Hoppin’ John
I grew up in the “South,” by which I mean Florida. It wasn’t until I married Garth, who somehow grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, that I learned of this tradition of eating Hoppin’ John over rice on New Years’ Day to bring you luck in the coming year. Basically,...
Greek Soup Mashup
This soup is a fantasy blend of three classic Greek soups— avgolemono, fasolada and tahinosoupa— to create a kind of Greek soup unicorn. It would probably offend someone somewhere, but I don’t care because it’s totally delicious and full of things I like to eat. I...
Fennel Farinata
A bowl of farinata is one of those cold-weather comfort staples that I look forward to every year, like wrapping myself in a down jacket or wool socks. Farinata is a porridge-style soup in which polenta is whisked into simmering broth, a revelation to chilly eaters...
Chunky Garden Vegetable Stew
When I was growing up, we ate canned soup sometimes—something I honestly can’t imagine ever doing today unless a threat of death was involved. Nonetheless, it was an occasional tool my dad relied on to keep our family fed. I remember savoring the sort that came from a...
