No grill needed: Oven-baked Country-style Ribs with Vanilla-Bourbon Brine and Carolina Rub

Brined with bourbon, vanilla and hoisin sauce, then coated with a spicy Carolina rub and oven-baked, these country-style ribs are tender, juicy and bursting with complex flavors. Recipe below.

My first encounter with ribs was oven-baked. Our family did not do barbecuing. That—the standing around a grill on a summer day, while Dad sipped a cold one and worked the flames—was a thing that did not happen. Continue reading “No grill needed: Oven-baked Country-style Ribs with Vanilla-Bourbon Brine and Carolina Rub” →

There’s a pizzeria in your yard: Grilled Pizza with Red Sauce, Sausage and Arugula

A new cookbook shows how easy it is to turn your grill into a pizza oven. Grilling gives this Pizza with Red Sauce, Sausage and Arugula a crunchy crust and a nice, slightly smoky flavor. Recipe below.

With our friends Melody and Jeremy, we are about to embark on a study of home pizza making, which has been hampered only by my dislike of turning the oven on when the weather is hot. So it was fortuitous that the other day in the mail we received a review copy of a new cookbook, Patio Pizzeria: Artisan Pizza & Flatbreads on the Grill. Continue reading “There’s a pizzeria in your yard: Grilled Pizza with Red Sauce, Sausage and Arugula” →

Earthy and simple: Saffron Pasta with Roasted Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions and Bell Pepper

Mushrooms roasted a day ahead team up with caramelized onions, a green bell pepper roasted directly over a stove burner and saffron pasta for a delicious weeknight quick meal. Recipe below.

The calendar says it’s summer. But until just the other day, the thermometer said it was October. The winter that wouldn’t end has come to a grudging close—the ice on the Great Lakes finally vanished, just a few days ago.

What this has meant for us in the Midwest is enduring autumnal weather—cool nights and, in the daytime, half-hearted jabs toward hot. To be honest, I love it. I hate when the temperature soars! But this perpetual sweater weather definitely has its down side. My tomato plants (which have not been in the ground very long) are looking, frankly, puzzled. The basil is not much bigger than when I put it in the ground. And of course the ongoing cool is not great for the farmers and the crops. Continue reading “Earthy and simple: Saffron Pasta with Roasted Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions and Bell Pepper” →

The spread of the new: when big restaurant chains get it right, everyone wins

These days, I skip breakfast. This is shocking to my sister, who says, “How can you do that? It’s one of the three most important meals!” But I just, oh, I just can’t.

As it happened, the other day, we had to drive up to the North Shore to take care of some errands and see some folks. So by the time we got to the Old Orchard mall, it was late morning and I was good and hungry. Continue reading “The spread of the new: when big restaurant chains get it right, everyone wins” →

A simple, satisfying vegetarian lunch: Savory Yogurt with Brown Rice and Pistachios

For a quick, healthy, delicious lunch, top warm brown rice with Greek-style yogurt, pistachios, fresh rosemary and a drizzle of olive oil. Recipe below.

Yogurt is having more than a moment. It’s experiencing a seismic shift. North America is eagerly discovering Greek-style strained yogurt, with its higher protein content, thick luxurious mouth feel and tangy flavor.

The picture below shows just a portion of the yogurt case in the Wegman’s supermarket in East Syracuse, New York—maybe 20 percent of the yogurt on display. The shot doesn’t even include the vast part of Wegman’s yogurt case that features the star of the show and the hero of the new American yogurt story, Chobani. Continue reading “A simple, satisfying vegetarian lunch: Savory Yogurt with Brown Rice and Pistachios” →

For affordable, delicious red wines, turn to Spain’s monastrells

Three modest reds from Spain that are delightful and easy to drink.

For a long time now, my preferred nightcap has been a glass of red wine. I am always migrating among different varietals, and for a while now I’ve been drinking a lot of monastrells from Spain.

