Here’s a one-pot, set-it-and-mostly-forget-it dish that’ll make the whole house cozy. It’s adapted only slightly from Alison Roman, whose new cookbook, Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over, was recently featured in the New York Times Food Section—and is definitely going on my Christmas list. Just note that this is a low-and-slow dish, with a…
Category: drank it up
paired
Penne with Butternut, Sausage, and Sage
If you get a CSA this time of year—and if you’re in a northern climate—you’re likely awash in squash. Beyond roasting and mashing (maybe with a little butter and maple or brown sugar or honey), beyond soup, and beyond Yotam Ottolenghi’s squash with red onions and tehina, what can you do to keep up with…
Pasta with Fresh Asparagus and Mushrooms
We’re big fans of pasta al crudo over here. It’s quick, it’s easy, and, as the name implies, it requires little to no cooking beyond the noodles themselves. Just chop some stuff up, drizzle it with oil, let it marinate a bit in a big bowl, dump warm, cooked noodles on top, maybe sprinkle on some…
Puff-Pastry Tomato Tarts
The Great British Baking Show. Love it. Every season, it seems like Paul and Mary have the bakers make puff pastry at least three or four times. I’m mesmerized anew each time. I’ve tried it myself from scratch exactly once. Made the lean dough (yes, by hand and pastry scraper). Chilled it. Pounded the butter…
Rhubarb & Chard (& Mustard Seeds & Sausage)
Okay, so it’s not exactly “Hey, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter!” territory, but it’s close. Over high heat, the rhubarb breaks down quickly, dissolving into a sauce that slicks the dark, tannic greens; those tannins—and the rhubarb’s citrusy tang—work to balance the rich sausage; the mustard seeds weigh in with a little pop of…
That’s the Spirit: DIY Tonic
Peas—a must-plant for me—will go in the ground sometime in the next few days, and I didn’t sow nearly enough of them last year. So last week I reviewed my sketches of what grew where over the past couple summers—searching for a spot to squeeze in a few more rows—and I was reminded that I didn’t…
3-2-1 Blackberry Simple Syrup
Back from vacation, I spent a steamy half hour this morning gleaning the last scruffy blackberries from the bramble out back. They surprised me again this year, putting out roughly 10 quarts over the past month. I’d feared their production would be way down after the construction crew next door bashed in the fence to which my…
Squishy Squash: Spreadable Summer
Decades before Farm-to-Table was a nationwide THING, Madison’s L’Etoile (est. 1976), was championing small, local growers, constructing seasonal menus, and pushing vegetable-centric cooking beyond lentil cakes and baba ghanoush. A summer-squash compendium on the kitchn last week reminded me of a meal I’d had at L’Etoile close to 30 years ago—a meal that kicked off with a warm loaf of crusty bread and…
Old-Fashioned Father’s Day Cherries
Let’s set aside how ridiculous is seems for me, after the past ten days—a sticky stretch of picking, pitting, freezing, and cooking roughly two gallons (!) of sweet, sweet cherries from my own backyard—to actually buy a quart at yesterday’s Collingswood Farmer’s Market. These are different. These are sour cherries. And as of 10:30 this morning, Father’s Day, they’re now…
Want to preserve that half-bottle? Screw it.
At least a couple times a week, customers ask me which tool is best for saving a partial bottle of wine. My answer’s always the same: Masking tape. Let me explain. I have a glass of wine with dinner most nights (it’s practically a BFOQ, after all), and there’s no way I’m killing off a…
Boxing Day 