Our latest print issue was an adventure in cooking, and it took us all over the world. In Chios, Greece, we cooked with mastic, the sticky, sappy resin that comes from a tree that only grows on that island. In Puglia, Italy, we wandered through a garden with an innovative young chef, looking for the best and most beautiful produce for her dishes. And in Chiapas, Mexico, we spent time with a collective of women who grind their own masa to make pellizcadas (and lots of other great food). There was country cooking in Latvia, kimchi in chef Esther Choi’s kitchen in Brooklyn, and plenty of pizza tips from Oregon. Check out all of these (and a few more) below.
At Yo’on Ixim, the women make these simple but substantial disks using masa pressed slightly thicker than tortillas, griddled, and pinched around the edges to make a place for the salsa and cheese to settle. You can top them with anything else you like—beans, fried pork skins, or a vegetable. If you can’t find fresh chipilín (a pungent leafy green), then cilantro, watercress, or even radish leaves make a similar if untraditional substitute. Get the recipe for blue corn pellizcadas, masa boats filled with salsa and queso fresco »
Meat and fat are scarce in Chiapas, so the local tamale dough is much leaner than it is in other regions. The most common meatless versions at the markets in southern Chiapas are wrapped in banana leaves and can include greens like hoja santa or chilipin, as well as black beans. At Yo’on Ixim in Puebla, the women make both blue corn and white corn versions, sometimes adding fresh shelling beans. Frozen banana leaves are easy to come by in Asian supermarkets—moisten them with water to keep them pliable while filling. Get the recipe for Tamales with Black Beans »
Think of this as a sophisticated version of ranch dressing. Drizzle it over a baked pie topped with spinach or any other veggie that could benefit from a bright, tangy boost, like roasted baby onions or potatoes. Get the recipe for Herbed Yogurt Sauce »
So called because it contains butter and ice, which keep the sauce stable and bright green even after baking, this “fake” pesto works with any green. Toss it with toppings like shaved zucchini or potatoes before baking the pie. Get the recipe for “Fake” Pesto »
Chef Giorgia Goggi, a self-proclaimed anchovy lover, marinates her own fillets and sun-dries raisins from local grapes to make this delicate sweet-sour dish. Store-bought marinated anchovies work perfectly well, and when they’re soaked in the dish’s pickling liquid, even grocery-store raisins will take on a juicy plumpness. Get the recipe for Marinated Anchovies with Candied Citrus, Pickled Raisins, and Chile »
Giorgia Goggi mixes this slow-cooked tomato sauce with octopus and saffron into paccheri pasta di Gragnano, a thick, air-dried Italian macaroni. But any robust pasta shape will do. Get the recipe for Pasta with Octopus Ragu and Stracciatella »
In Puglia, “crudo” refers to a wide range of raw seafood preparations, including whole uncooked gamberi rossi, the region’s large red shrimp, with their heads and tails intact. The sweet flavors of the shrimp flesh—and its slippery texture—are meant to shine through. Use only the freshest, highest-quality shrimp possible. Get the recipe for Shrimp Crudo with Creme Fraiche, Apple, Chard, and Shallot »
“Spices have always fascinated me. I collect them from all over the world,” says Giorgia Goggi, who accents this soup with Middle Eastern sumac and Indian garam masala. If you can’t find fresh yellow tomatoes, red will work just as well. Yellow Tomato Soup with Lamb Meatballs, Yogurt, and Mint »
Dried fava bean purée is served all over Puglia, typically with cooked bitter greens and fried or toasted bread. Giorgia Goggi adds lemon juice and miso, and uses it as a base for crostini. Leftovers are an excellent dip for raw vegetables. Get the recipe for Roasted Tomato and Grape Toasts with Fava Bean Puree »
The dark-purple, orange, and yellow carrots of Polignano—a town north of Ostuni on Italy’s Adriatic coast—have a startlingly bright color and punchy flavor. But any colorful, tender carrot will do. Goggi tops this salad with a tart, preserved-lemon vinaigrette, some cumin, mounds of burrata, and pomegranate seeds. “Pomegranates grow wild all over Italy, but Italians typically don’t use them,” she says. Get the recipe for Radicchio and Polignano Carrot Salad with Burrata and Pomegranate »
