This Tuesday, the tortillas are doing overtime. National Taco Day falls on Tuesday, October 6, this year. If you remember celebrating it on October 4, your memory is perfectly sound. In 2024, the celebration moved to the first Tuesday in October, bringing it into permanent…

Fifteen years after creating this recipe, I rediscovered an unforgettable combination of tender bay scallops, bubbling butter, Parmesan and crisp country-bread croutons. After nearly fifteen years and hundreds of recipes on Chewing the Fat, you would think I might remember all the particularly good ones.…

Make Pastéis de Nata, Portugal’s famous custard tarts, with crisp puff pastry and a creamy, caramelized filling inspired by Lisbon. By the time you read this, we will have completed our voyage aboard Viking Vesta and arrived in Portugal for Zoe and Justin’s wedding in…

Dorie Greenspan’s cheesecake is topped with glossy lemon curd and the first local blueberries of the season. This lemon curd cheesecake with fresh blueberries is Andrew’s spectacular way of welcoming the first local fruit of summer. Inspired by Dorie Greenspan, it combines a citrus-scented cheesecake,…

Glorious party leftovers, Andrew’s excellent idea, and a Chewing The Fat original that turned into one of the richest, jammiest tomato sauces we have ever made. Sometimes dinner begins with abundance. In this case, it began with a beautiful bowl of grape tomatoes, the glorious…

THE PURE JOY OF ASPARAGUS There is always a moment—out here in Bridgehampton, usually just as the farm stands begin to wake up—when asparagus appears and you know the season has turned. Not the calendar. The plate. I’ve got photographs of asparagus grown less than…

THIS IS ONE OF THE EASIEST, MOST LUXURIOUS FISH DISHES YOU CAN MAKE IN 30 MINUTES Chilean sea bass isn’t Chilean. It isn’t bass. And for years, no one wanted to eat it. Then came one of the most successful rebrands in culinary history—and suddenly…

SOME RECIPES CHANGE YOUR LIFE. THIS ONE CHANGED MINE Long before Chewing The Fat existed, before food blogging was even a glimmer on my horizon, I came up with a glazed ham recipe that turned out to have rather excellent manners. It made its way…

WHEN CHOCOLATE IS THE REASON (NOT THE OCCASION) Some desserts belong to holidays. This one belongs to moments. The Ultimate Chocolate Cheesecake does not require Valentine’s Day or a heart-shaped box. It belongs to milestone birthdays, lingering dinners with good wine, and weekends when subtlety…

With a little planning, we can make all 5 of our best Thanksgiving recipes ever! I can’t think of a year when we don’t look forward to Thanksgiving. It’s just days away from the big day but there’s always room for a last-minute addition.  Something…

Brisket, Fingerlings & Maple-Glazed Carrots: A High Holy Day Feast Made Easy The Jewish High Holy Days are a time of reflection, family, and—let’s be honest—serious food. Few dishes are more beloved than brisket. It’s the ultimate in Jewish cooking, appearing on Rosh Hashanah and…

Minestrone alla Milanese is named for Italy’s most sophisticated city…certainly not the home of ‘cucina povera’ I’ve always had a soft spot for Italian dishes in the category of  cucina povera—the so-called “food of the poor.” It’s proof that humble ingredients, cooked with care, can…

We Missed National Meatball Day! But These 12 Best Meatball Recipes Are Worth the Wait March 9th came and went, and with it, the gods of whoever invents National Fill-in-the-Blank Days crowned the humble yet mighty meatball! We may be a few days late to…

James Beard’s Roast Beef Hash is anything but a leftover. You have just landed on one of the most popular posts on Chewing the Fat. And not just when readers have leftovers from their Christmas Roasts.  James Beard’s Roast Beef Hash recipe is so popular…