Last week, I had the strongest craving for a Patty Melt.  I confess that the Patty Melt is far and away my absolute favorite chopped meat sandwich. You must never call a Patty Melt a hamburger because to purists, the Patty Melt is emphatically not…

Alice Waters’ Spicy Cauliflower Soup Above Cousin Bar’s Pear and Parsnip Soup with Red Pepper Puree          This morning I got an email from an old friend and devoted reader of Chewing the Fat.  He lives in Weehawken, NJ, which is one of the areas…

            I love a little side of history when I am serving up a dish with roots as deep as Fried Green Tomatoes.  With the exception of grits and hominy, what’s more southern than this all-over crunchy firm tomato that’s been battered into a deep-fried…

The Decor of Maison Boulud gets high marks too!        Daniel Boulud is no stranger to these pages.  His recipes are as reliable as his restaurants, the latest of which just opened in Montreal’s newly renovated Ritz Carlton Hotel ( 1228 Sherbrooke St. Ouest,…

One night it’s a glorious side dish… The next day it’s a delicious lunch!             With our local farm stands brimming with the most beautiful vegetables, it’s a fun challenge to find ways to eat them every chance we get.  Last week I turned to…

         I realize that Meatless Monday was yesterday but yesterday Andrew and I were busy getting back into our house after a week’s absence for the Hampton Classic Horse Show.  We had a wonderful week staying with dear friends who opened their…

         Alright, I am aware that many readers have come to believe we simply do not eat any meal that does not feature asparagus.  And to look at our most recent posts, you wouldn’t be that far off.  We just love the vegetable at this…

Bobby Deen’s Light Baked Spaghetti versus…. Pasta Puttanesca from Ellie Krieger          Unless you live under some media-free rock, you have likely heard of the kerfuffle surrounding the announcement that Paula Deen, the Food Network’s Diva of Southern Cuisine, has contracted Type II diabetes.  The…

         This dish really ought to come with a passport.  It has undercurrents of India with its cumin and coriander.  But the Haloumi cheese is pure Greek. The chickpeas could be Indian or Italian or German. And if we called them “Garbanzos”,…

         Whatever happened to David Rosengarten?  You may remember the marvelously low-key television chef who preceded the food network rampage that made stars out of everyone from Bobby Flay to Giada di Laurentis.  David’s show “Taste” was a wonderful learning experience as David deep-dived into…

Chicago’s Stephanie Izard was the winner of the 4th Season of Top Chef.  She was the first woman to win, and thus far, the only one.  During the course of the show she won 4 Quick Fire challenges and finished at the top of elimination challenges…

      The great challenge of home cooking is finding ways to bring new life to everyday family favorites.  At our house, this is a true mission since every meal is a candidate for this blog. We are constantly on the lookout for ways of…