Authentic Flavors from a Mediterranean Kitchen
layla Benali
Let me tell you about the dinner that almost ended my marriage. Okay, that’s dramatic, but March 2022? Not my finest hour in the kitchen. I attempted traditional paella for my husband Marco’s birthday—you know, the fancy kind with the crispy bottom and the whole production. What I got was rice soup with sad, rubbery … Read more
I’m going to tell you something embarrassing. The first time I attempted Greek avgolemono soup with rice — this was back in November 2019, a Tuesday, I remember because my friend Dina had specifically requested it for her birthday dinner — I ended up with what can only be described as scrambled egg broth. Like, … Read more
Let me tell you about the time I made prasorizo (Greek Leek Rice) for my friend Nadia’s Lenten dinner party in March 2023 and somehow managed to turn three beautiful leeks into what can only be described as gritty swamp paste. I’m not exaggerating. There was actual sand in the rice. Nadia, bless her, ate … Read more
February 12, 2022. My first Valentine’s dinner attempt at duck breast à l’orange. What could go wrong? Everything. Greasy rubber skin, overcooked gray meat, and a sauce so bitter my girlfriend Claire actually spit it out. Like, into her napkin. In front of me. We ordered pizza. Fast forward through seven more disasters (I documented … Read more
November 14, 2019. That’s the date I ruined Thanksgiving dinner by serving what my sister Jen diplomatically called “onion-flavored water with soggy bread.” My French onion soup gratinée was supposed to be the elegant first course. Instead, it was a watery mess with pale, undercooked onions and cheese that slid right off the bread into … Read more
September 3, 2023. Anniversary dinner, attempt number one. I present my boyfriend Jake with what I thought was crème brûlée with lavender and vanilla bean. He taps his spoon. It doesn’t crack. He taps harder. Still nothing. Finally digs in anyway and… grainy. Like, sandy grainy. We ate ice cream instead. Eleven failures later (yes, … Read more
February 14, 2024. Valentine’s dinner. My seventh attempt at Parisian chocolate mousse with rose water. The previous six? Grainy disaster (attempt one), deflated puddle (two), weird soapy aftertaste that tasted like I’d blended perfume into chocolate (three—used way too much rose water), separated mess (four), overwhipped concrete (five), and burnt chocolate that smelled like a … Read more
March 12th, 2021. My boyfriend’s birthday dinner. I’d researched chocolate lava cakes for weeks, watched seventeen YouTube videos, and promised Marcus that dessert would be spectacular. I inverted the ramekin. A fully-baked chocolate muffin slid out. No lava. No molten center. Just… a dry cake-shaped disappointment. Marcus ate it anyway (he’s a saint), but I … Read more
Let me tell you about the April afternoon in 2024 when I threw everything in my fridge into a bowl and accidentally created the most requested recipe my family has ever demanded. My mother-in-law Linda was arriving in two hours (she never announces visits more than 90 minutes ahead), the kitchen looked like a tornado … Read more
Let me tell you about the time I completely ruined a dinner party in March 2021. Twelve people, fancy table settings, and I served what can only be described as “sad, rubbery chicken on mushy rice.” My sister-in-law Patricia (bless her heart) actually asked if it was supposed to taste “so… lemon-y but also somehow bland?” Ouch. That disaster sent me on a seventeen-batch journey to create the perfect Meyer Lemon Herb Chicken Rice Bowl recipe.