Nutty, buttery, sweet, earthy — sunchokes are a singular tuber that is best when focused on alone. Like a fine wine that ought not be paired with red meats or aged cheeses, this one is delicate enough to miss the nuances of if you blink — and that would be a shame. So I thought I’d showcase its true colors in a velvety-smooth, simple soup.
It is humbling to enter the home of a world-renowned authority on food such as Hiroko Shimbo. The week before Thanksgiving, I was listening to WNYC and heard the author, chef and food consultant chime in about how the Japanese squash variety kabocha was an excellent choice for making “pumpkin” pie from scratch, for its sweet, nutty flavor and creamy texture. Two weeks later, thanks to some generosity of her publicists, I was standing in her home kitchen in New … Read More
Crisp, sweet cabbages, nutty, gnarly-looking roots — who said winter wasn’t a good season for salads? I thought I’d give myself an extra-special treat this morning, since my birthday is around the corner (can you believe I’m turning thirty-one?!). So instead of the new boots I’ve been ogling, I went for some sunchokes at the farmers market, because they’re charmingly rustic-looking, too.
Probably one of the last foods I hear talked about what when talking about Thanksgiving are turnips. It’s probably one of the last foods you’ll hear about, period. But it’s something I see in so much variety this time of year at the farmers market, and looking into the turnip’s many virtues, this is not so surprising. They’re an exceptionally useful and easy crop, adaptable to many climates and types of soil, and able to be left in the ground … Read More
You asked for it, so here it is: a compilation of upcoming food-related activities in New York City that will help benefit relief efforts for Sandy. A lot of events have transpired in the last week, but there is still a lot of work to do (and fun to be had while at it). Please see below for a few links on upcoming events happening this week in NYC, and please do add any events or initiatives that you know … Read More
The morning after superstorm Sandy swept through New York City, and the damage was being surveyed, I got hit with a serious cooking bug. I’m sure I’m not the only one. The storm’s aftermath has put many people in this region in dire circumstances comparable to those during the Dust Storm, with basic necessities such as food and shelter compromised for the past week. I saw people with pitchers draining out their cars on the cold, damp streets in Red … Read More
I couldn’t decide whether to cook the crisp cubanelle peppers I’d gotten from the market or chop them up to serve somehow raw. So I went with the best of both worlds, softening the pale-green pieces along with onions, garlic and fresh tomato for a Spanish rice infused with chicken stock, and mixed the remainder with fresh lime juice, onion and mint leaves for a refreshing topping. Yeah, I’ve had a serious craving for Mexican food lately.
Here’s a great recipe for what to wake up to: a thin fog clearing over a stretch of golden, sun-baked hills, the chortle of a horse in a barn nearby, the sour smell of manure and fresh scent of wild fennel wafting in through the window, and farmers making you breakfast with newly dug potatoes, greens, and enormous blue eggs. Over the course of my second week in California, I’ve really woken up to what real farms (i.e. not Brooklyn … Read More
Since starting this blog, I’ve been on a mission to explore all sorts of ways (and reasons) to enjoy a home-cooked meal in the city. And I’m impressed by the variety of them that seems to grow every day. Furthermore, many of them share the same values about food — fresh, seasonal, and conscientiously produced. Here’s one great revelation that’s come to home cooking in Brooklyn, a new start-up by Quinn Fitzgerald called Feast Upon.
In the summer, beans were for dressing in a gloss of olive oil, tossing with a confetti of crisp, chopped vegetables, and having as salad. In the winter, we simmer them with rich fats, sometimes with finely chopped (less colorful) vegetables, which dissolve into the resulting soup or baked casserole. While it’s definitely winter, I tried to make a compromise between these two polar opposite ways to eat beans. Starting with the king-size fava (or “broad”) bean, dried.