In the Mood for Turkish Food

A few years ago, quite unexpectedly, I spent a glorious 24 hours in Istanbul. It was supposed to be a brief stopover for a connecting flight, but a delayed departure from New York meant my onward journey would be postponed. Along with several other passengers, I was informed we couldn’t fly out until the next…

Chicken, Chickpeas, Lemon, Yes

Hi and welcome to Five Weeknight Dishes. Perhaps you or someone you know exclusively had candy for dinner last night? Or candy and French fries? Candy and string cheese? It happens. Yesterday, somehow, instead of lunch I had half a chocolate-chip scone, a slice of sourdough bread with paprika butter, a piece of cheesecake (a…

These Ingredients Deserve Your Attention

I used to think that paprika and parsley were just for show — nothing more than powdery red dashes on creamy deviled eggs, and verdant speckles breaking up the brown monotony of beef stew. Pretty, but expendable. I understood the herbal intensity of parsley when I tasted whole leaves mixed into a butter lettuce salad.…