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You can use any vegetables except potatoes, which don’t freeze well. I have made suggestions for the proportions of the vegetables, but what you choose is entirely up to you. Parsnips are sweet, and leeks and kohlrabi will add rich flavor. If you can’t get fresh turmeric it’s okay – the carrots will provide a warm yellow color – but do NOT use turmeric powder. Your soups will then taste like curry. Trust me on this, unless you don’t care.

I make lots of Romanian ciorba, hence the usage of lovage and dill in my vegetable bouillon.

For a fast soup on cold evenings, all you need to do is pop one or two vegetable bouillon squares into the pot with water or stock, and add meatballs, dumplings or potatoes. If you feel like it, you can add extra vegetables. But when the temperature is minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4°F) I don’t want to muck around in the kitchen, I want something easy, hearty and comforting.

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This jam is ideal for making pineapple jam tart, a favorite tart in Malaysia. These pineapple jam tarts are popular during Chinese New Year and Eid-al Fitr.

Pâte sablée is a classic French shortcrust pastry dough. find the recipe in the link for Peach Bellini Tart.

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Be sure to wear gloves for handling the hot peppers.  If you handle hot peppers often,  you will be okay with the heat on your hands but if you inadvertently touch other, more sensitive body parts, you may be in for an uncomfortable ride.  I have experienced habañero eyes more than once and it lasts for hours. You will not need to remove the skin or seeds from the tomatoes. It is much work and they will be strained out after cooking.

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My most vivid childhood memory of the various Passover rituals is my father coming
in from the porch, crying like a baby. It was his job to grate the horseradish.
Every year I salute his efforts by making ‘chrain’ for my own family (and often enough to
give to friends). I use a processor, but cry anyway. Though the window is open, there’s
no escaping the angry fumes. Like a nuclear cloud, they suck up all the oxygen.  So be
advised: when you remove the processor lid (to stir, to taste), stand back, breathe
through your mouth, and if you have them, wear goggles.

Sydney and Ida’ s Horseradish

Makes 355 to 473 ml (1 ½ to 2 cups)

355 ml (1 ½ cups, packed) .7 cm (1/3-inch) dice peeled horseradish root (about 198 grams/7 ounces)
60 ml (1/4 cup) sugar
4 ml (¾ teaspoon) Morton’s coarse kosher salt or 6-7 ml (1 ¼ -1½ teaspoons) Diamond Crystal
177 ml (¾ cup) distilled white vinegar
118 ml (½ cup) finely grated fresh beet (optional)

Blend the first 3 ingredients in a processor until very finely ground, scraping down the
sides of the bowl once or twice. Add the vinegar. Blend until the horseradish is thick and
fluffy. If desired, blend in the grated beet (the texture will be looser). Adjust to taste with
salt and/or sugar by 1/4 teaspoonfuls, and with vinegar by tablespoonfuls. Refrigerate
tightly closed in a glass container for up to 2 weeks.

Now that you’ve made fresh horseradish for Passover, use leftovers after Passover in Skirt Steak with Horseradish Potato Salad.

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An avocado-based dip or spread, gujacamole was first developed in Mexico. In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine, it has become part of international and American cuisine as a dip, condiment and salad ingredient. Guacamole is traditionally made by mashing peeled, ripe avocados and sea salt with a molcajete y tejolote (mortar and pestle). Recipes often call for lime juice, cilantro, onions, and jalapeños. Some non-traditional recipes may call for sour cream, tomatoes, basil, or peas.

To make guacamole with a Panamanian twist, look for Panamanian ingredients online and where Latin American foods are sold.

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I stumbled on this recipe on a blog called A Pinch of Yum. I made it my own, tweaking the ingredients. I substituted agave syrup for the called for sugar. And I added touch of sesame oil for a deeper umami flavor.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad is the perfect salad to serve warm or cold and it belongs on your Holiday tables! Each flavor component complements the next. Your tastebuds will be very happy. This recipe is plant based and vegan. So, everyone can  enjoy a bountiful and flavorful dish.

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