The Endive Chronicles

Last June a friend and I visited the Westhampton Farmers Market. There among stands selling candy striped beets and bundles of lavender we came upon a new addition to the fray, a stand devoted to promoting the best in American artisanal cheese; Lucy’s Whey. We sampled mouthwatering cheeses, chatted with proprietor Catherine Bodziner, loaded up on chevre wrapped in Hoja leaves and a truly decadent ewe’s milk blue. We instantly became Lucy’s Whey devotees.

Ever since the market closed for the season I have been experiencing what can only be described as a serious jones. You can imagine my excitement when my friend and fellow cheese addict called to say that Lucy’s Whey would soon be opening it’s doors in East Hampton. Last week, my husband and I braved howling wind, soaking rain and a slow moving Cadillac to experience this new American style fromagerie. It was worth it.

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Eight years ago while browsing through my new cookbook “Street Food” by New Zealander Clare Ferguson; I happened upon a recipe for the Egyptian snack dukkah. At the time I was already cultivating a relatively new obsession with spices and was very interested in this nut and spice filled concoction, eager to give it a try.

Traditionally dukkah blends whole toasted spices, usually cumin, pepper and coriander with nuts and seeds such as sesame and pistachio. Often times, a bit of paprika or thyme is thrown in to shake things up. Dukkah is eaten by dipping warm bread into olive oil which is then dipped in the dukkah mixture. On further research I found that dukkah is really whatever you want it to be by substituting other spices, nuts, seeds and herbs. Sometimes I like to give mine an Indian flare by adding mustard or nigella seeds. Other times I want to highlight Mexican flavors by adding oregano and pepitas. The possibilities are endless. The mix I am sharing with you today is sort of a crazy kitchen cupboard melange that I just kept adding things to.

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