CHEWING THE FAT

Shrimp has many virtues. Among them is the lightning speed in which they cook.   That is also their bugaboo.  Overcooked shrimp are dried out and rubbery. In a recent Cook’s Illustrated, Andrew Janjigian pointed out the problem.  Shrimp are best cooked at just 120…

Silversea is set to sail on the most unique itinerary in World Cruise History I had the distinct pleasure of sailing on Silver Shadow 3 years ago. Now the ship has been chosen to bring back Silversea’s World Cruise Program for 2023. Since I sailed…

Today, March 9th, the gods of whoever invents National Fill-In-the-Blank Days has declared in favor of the Meatball.  Who could think of a better day for Chewing The Fat to present our most popular meatballs ever?  In the past ten years, meatballs have been a…

There are now over 42,000 Instagram Posts hashtagged #SheetPanDinner And after I publish this, there will be one more. It’s a riff on one of the 20 recipes the New York Times put together last month. Melissa Clark had roasted thick bone-in pork chops covered…

Stanley Tucci’s 6-part series for CNN is an Italophile’s dream. For one hour a week, its viewers are immersed in the food of a single region of Italy.  For lovers of the Italian language, there’s a surprising amount of it spoken here. Subtitles are provided…

“Out of an African Kitchen: Recipes and Stories” I was sent this remarkable book. Its sender described it as ‘a quirky anthology of recipes, reminiscences, anecdotes, and stories from a bush kitchen set high up on the edge of the Great Rift valley overlooking Kenya’s…

Ah, the scone! Perfectly made it’s a thing of joy at tea time or coffee hour.   But the greater likelihood is that the scone most people encounter comes off as heavy as a hockey puck and just about as appetizing. No matter how much…

And there’s no greater authority on Omelets than Marc J. Sievers  Marc Sievers is a man on a mission. He seeks to “encourage home cooks to keep learning, celebrating and having an adventure in your kitchen”.  Marc has self-published a total of three cookbooks. He…

I would be hard-pressed to find a recipe any easier than this one. As easy as it is, it delivers a wonderfully creamy rich soup so packed with cheese tortellini and fresh spinach and carrots, I’d be tempted to call it a stew.  The secret…

Ina’s Recipe for this decadent potato, sausage and melted cheese dish is a must-make. Over the holidays, I was intrigued to see Raclette, the superb melting cheese from Switzerland, at Trader Joe’s. I thought about making Fondue but lost custody of my Fondue pot in…

This bowl of cold-weather comfort revealed quite a secret. This hearty Tuscan bean soup is a perfect combination of smooth, silky soup topped with crispy, crunchy croutons.  It also fulfills our promise to put more plant-based meals together this year. And we’re not alone.  Americans…

MonteRosola is an Award-Winning Winery in the middle of the Tuscan wine-growing regions of Chianti and Bolgheri. 50 km from the coastal wine region of Bolgheri and 20 km from Chianti in the Tuscan hills, sits MonteRosola.  This relatively new vineyard has established its organic…

Claire Saffritz’ new cookbook may be called “Dessert Person” but the first thing Andrew baked were these melt-in-your-mouth dinner rolls. The classic Parker House rolls inspired this recipe.  In all honesty, they’re even better—more pillow-like and tender than the originals.  Then there’s a subtle onion…

 Ina Garten has done it again. Her 12th cookbook in 20 years is considered to be her best ever. Titled “Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa cookbook”, the new book arrived in October of last year.  As Katherine Gillen of PureWow.com wrote, “Maybe it’s because…