Monastrell, called Mourvèdre in France and Mataro in Australia, is one of the world’s ancient varietals—Wikipedia says it most likely was brought to Spain around 500 BC by the Phoenicians. The same grape grows in France, in the US and in Australia, sometimes being bottled on its own and sometimes making its way into blends. In Spain, the hot, dry climate suits it admirably, and it is widely planted in eastern regions like Yecla, Alicante and Jumilla. Continue reading “For affordable, delicious red wines, turn to Spain’s monastrells” →

Delicious trio: Scallops with Smoky Chipotle Butter, Tomato Salad and Cornbread

Scallops with Smoky Chipotle Butter, Tomato Salad and Cornbread is actually three separate recipes. All are good on their own, but together they’re a restaurant-inspired, restaurant-worthy meal. Recipes below.

A few weeks back, I had to go to New York City on business. It was two days of intense meetings that actually turned out to be productive and valuable. At the end of the first day, we all went to dinner together. Someone in the New York office chose the venue, in part because it was near the office: Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain. I thought great, another giant midtown eating hall. But you know? It was terrific. Everything was delicious. Everything was interesting. The room was handsome, and the waitstaff was knowledgeable and invested. I had a ball. It was a delightful evening with great colleagues, really a treat.

What did I have? Skate with smoked chile butter, served with a small tomato salad heaped on a circle of crispy hominy. Continue reading “Delicious trio: Scallops with Smoky Chipotle Butter, Tomato Salad and Cornbread” →

Refreshing the taste of comfort: Pork Meatballs with Juniper Berries

Juniper berries add a subtle, light freshness to pork meatballs. Wine, sherry and sour cream create a simple sauce. Recipes below.

This weird and messy winter just won’t quit us. Today it is a pleasant 50 degrees, and sunny, and all our windows are open. But Saturday was cheerless and frigid, and not that far in our future is “damp and raw,” “periods of rain” and even a nasty “wintry mix.”

The term wintry mix always sounds so dull and industrial. And it always makes me remember Sonny Eliot, a “weathercaster” in the Detroit of my youth, who brought the spirit of playfulness to TV reporting. Continue reading “Refreshing the taste of comfort: Pork Meatballs with Juniper Berries” →

Tangy, rich, delicious: Chevre Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crust and Fruit Compote

Chevre—mild goat cheese—and lemon juice give this cheesecake a tangy flavor note. The hazelnut adds a rich, nutty crunch, and the fruit compote a lively tart finish. Recipes—and substitutions—below.

Cheesecake was not a part of my life as a child. The first time I had it was as a teenager, at some party or another, and everything single thing about that event has fallen away except that it was the first time I tasted cheesecake—this time-stopping moment in which the dull clouds parted to reveal this sweet, rich, suave, glowing nexus of perfection. Continue reading “Tangy, rich, delicious: Chevre Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crust and Fruit Compote” →

Inspired by lunch at Eataly: Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Wilted Kale

Sweet potato gnocchi are quickly sautéed in butter, giving them a beautiful color and a lovely, nutty flavor. Then they’re tossed with kale cooked with garlic, shallots and red pepper flakes. Recipe below.

Last weekend, our family plans fell through, leaving us with two marvelous open days of no plans at all. We were cheerfully meandering around town when we realized that we had not yet been to Eataly Chicago. All those stories of long lines and frenzied crowds had kept us away—during their first week in early December, they had a stunning 120,000 visitors. By the time of our visit on Saturday for lunch, it was bustling, but not as frenetic as the smaller New York store has been every time we’ve visited. And everywhere we looked, people were relaxed and happy, having a wonderful time and glad to be there.

We lunched at La Piazza, standing at a tiny communal table. Bread and olive oil appeared almost immediately, followed by glasses of Italian wine—a chardonnay for Terry, a prosecco for me. We shared three small plates—a salad of roasted beets, olive tapenade, sea salt and mozzarella (made there daily, and so fresh and light); a half-dozen oysters representing both coasts; and supplì, deep-fried balls of creamy risotto filled with Cacio di Roma, a sheep’s milk cheese. It tells you everything about the cheerful, friendly atmosphere that strangers stopped to ask us about the supplì, and then about the oysters, and then told us about what they were having and what they were doing in Chicago. Everything was convivial and everything was sublime. Which of course got us talking and thinking about Italian food. Continue reading “Inspired by lunch at Eataly: Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Wilted Kale” →