gluten-free

There is a world of difference between chickpeas prepared from scratch, and canned versions. With the latter, what you save in terms of convenience sacrifices taste and beauty as the […]

cooking

All About Lenticchie, Part 3

I’ve been eating a lot of legumes this past month – from chickpeas, to dried beans and now lentils. I’ve started to gain a new appreciation for how to make […]

cooking

A Quartet of Tastes, Part 2

For Part 1, click here. Quite a few of my friends on Facebook seem to be embarking on a meatless diet (or are already practicing vegetarians), but have said (perhaps […]

food

A Food Story

I was in a Gristede’s a short walk from my apartment late Wednesday evening and thinking to myself, this produce section could tell stories just by taking a one- to […]

American cuisine

When people tell me they hate brussels sprouts, it’s usually because of the intense cabbage flavor. Brussels sprouts seem to be the red-headed stepchild of cruciferous vegetables. They conjure memories […]

Alice Waters

Odds and Ends

You may have noticed a new blog format in the last day or so. That came about because someone mentioned that post (and possibly comment) visibility was an issue. With […]

American cuisine

All About Lenticchie, Part 1

Lenticchie is the Italian word for “lentils”. They are one of my favorite legumes, and lend themselves particularly well at this time of year when the desire for earthy-flavored dishes […]

Chinese food

Dinner Snapshots

A selection of photos from dinners in the past week: Cannellini beans, with roasted garlic, cauliflower and herbs

food

The Lost Art of Salad-Making

Let’s talk a little about salads. In Europe, the salad course typically takes place after the main course, but before the cheese course or dessert. It serves its function as […]

autumn

Weekend Snapshot

autumn

The Year of Cooking Seasonally

You know, for the longest time, I’ve been an advocate of cooking seasonally, using ingredients that appear only when they’re available at farmers’ markets — because a tomato that’s in […]

American cuisine