What is the purpose of cooking? To feed? To nourish in a healthful manner? To create Dionysian orgiastic pleasure in each and every bite? I vote for C, though arguably all of the above apply. Sam Sifton of the New York Times shared a recipe a few months back that has become the template for
Great news, mollusk lovers. The revered Food section of The New York Times has deemed mussels, clams and scallops a wise eating choice to offset climate change. Throw in oysters, which are one of the great cleansing agents for natural bodies of water and I think we’ve got something. I am a huge fan of
Who, among us, does not remember the infamous Alan Arkin scene from LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE? If you somehow missed it, please take 14 seconds to sample this pure cinematic and culinary joy. If you turn to the Web for your weeknight poultry inspiration, you know there are an abundance of chicken recipes online. At last
Chef Paul Prudhomme tossed some spice on a hunk of catfish about three decades ago and started a craze that has not abated. You can still find his smiling countenance on a tall thin jar of his eponymous seasonings at your grocery store, but I like to tackle this one with whatever I can find
In my conservative estimation, I have made 4,128 meals for my two boys in a tiny galley kitchen in Brooklyn, New York. We set up shop after my divorce and for the next eight years they were with me week-on/week-off right through high school. That’s a lot of meatballs and spaghetti, macaroni and cheese. When
If you’ve been cooking all your life – even just a home-schooled hack – you think you probably know it all. And when it comes to breakfast, is there really anything new under the sun? It took my good friend Billy – director, film professor, fantastic cook – to throw me a tip that has
“What is more tedious for us than an early supper? It thrusts itself into the gathering speed of a day’s life like a stick into the spokes of a turning wheel.” –M.F.K. Fisher– I concur, and I keep on hand a mental stack of simple menus that call not for a recipe, but rather a
Good news! According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, when properly fished for, many varieties of tuna make their “Best Choice” or “Good Alternative” list for guilt-free healthy dining. That includes Yellowfin and Big-eye, both of which you will commonly find on sushi menus and can be caught by hand line or deep-set trolling
I spent half of my childhood in Vermont and one of my fondest memories is of maple syrup. After all, that’s where the good stuff comes from. Between February and April, all across Vermont and northern New England, you will see buckets hanging from many, if not most, of the region’s iconic Sugar Maple trees.
I once calculated that I have made about 6,000 meals for my kids. I’m not a chef, I’m a writer. That means I am well-versed in making countless decisions on a daily basis. Therein lies the key to feeding children, while not driving yourself crazy. Variety, bravery and reckless abandon. So we’re making fish tonight,
