Ah, Ribollita…the Tuscan soup that’s a perfect antidote to winter.  Hearty and robust, it’s packed with vegetables and day-old bread making it far more a stew than a soup.  Its origins are precise.  Its roots are in the peasant foods of Tuscany particularly in the…

This recipe landed in my inbox in a collection of the 10 Most-Popular recipes in The New York Times. Turns out the Times runs posts of its Most Popular recipes so frequently, that I cannot tell you what time frame they’re referring to.  However, the…

In keeping with our vow to eat less meat and experiment with a more plant-based diet, I was delighted to have found the bones of this recipe in Food and Wine. It’s pure vegetarian, a wonderful balance of textures and flavors with just a shot…

Meatless Mondays have been missing from our house. It was not intentional but I had trouble finding recipes that appealed to the palate and to the eyes.  But on one of the daily e-mailings from Healthy-ish, Bon Appetit’s latest venture, I spied this recipe. It…

The season is upon us in the East.  The Fried Green Tomatoes are here.  They’re one of the foods I eagerly look for in the market.  And last weekend at the Farm Stand I found them.  Firm, unripened and very green.  Steady readers of this…

After I published this post, I shared it on Jonell Galloway’s Facebook page “Culinary Travel by Jonell Galloway, The Rambling Epicure”.  One of  Jonell’s readers got involved when I mentioned the multiple spellings of “biryani” and Jonell asked whether it was the English spelling of…

I won’t go into the dreary details of two nights spent in Frankfurt Airport where a freak storm stranded over 7000 passengers except to say that if a contest were held First Prize would be one night in Frankfurt Airport and Second Prize would be…

When it comes to Buttermilk, I can come up with three recipes that require it: Waffles, Fried Chicken and Biscuits.  Buttermilk comes in quarts. The only recipe of the three that requires that much Buttermilk is perhaps the chicken marinade which is used to tenderize…

A couple of weeks ago, I returned from “A Cheddar Odyssey”, an offering from Cheese Journeys, who, as their name implies, runs tours that combine Culture, Exploration and Cheese. Lots and lots of cheese.   It’s one of those trips that beguiles you long after you’ve…

Lyon, one beautiful city Three years ago, my friend Kimberly moved to Europe from Montclair, New Jersey. Her husband had been assigned by his American company to run their European division which has its headquarters in the third largest city in France: Lyon.  Kimberly, Peter…

Cauliflower Steak with Herb Salsa Verde Indian Spiced Cauliflower It’s Cauliflower season here and great heads of the vegetable are stacked high in our supermarkets and on our On-street vegetable stands.   If you remember Cauliflower as a somewhat tasteless vegetable, you’re likely familiar with the…

My Meaty Patty Melt, the recipe is linked here.          From my very first taste of a Patty Melt, I was hooked.  Cheese-y, Onion-y, Buttery and of course Meaty, the earthy odor of Rye bread rises from the crisp package of ingredients that seem meant…

Chef Thomas Keller          With the farm stands near us barely able to contain the bumper harvest from this glorious sunny summer in the Hamptons, it seems highly appropriate to bring you a great recipe for a vegetable feast.  And what says summer more than…

                    Rebel Features communal tables as seen in this overhead shot. “Dear Bon Appétit”, wrote Phyllis Follet of Cambridge, Massachusetts, “My husband and I celebrated our 44th Wedding Anniversary at Ribelle in Brookline, MA.  The caponata was astounding. Would the…