Inside the Kaganoff Kitchen — a family food blog

Smoky Tomato Lentil Soup

December 30, 2011

This is a stealth lentil soup. Odds are if you weren’t told in advance that they were in there, you wouldn’t know. If you’ve been trying to get your kids to eat lentils (and who hasn’t, I mean really?) this is a perfect hidden lentil vehicle. The soup tastes like a smoky, thick tomato soup. [...]

Prickly Pear Margaritas

December 27, 2011

My friend Helen, whose jam and jelly recipes have graced this blog before, sent me the world’s most incredible care package. In it I found a myriad of items she had made for me in her kitchen (cactus jelly, figs in brandy, prickly pear cactus simple syrup) and a replacement platter for the one she [...]

Italian Chocolate Holiday Cookies

December 24, 2011

So I have this friend Jay, a riotously funny Texan. Raised Catholic by a bunch of Italians with excellent cooking skills, Jay seems to have an endless supply of extremely complicated, poorly documented family recipes that he whips up without breaking a sweat. He writes me about this or that terrific meal and I yelp [...]

Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with White Bean Puree

December 21, 2011

Piquillo peppers are sweet, slightly spicy, smoky peppers that originate from Spain. Their texture is incredibly smooth and their flavor is luscious and elegant. They are roasted, peeled and packed in jars or tins. I bought mine at Surfas market in Culver City, California, but they are readily available online at places like Amazon. Chef [...]

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Oatmeal Bars

December 17, 2011

This is a variation on a chocolate caramel bar that my Grandmother made every year as a part of our annual holiday baking spree. She made her version with nuts, but I like the pretzel version better. I’m pretty sure my Grandmother never ate a pretzel. She didn’t eat much that she didn’t make herself. [...]

Prickly Pear Simple Syrup

December 14, 2011

My amazing friend Helen mailed me a care package recently that included her prickly pear simple syrup. I’ve already created a margarita recipe that relies on the syrup – blog post soon – but first I need to walk you through how to make the syrup, just in case you’re crazy enough to try doing [...]

No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

December 11, 2011

I spend quite a bit of time at 7,000 feet in the mountains of Utah each year. We ski there in the winter and hike there in the summer. I must admit, I am not the best high-altitude baker, though I am working on it. I find the notion of a no-bake cookie incredibly appealing [...]

Tomato Calabacitas

December 8, 2011

I had a variation of this dish when I visited Albuquerque, New Mexico for the Balloon Fiesta in early October of this year. Calabacitas is commonly made with a mixture of corn, squash and onions and freshly roasted Anaheim green chilies. Fresh roasted chilies are absolutely incredible, but they are difficult to come by outside [...]

Indian Meatloaf

December 5, 2011

There is just no reason on earth why meatloaf should be the sole purview of American cooks. Why aren’t there Indian meatloaf recipes? Or Mexican Meatloaf? Or Tibetan Meatloaf? I plan to right this situation immediately, if not sooner. Here is my take on Indian Meatloaf. My taste testers (all with the last name of [...]

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