Food news antipasto

This week we learned of the passing of Cara De Silva, an award-winning journalist and James Beard Award Nominee, who focused on a broad range of subjects that include food and food history. De Silva is the author of In Memory’s Kitchen: A Legacy from the Women of Terezin, a compilation of remembered recipes written down by malnourished women in Terezin, a Nazi concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. The book exemplified the kind of deep cultural exploration found in De Silva’s work.

If your idea of the perfect vacation includes seeking out interesting food stores and markets, head over to Food and Wine. They’ve put together a list of 17 of the world’s best spice shops which includes stores on almost every continent. Reading the descriptions of these shops will have you adding new locations to your travel bucket list.

Is turkey on your Christmas or other holiday menu? Maybe you have a tried and true recipe that you want to stick with, but if not, Australian Gourmet Traveller has 22 different ways you can prepare the bird. The recipes range from traditional but exquisite (Heston Blumenthal’s roast turkey and gravy) to adventurous (Malaysian-style roast turkey with cucumber acar and Turkey involtini).

During the holiday season, many of us have evergreen wreaths or boughs draped around our doorways or fireplace mantels. Evergreens aren’t just for decorating, however, according to Minnesota forager Maria Wesserle. She clues us in on ways to incorporate pine needles, spruce tips, juniper berries, and more into cooking and drinking.

Are you a fan of blates? If you haven’t heard of them before, blates are touted as being “the perfect combination of bowl and plate” and are trending on TikTok. While shallower than bowls, blates have a more pronounced rim than a plate. People especially seem to love them for pasta and salad. The Kitchn has rounded up several of their favorite blates for you to explore.

Just in case you don’t get enough cookbook recommendations from Jenny’s monthly cookbook reviews, you might want to check out what the folks at The Bittman Project are reading. They’ve assembled their favorite books of 2022, and while the list weighs heavily on cookbooks or food-related tomes, there are other types of books as well.

Finally, we wish a Happy Hanukkah to all of our Members who celebrate. Chag sameach!