I was introduced to blood oranges fairly early on in my life, and I remember instantly falling in love with them. I don’t know why. Maybe because they were exotic, they were pretty, and they were tasty. Tart, but tasty.

I’ve spotted them from time to time in markets over the years. And, fortunately, my Grandfather z”l planted a tree in his backyard here in Israel. They’re still not common enough for large scale commercial orchards, but maybe that’s what keeps them special.
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Passover is right around the corner. All around the Jewish world, people are starting their lists, most prominent among them is The Meal. The traditional Pesach meal during the Seder (Shulchan Orech) usually starts with an egg. The roasted egg on the Seder plate represents the chagigah sacrifice, as well as a symbol of mourning for the destruction of our Temple. Many people have the custom to eat a hard-boiled egg in salt water as a soup. I actually eat the egg from the Seder plate, since I believe that the ki’arah is supposed to be functional, not merely decorative. But that’s me. I’ve assembled a list of recipes for egg dishes that are delicious, beautiful, and easy to prepare. The seder is about freedom, and elegance is most certainly a symbol of freedom.
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I have a love/hate relationship with canned tuna. It’s the quickest protein in the pantry. It’s one of the most ubiquitous canned items. It’s drenched in oil. It’s drowned in water. There isn’t much you can do with it. The portions in the can have been shrinking for years. Mercury. Dolphins. It’s boring.

I didn’t want to make yet another tuna fish sandwich, or tuna melt, for lunch. I’ve made tuna casserole for the kids before with mixed reviews [No, it didn't come out bad, it was just too different for them]. I decided to try out a recipe that I’ve been aware of for years but never made. Traditionally, tonnato sauce is served on cold slices of veal that have been marinating in the sauce for five days. However kosher restrictions on eating meat and fish together prevent me from making the classic recipe.

But it doesn’t say anything about pasta…

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Bread puddings are underrated. They’re easy to make, filling, not particularly expensive, can be made for any course of the meal, and are very forgiving.

Leftover bread, an egg and vegetables. What could be easier?

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Parsley Fennel Salad Niçoise

This was a simple put-together salad. So what makes it a “Salad Niçoise?” I tend to name things if I put several signature items into the dish. I’m not a purist when it comes to Salad Niçoise, so if it has tuna and olives (preferably niçoise, of course) in it, I’ll ‘abbreviate’ it so people can get what the recipe’s about more quickly.

Rather than using lettuce as a greens base, I used parsley. Added the bright fennel to counterpoint the earthy parsley, and punctuated it with slivers of red onion.

The dressing was equal parts low-fat mayonnaise, capers, vinegar, lemon juice and two parts water.