Pinch and Swirl

Lamb Shawarma

If you’ve eaten lamb shawarmas from a Mediterranean restaurant, you might think they’re too complicated to make at home. I’m here to convince you otherwise! Every component of these pita bread sandwiches is simple to make and delicious on its own, but combine them and you’ll have a spectacularly delicious meal.

Imagine your own homemade pita bread, warm from the oven, stacked high with crunchy lettuce, silky homemade tzatziki sauce, sweet tangy pickled red onions, tender slices of cumin lamb and creamy feta. Is your mouth watering yet?…

Quick Pickled Red Onions

If you love pickled red onions, you’ve got to try this quick and easy recipe – just 5 minutes of active time. Many pickled onion recipes call for sugar, but these are honey sweetened, giving them an extra depth of flavor. Pickled red onions are something I love to have on hand to add a…

Checca Sauce with Spaghetti

The simplest recipes are often the best. Not to say that complicated food can’t be delicious, because of course it can. But I leave that to the restaurateurs, and thank them for the effort! But for me, and I think for most home cooks, utterly simple yet fantastic dishes are the goal. This checca sauce…

Tzatziki

Tzatziki (pronounced zat-ZEE-key) is a classic Greek garlic-yogurt sauce made with strained yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil and salt. It often has fresh lemon juice along with a generous amount of mint or dill and is served as an appetizer (‘meze’ if you’re in the Mediterranean) with fresh pita or vegetables for dipping, or as…

Lamb Burgers with Feta and Harissa Aioli

I’m not exaggerating when I call these the ultimate lamb burgers: freshly ground lamb shaped, seasoned and cooked to perfection, creamy feta cheese, peppery arugula, sweet tomato and a feather light brioche bun slathered with harissa aioli. It was the wonderful day I spent with my dad photographing his paintings. While we sat at a…

Fattoush Salad

Fattoush is a Lebanese salad of crisp lettuce, crunchy vegetables, toasted bites of pita bread and a tangy sumac dressing! A perfect way to use leftover pita bread, this fattoush salad recipe comes together in minutes and is hearty enough to be a meal on its own. You may have noticed that I have a…

Pita Bread

If you’ve wondered how to make homemade pita bread, this is it! Follow this super simple pita bread recipe and you’ll have toasty warm, perfectly puffed pitas to stuff with your favorite sandwich ingredients, dip into hummus or roll into a gyro or shawarma. I admit that I’m a lazy baker. When it comes to…

Preserved Lemons

This Preserved Lemons recipe has just two ingredients: lemons and salt. Most people think of North African and South Asian cuisine, like Morrocan tagines, when they think of preserved lemons (also called lemon pickles). But they can be used in so many dishes from soups and salads to marinades and dressings – that magic touch…

Bagna Cauda

This recipe for Bagna Càuda, Italian for ‘hot dip,’ is a decadent mixture of olive oil, butter, garlic and anchovies served hot for dipping crusty bread and raw or boiled vegetables. Think of it as a deliciously umami fondue! A perfect way to start a meal and ready to serve in less than 20 minutes….