This is one of those classics that has as many variations as there are cooks who make it. After much experimentation, I settled on the following. It’s not difficult, but it does take some time, so I almost always make double or triple batches to freeze. It’s not just good to use in lasagna, but […]
Food & Drink
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Basic Tomato Sauce
This simple tomato sauce is adapted from Iron Chef Mario Batali’s version. Batali is one of the (sadly few) Food Network stars who really know their stuff. I’ve had some of the best meals of my life at his NYC restaurants. 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, NOT super-sweet, diced 4 garlic cloves, […]
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Lasagna Bolognese
When I want to pull out all the stops, I make my own pasta, rolling it into sheets and parboiling them. For less momentous occasions, I’m more than happy to use no-boil lasagna noodles. They work exceptionally well — far better, in fact, than the traditional Italian-American ridged lasagna noodles with curly edges that require […]
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The basics of Bologna
“Have you ever been to Bologna? Oh, I take you there someday. You will love this place. Bologna is sad, a little. The city is old… but the food! They make there a dish called Lasagna Bolognese. You can’t believe how good this is. When my uncle, at his restaurant, makes this, you eat and […]
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Feasts and Food Rules
One of my first catering jobs was for a dinner party given by a cardiology group to honor a colleague who’d come to lecture at SIU Medical School. I thought it would be a creative challenge to come up with a meal that would be “heart healthy” as well as delicious, satisfying, sophisticated and beautifully […]
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Nana’s spinach
My grandmother’s “creamed” spinach contains no cream; rather it uses the water the spinach was cooked in. It remains my most favorite food; and is the only thing I’ve ever eaten so much of that once, when I was a child, I got sick. The recipe can be found online at IT’s website. 1 1/2 […]
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CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
4 c. loosely packed flat-leaf (Italian) parsley 2 T. coarsely chopped garlic, or more or less to taste 4 small scallions, chopped 1 medium carrot, coarsely grated 1/3 c. red or white wine vinegar, plus additional if desired 1 stalk celery, coarsely diced 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed but not seeded, chopped, or substitute hot pepper […]
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A class way to cook away the winter blues
The holidays are over. It’s cold and dark and gloomy outside. Why not chase away those midwinter doldrums by taking a cooking class or two? A variety of cooking classes are being offered locally that should appeal to cooks of all levels, from total novices to experienced home chefs. The first months of the year […]
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The rest of the story, 2009
It’s hard to believe I’m once again writing the last column of the year. As always, when I look back over what I’ve written during the last 12 months, I think of information I couldn’t include, because of my word limit. The limit is actually good. It can be frustrating, especially when the subject is […]
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The cookie eaten around the world
It really is a small world. If I hadn’t known it before, it was brought home to me when I first journeyed to New Zealand. My youngest daughter, Ashley, was going there to study viticulture and oenology (grape-growing and wine-making). Down under, the school year starts in late February, because the seasons are reversed. So […]
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Books for cooks 2009
Looking for something to give to the cooks on your holiday shopping list? Here are some suggestions for books that will be equally welcomed by would-be, novice and experienced practitioners of the culinary arts. These books are far more than cookbooks that consist merely of a collection of recipes. They’re references useful to anyone with […]
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Cranberry black pepper chutney
My daughter, Ashley, found this chutney in Gourmet magazine’s December 2002 issue. Like her mother, she can’t resist tinkering with recipes; this is her adaptation. The tang of the cranberries and spicy heat from the black pepper is a welcome counterpoint to rich holiday meals. Ashley makes a large batch every year to have extra […]
