Sardines. They’re a mess to clean – little scales everywhere – and yield such a small amount per fish. But how flavorful they are, and cheap as well – $7/pound where I buy my fish, which is about 10 or 11 sardines. Sardines are also special to me because they’re the first fish I learned [...]

This recipe gave me a use for my preserved lemons, which I wrote about here. The beef is braised in a flavorful broth of diced preserved lemons, cilantro, and Middle Eastern spices. The sweet, earthy flavors of sunchokes and pearl onions come out in the long braise and balance out the spice and sourness of [...]

Preserved lemons are a unique ingredient often used in North African cuisines. They add a zesty, citrusy note to a dish, as well as a bit of color. It’s not too hard to find jarred preserved lemons in gourmet stores, but making them at home is even easier. Buy a bunch of lemons, and make [...]

This is a fresh-tasting orange salad with a kick of heat and a classic Mediterranean flavor. Harissa is a traditional Tunisian spice mixture of ground hot chilies, coriander seeds, and various other spices, usually mixed with olive oil. I bought some homemade harissa at Kalustyan’s in New York, a wonderful store full of exotic spices [...]

Meze, or appetizers, are very important in Turkish cuisine. One could make a meal out of different hot and cold meze and have a great diversity of forms and flavors. Zucchini Fritters are a classic Turkish meze which have received widespread appeal. They’re made from a batter of grated zucchini, eggs, feta cheese, flour, and [...]