyond being colorful on its own, the cauliflower lent the sauce a light purple tint.

Purple food week continues: This is the sister dish to yesterday’s post. Another simple, easy-to-make salad, this time with tomatoes and red-hot — or should I say purple-hot — pepper from the ornamental pepper plant outside our kitchen window.

Purple food week continues: Tonight I made a light salad out of vitelotte potatoes, with a gentle dressing of olive oil and lemon.

This dish truly takes advantage of the colorful vegetables I’m preparing for my purple vegetable week, with my lovely purple cauliflower: a white cauliflower cream soup, spotted with roasted purple florets.