There’s nothing ickier than raising a fork to eye level and finding that intimately human object entwined in your food: hair. All the sudden, it’s like you’re in bed with the chef. And how well that person cleans him or herself, or where he or she has been in the last twenty-four hours — and who that person is — you have no clue. Panic ensues.
It’s time once again, folks. The Food Obstructions III is happening at The Gutter on Sunday, February 7th, and of course we’re giving it a corny Valentine’s Day kiss. Reddy or not! Here are the five obstructions to your dish: -Cannot contain onions or garlic -Must contain hearts (of palm, artichokes, celery, an animal, candy hearts… you name it! Just don’t say you simply cooked it “with heart”) -Must include an ingredient that is red -Cannot require utensils to eat … Read More
I’ve been having a love affair with beans lately. This may have happened by default, with so few fresh muses in season to cook with, or else a newfound appreciation simply gained on its own merit: beans are infinitely versatile, used in every cuisine, hearty, and nutritious. They are the main ingredient in comfort foods of so many cultures, like the French cassoulet. But beans also have a stigma attached to them, especially in our meat-loving culture — that of … Read More
Sick of the same old squashes? Bored of the brainless old ways to cook them, too? (i.e. Roast until tender. Puree into soup.) I think this happens just about every January. It’s the winter’s-here, we’ve-done-our-soup-thing, home-cook-head-scratching blues. The holidays are over, and reality has sunk back in; it’s back to the daily grind. And what? You’re coming down with a flu, too? Yep, you’ve got it bad. Better get some antioxidants in the system, STAT. Luckily, eating squashes (not just … Read More
My bookshelf overrunneth. I used to feel this rush whenever my fridge was brimming with food, usually after a summer CSA pick-up, and the need to immediately bestow this farm-fresh goodness upon everyone I knew. I can’t give away all my books, however, and lending only goes so far. But I still want share this bounty of great food literature, somehow. They say that book publishing may be in danger, but according to Lynn Andriani, who moderated a panel on … Read More
The taste of goat’s milk is hard to articulate. There is a world of verbiage that others have affixed to it, but language fails me here. It’s not pungent, I don’t think… and it isn’t mild enough to be called “buttery.” But it seems too potent for the word, “earthy.” Whatever it is, it was such a novel tastebud sensation for me when I first detected these inscrutable traits — by accident, smothering asparagus (grassy, sulphuric) and scrambled egg (slightly … Read More
What is this, la-dee-da? It’s a frittata. La-dee-da. No, it’s really not la-dee-da, it’s eggs, with pickled cabbage and spinach in it. Okay, well maybe the goat cheese is a little la-dee-dah, but it’s used pretty sparingly. So the whole dish is most certainly not a fancy one. It’s just what you call an omelet if it had never been flipped, so you don’t have to master the art of French cooking like Julia Child and have that euphoric moment … Read More
Soak those dry beans! It’s almost time for the second annual Cassoulet Cook-Off at Jimmy’s No. 43, a fundraiser for the Greenmarket of CENYC. Last year, a handful of cold cash was given to the nonprofit organization that feeds so many home cooks and chefs alike throughout the city. (Very cold, I might add, as it was also held in January.) This year, we’re hoping to raise even more, to show our appreciation for the folks who run the show, … Read More
Hold the fries with these: who needs them when you have a crisp on the bottom, chewy on the top homemade noodle encapsulating a juicy nugget of better-than-Grade-A beef, with melted shreds of sharp cheddar and caramelized onions inside? That’s a happy meal for me alone. Alright, and some soy sauce (or ketchup? I can’t decide!) doesn’t hurt for dipping.
The perfect date meal, you name it, go! This has been one of my favorite questions of 2009 (happy New Year, by the way!). Until recently, I may have asked the same friends to describe their dream dinners way too many times, but now on nearly every episode of Let’s Eat In, I get the chance to put it to a great new pair of guests each week. From food writers, sex writers, musicians, and overall food fanatics, each awesome … Read More