Like a lot of people, this pandemic has got me doubling down on reducing food waste. Not that it was ever something I didn’t care about, but every last scrap has never seemed more precious than it does right now. For me, that means cooking with some veggie scraps I formerly would’ve tossed without a […]| Poppy and Prune
One thing that’s become clear in lockdown (if it wasn’t already) is that we all have different ideas of what constitutes an “easy” recipe composed of “basic” ingredients. You’ve probably seen the memes poking fun at professional foodies who seem woefully out of touch with what does and does not constitute a pantry staple for […]| Poppy and Prune
Jews who escaped from Poland to Russia, baking matzah for Passover, USSR, 1943. Yad Vashem Photo Archives 7995/1 There’s no denying that for most of us, this is going to be one weird Passover. Social distancing means no getting together with friends and family for seders, and grocery shortages (not to mention the risk involved […]| Poppy and Prune
One Passover a few years back, I took it upon myself to try one of the most shtetl-tastic foods out there: the black radish. It’s rarely found in the United States today aside from occasional appearances around Passover and Rosh Hashanah, but the black radish is the most ancient type of radish, as well as […]| Poppy and Prune
Given that my blog is called Poppy and Prune, you might assume I am a hamantaschen fan. And you wouldn’t be wrong. But I also love learning about lesser-known Purim delicacies. Like impade, a hard S-shaped cookie filled with almond paste, a traditional Venetian Jewish dolci (sweet) traditionally eaten at Purim, but also enjoyed year […]| Poppy and Prune
When you think Ethiopian bread, you probably think injera—the spongy, sour flatbread made from teff that you use to scoop your food at Ethiopian restaurants. But while injera is the everyday staple bread of Ethiopia, for both Jews and Christians, there are Ethiopian wheat breads too. And one of them is dabo, a tender, spiced, […]| Poppy and Prune
Everywhere my grandmother lived, she planted a Meyer lemon tree in her backyard. My maternal grandmother, Frances Elster Warren Summers, was the inspiration behind Panadería Brooklyn—she grew up in Boyle Heights, and it was my tour around the neighborhood courtesy of my friends Brigitte and Hector back in 2014 that gave Brigitte and me the […]| Poppy and Prune
If you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed that I’ve gotten into sourdough baking lately. Really into it. I’ve got not one, not two, but THREE jars of starter going, which I keep on a strict rotation in and out of the fridge, and I’ve been baking up several batches sourdough goodies every […]| Poppy and Prune
Tu b’Shevat, which this year begins the night of Sunday, January 20 (aka the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat), is a holiday that has never really been on my radar. I don’t think I’ve ever celebrated it in any way. That’s a shame, since there’s actually a really nice meaning behind it: […]| Poppy and Prune
I don’t know about you, but this winter’s been hitting me pretty hard. It started early, and while there haven’t been any REALLY freezing days yet, the cold (and the dryness) are pretty relentless. All I really want to do is curl up under the covers with a nice warm bowl of soup. (What, you don’t eat soup in bed? You’re missing out.)| Poppy and Prune