Enjoy this farro and apple salad on the go or at your holiday table.
As the holidays roll around, so does our appetite for indulgence. But that doesn’t mean our well-intentioned eating habits have to fall by the wayside even when we treat ourselves lavishly.
“Farro Salad with Pistachios, Tarragon, and Pazazz Apples” is the perfect example of that.
This delicious salad is packed with good-for-you fiber from chewy, nutty tasting farro and fresh, juicy slices of apple. Best yet, most of it can be prepared ahead of time, a real plus when you’re juggling multiple dishes to prepare for your holiday table.
Now’s the perfect time to pick up Pazazz apples at Albertsons, Safeway, and Vons. Grown by a small group of family farmers across North America, this late-season variety that’s related to the Honeycrisp is at its peak now through June.
With shiny red skin like a holiday ornament along with yellow-green striations here and there, these apples are so snappy, and bursting with sweet, tangy juice.
Crunchy, juicy Pazazz apples are at their peak through June.
What’s more, apples are extremely rich in fiber, with one medium one providing 4.4 grams of dietary fiber or about 16 percent of the recommended daily value. For this grain salad, I purposely don’t peel the apple, as that would slash the fruit’s fiber content by half.
An endive and romaine salad gets jazzed up with seared paneer and a punchy tamarind chutney dressing.
Like so many ethnic households, my family’s included a pantry where fermented black beans, three types of soy sauce, and tubs of tofu had equal billing as ketchup, mustard, and frozen hash browns.
Same for Khushbu Shah, whose family arrived in the first wave of Indian immigration to the United States.
The former restaurant editor at Food & Wine magazine, the Los Angeles-based Shah grew up in a home where Bisquick, peanut butter, and Taco Bell burritos were as beloved as curry leaves, coconut milk, and moong dal.
It’s that blending of heritages that informs her new cookbook, “Amrikan” (W.W. Norton), of which I received a review copy. Just what is “Amrikan”? As Shah explains in the book: Both a noun and an adjective, it is the word that Indians use to describe all things American. Or in short: “It’s America — with a desi accent.”
As such, the 125 recipes showcase the clever, surprising, and inspired ways that Indian American families have adapted what they found in American grocery stores or added a Southeast Asian spin to American comfort food classics.
I may not have the ability to turn the master switch to “off” to quash this heatwave. But I can definitely cool things down deliciously with “Frozen Yoghurt-Honey Parfait with Flash-Roasted Blueberries.”
Creamy, tangy, and — yes — frosty, it’s like ice cream without the need for an ice cream maker.
The recipe is from the new cookbook, “Fruitful” (Kyle Books), of which I received a review copy.
It’s by Sarah Johnson, an American-born pastry chef who trained at Berkeley’s Chez Panisse, and now splits her time at two United Kingdom restaurants, Spring and Heckfield Place. Hence, the UK spelling of “yoghurt” in this recipe before you think that a typo.
Savor a taste of Hawaii — in the comfort of your own backyard.
If you’re braving the record-setting crowds to fly off to some tropical paradise this Fourth of July, more power to you.
Me? I’ll be mellowing out at home instead, and creating my own sunny island feast with “Lemongrass Adobo Grilled Chicken With Pineapple.”
Marinate the chicken overnight with plenty of fresh ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and adobo seasoning. When ready to eat, fire up the grill to cook the flavorful chicken plus juicy sweet rings of pineapple. Then, sit back and enjoy.
This easy recipe is from “Islas” (Chronicle Books, 2023), of which I received a review copy.
It was written by Von Diaz, an Emmy Award-winning documentarian, food historian and food writer who was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Atlanta, GA.
A celebration of tropical cuisines, this cookbook is all about summer cooking from beginning to end. It’s a collection of 125 recipes from the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Ocean Islands.
