Linguini with cherry tomato confit, pancetta, and oregano.

When we were in Miami a few weeks ago, we started our trip in the Brickell neighborhood because there’s a Hampton Inn there that’s both reasonable and very nice, and it also happens to be a few blocks away from a great little Neapolitan-style pizza place called Stanzione 87. I first tried them back in…

Tomato tartare with chili mayo revisited via José Andrés’s Vegetables Unleashed, sort of.

As someone who enjoys diving into a nice tartare at a restaurant (as well as making them at home), I’ll basically try anything once, including tomato tartare. This version was from a recipe I came across online, and while it was nice, I have to be honest and admit that I really haven’t made it…

Turmeric-cumin cauliflower soup that’s perfect whether chilled or hot.

Last September, I waxed poetic about this chilled cauliflower soup recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, and I declared that I would be making it frequently over the colder months as a way to enjoy cauliflower more frequently, with sometimes swapping out this beet gazpacho I first enjoyed at Jaleo in December. I’m pleased to say…

Blood orange, pistachio, and spring mix salad with citrus and roasted garlic dressing.

Is it just me, or has this been a particularly good winter for citrus? In late December/early January, I noticed that my Harris Teeter had a pretty nice Sunkist display featuring a nice variety of interesting citrus, including blood oranges, Meyer lemons, Cara Cara oranges, and pomelos. Something I learned over a decade ago at…

Roasted onion and cheddar frittata with roasted tomatoes, inspired by Tom Colicchio’s ‘wichcraft.

One of the sleeper MVPs in my cookbook collection is Tom Colicchio’s cookbook for ‘wichcraft,  his sandwich shop he launched way back in 2003. It grew as a small chain, but now only one location remains in the Garment District in New York. To be honest, even if it had gone defunct, I’d hang onto…

Melissa Clark’s smoky lentils and sausages from Dinner in an Instant.

Remember when Instant Pot, and subsequently Instant Pot recipes were absolutely everywhere? We received a digital pressure cooker about a year prior to when they got big as a gift from a friend, and at the time we were only using the recipes that came with it, which were fine…but not revelatory. Then Instant Pot…

Cannellini bean and tomato soup, inspired by the late Franny’s in Brooklyn.

I’ve been in a soup mood for the past couple of months, and I’ve been making batches of cauliflower soup (which is great hot or chilled) and beet-tomato gazpacho to enjoy as a light snack during the week when I’m at home. It’s prompted me to revisit some soup sections of my favorite cookbooks, and…

Marcella Hazan’s red and orange* bell pepper and sausage sauce with homemade lasagnette.

Happy 2024! I hope your holiday season was filled with good cheer, great food, some kickass presents, and at least a little relaxation. I have a lovely little stack of new cookbooks, albeit most of them from my birthday (and our most recent trip to Puerto Rico) rather than at Christmas, and as I write…

Gazpacho de Remolacha (beet-tomato gazpacho) from Jaleo by José Andrés.

I’m not shy about my love of José Andrés’s food on this blog, and I’ve been to several of his restaurants over the years, but true story: it wasn’t until the second week of December this year that I finally went to his original Jaleo in Washington, DC. We’ve officially lived in Baltimore for nine…

Sautéed oyster mushrooms with garlic, lemon and herbs from Chris Bianco.

With the holiday season in full swing, I’m leaning into having some really solid recipes for this time of year that are straightforward and also deeply versatile. Sautéed mushrooms might be my favorite of this type of recipe, if only because they go with nearly everything (or at least everything savory). Whether they are tossed…