“I come from Milano, which is actually the patria, or land, of risotto,” Goggi says. At Masseria Moroseta in Puglia, she cooks with artichokes from her garden, and is sure to include plenty of their edible stems. She braises the artichokes, then purées them into a cream for cooking the rice, and reserves a few pieces of the hearts for serving. “I love the pairing of capocollo and Pecorino with this dish because they are traditional of this place.” Get the recipe for Artichoke Risotto with Capocollo and Pecorino »
Ginger and Cocoa Nib Cannoli
Two days resting in the fridge helps cannoli dough become light and bubbly. You will need cannoli molds for frying. Serve within a few hours, before the shells soften. Get the recipe for Ginger and Cocoa Nib Cannoli »
“Between chocolate and fruit desserts, I always choose fruit,” says Goggi, who knows how to make this simple cake by memory. “I brush it with honey and lemon glaze to keep the top moist and shiny.” In fall, pears or apples work well, or in summer, peaches, apricots, and berries do too. Spelt, an ancient grain, lends a hearty crumb and golden color. Get the recipe for Pear Cake with Honey and Spelt »
“I try to draw attention to the great ingredients we have in Puglia,” says Goggi, who infuses gelato bases with fig leaves, lemon balm, and, in this case, fresh chamomile flowers (pictured above). Carob powder, made from the pods of a tree of the same name, adds a light, cocoa-like flavor and color. If it’s difficult to find, use cocoa powder. Get the recipe for Chamomile Gelato »
Juices from the bone-in beef, wine, and cooked-down vegetables combine to create a rich gravy for this braise. Nova Scotian teacher and cook Wendie Poitras advises that you save the precious leftovers: A few spoonfuls make a satisfying lunch over rice and beans. Get the recipe for Braised Oxtail »
Haddock is often used for these fish cakes, though any firm white fish will do. This recipe, adapted from Nova Scotia Cookery, Then and Now (Nimbus, 2018), creates tender cakes with golden edges. The mixture can be shaped into patties a day ahead and refrigerated, but don’t roll the patties in bread crumbs until just before frying. Get the recipe for Griddled Fish Cakes »
Florence Jackson, the author’s grandmother and a Nova Scotia native, made use of shoulder-season produce to prepare this tangy relish. It is often served with meat and fish dishes, where it adds a bright note of sweetness. While chow-chow can be used immediately, its flavor improves with time. Consider making a large batch and putting it up in properly sterilized canning jars to last through the winter months. Get the recipe for Green Tomato Chow Chow »
African Nova Scotian teacher and artist Wendie Poitras recalls her mother making this simple potato hash often. This version uses small, red potatoes, but peeled, cubed russets can be substituted. The savory dish is flavored with salt cod and pork scraps—unsmoked, salted, fatty pork. The hash makes a thrifty, satisfying supper. Reheat any leftovers in a skillet and top with one or two fried eggs for a hearty breakfast. Get the recipe for Salt Cod and Pork Scraps »
When made with properly fatty bacon, the filling in these rustic buns melts into an irresistible fondant of smoked pork and onions, each one indistinguishable from the other. To replicate the rolling, radiant heat from the traditional Latvian cepeškrāsns (wood-fired ovens) that give these buns their burnished tops, bake in a very hot oven for the first several minutes of baking. Get the recipe for Fatty Bacon and Onion Buns »
This simple garden salad sits on a milky bed of crumbled biezpiens, a soft, fresh cow’s-milk cheese omnipresent throughout Latvia. This recipe details how to make your own, but in its place you can substitute a well-drained ricotta or crumbled queso fresco. Get the recipe for Cucumber and Radish Salad with Fresh Cheese »
Slathered in oil, baked until crisp, then tossed with a potent quantity of raw garlic, these rye croutons ride sidecar to every soup in Latvia. If you can’t get a loaf of rupjmaize, the sweet-sour Latvian bread, use the darkest loaf of rye bread you can find. Get the recipe for Garlic Rye Croutons »
Every family seems to have its own recipe for this traditional yeasted birthday cake. Ruta Gailīte’s uses dough similar to brioche, but relies on cream instead of butter for its richness. With the addition of plump dried fruit and ground cardamom and cinnamon, it makes a perfect breakfast cake too. Get the recipe for Latvian Braided Birthday Cake (Klingeris) »
This simple dessert is an excellent vehicle for showcasing the peculiar, piney flavor of mastic. Undissolved bits of the resin might get stuck in the sieve; to clean, submerge the strainer in boiling water until the resin melts away. Get the recipe for Mastic Panna Cotta »
