CELERY, WHICH PRIOR TO THE 16TH CENTURY WAS USED EXCLUSIVELY IN EUROPE AS A MEDICINAL HERB, IS A KIND OF WORKHORSE VEGETABLE.  PAIRED WITH CHOPPED ONION AND CARROTS, IT ADDS A GREEN NOTE TO SOUPS AND STEWS. IT’S INDISPENSABLE IN CHICKEN OR EGG SALAD.  A SUPPORTING PLAYER, CELERY IS RARELY FEATURED ON ITS OWN, AT LEAST IN THE WEST.  THE CHINESE KNOW BETTER AND SOME OF THE BEST SHRIMP DISHES I’VE HAD, SUCH AS JADE SHRIMP, ARE SIMPLY SHRIMP WITH CELERY AND GREEN HERBS.  HERE I’VE ADDED LEMON ZEST AND SCALLIONS.  STILL, IT COULDN’T BE EASIER TO MAKE AND ONCE YOU’VE DONE YOUR PREP AND MIS-EN-PLACE, THE TOTAL COOKING TIME IS ABOUT THREE MINUTES.  IT’S WHAT GIVES THIS DISH ITS BRIGHT AND LIVELY FLAVOR.
Click here to download recipe

I HAVE FOR THE MOST PART STOPPED EATING VEAL.  FIRST, BECAUSE THE MILK-FED VEAL WE GET IN THIS COUNTRY IS A PRODUCT OF THE CRUELEST KIND OF FACTORY FARMING, AND SECOND, BECAUSE FREE-RANGE VEAL– THE KIND YOU GET IN EUROPE– IS ALMOST AS RARE HERE AS IT IS EXPENSIVE.   (more…)

I WOULD HAVE POSTED THIS LAST WEEK, BUT FORGOT TO PHOTOGRAPH IT. LAST WEEK’S GUESTS WERE SO PLEASED WITH THE SALAD, HOWEVER, THAT I MADE IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT WITH SOME MINOR FINE-TUNING AND A DIFFERENT COMBINATION OF MELONS. THE PLEASURE OF THIS SALAD COMES, OF COURSE, FROM THE MELONS. THANKS TO GLOBAL WARMING MELONS ARE STILL IN SEASON AND WEISER FARMS HAS FEATURED A VERITABLE MELON CORNUCOPIA: CANTALOUPE, CANARY, GALIA, CHARENTAIS, AND WATER MELON. THE MELONS ARE SO SWEET THAT THEY CRY OUT FOR LIME JUICE. THE PROSCUITTO OR SERRANO IS BOTH SALTY AND SWEET. THIS IS AFTER ALL DECONSTRUCTED OR PERHAPS I SHOULD SAY RECONSTRUCTED PROSCUITTO AND MELON, BUT MUCH MORE FUN TO EAT.

Click here to download recipe

YES, THESE ARE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK. AND I DON’T EVEN HAVE A GRILL. EXCEPT FOR A FEW MINOR CHANGES, THIS IS 95% JULIA MOSKIN’S RECIPE FROM THE NY TIMES. YOU MARINATE THE RIBS IN HOISIN SAUCE, GARLIC, SOY SAUCE AND OTHER SEASONINGS. THE NEXT DAY (OR FOUR HOURS LATER) YOU STEAM THEM SLOWLY ON A RACK IN THE OVEN, THEN FINISH THEM OFF AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE. (more…)

I’M ACTING IN A PLAY WHICH OPENS THIS WEEK AT THE MATRIX THEATRE IN LOS ANGELES CALLED “JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND SCREWING STALIN” IN WHICH BORSHT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FAMILY HISTORY (BUBBY’S UNCLE WAS A BORSHT TASTER IN THE TSAR’S ARMY.) SO IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT I POST THIS RECIPE. BORSHT IS KIND OF A GENERIC NAME FOR ANY SOUP INVOLVING BEETS AND OFTEN CONTAINS MEAT, WHICH MAKES IT HARDIER THAN THE ALL-VEGETABLE VERSION I OFFER HERE. THIS PARTICULAR RECIPE WAS INSPIRED BY A LUNCH AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS IN THE JEWISH MUSEUM ON FIFTH AVENUE. IT WAS THICK BUT SMOOTH, NOT TOO SWEET, AND A TAD SPICY, MADE WITH WATER AND NOT STOCK. IT’S AS GOOD AS THE BORSHT I HAD AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS, MAYBE EVEN A BISL BETTER.
Click here to download recipe

MORELS, LIKE MOST WILD MUSHROOMS, ARE SEASONAL, DELICIOUS, AND EXPENSIVE, SELLING FOR $65 A POUND IN THE HOLLYWOOD FARMERS’ MARKET. SO WHEN THEY TURNED UP ON FOOD 52 FOR $35 A POUND, WHAT COULD I DO?  I MEAN WHO CAN RESIST A BARGAIN?  I LOOKED UP SEVERAL RECIPES AND THE MOST APPEALING WAS ONE BY LUDOVIC LEFEBVRE, MEANT TO ACCOMPANY GRILLED VEAL CHOPS (more…)

STONE FRUIT HAVE HIT THE FARMERS’ MARKETS, THE FIRST SIGN OF SUMMER.  STANDS ARE PILED HIGH WITH YELLOW PEACHES, WHITE NECTARINES AND APRICOTS.  ANY OF THEM WILL GO NICELY IN THIS SALAD, THEIR SWEETNESS OFFSET BY THE SALTY BITE OF FETA. (more…)

I’M CALLING THIS RECIPE BOUILLABAISSE PASTA BECAUSE IT CONTAINS FENNEL, GARLIC, SAFFRON, AND TOMATOES — THE FLAVOR PROFILE OF CLASSIC BOUILLABAISSE. IT’S A BIT COMPLICATED, SO HAVE YOUR MIS-EN-PLACE, EN PLACE, AND THE STEPS CLEAR IN YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU GET ROLLING. YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH A SEAFOOD PASTA WHICH IS BOTH RUSTIC AND REFINED. SERVE WITH A CRUSTY BAGUETTE AND A STRAW-HUED WHITE FROM THE JURA OR A WHITE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE.
Click here to download recipe

THE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF THIS DISH — SHRIMP, POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS — ARE COOKED SUCCESSIVELY IN THE SAME PAN.  I USED WELL-SEASONED CAST IRON, BUT YOU CAN PREPARE IT IN ANY LARGE SAUTÉ PAN.  THE POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS GIVE THE DISH A HOMEY FEEL; THE ONIONS, A SWEET MOISTURE.  THESE HUMBLE INGREDIENTS ALLOW THE SHRIMP TO STAND OUT, BOTH VISUALLY AND GASTRONOMICALLY.  IF YOU WANT A MORE REFINED VERSION, YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE CHANTERELLES FOR BUTTON MUSHROOMS.  DON’T SKIMP ON THE HERBS, WHICH ADD A PUNCH OF GREEN TO BRIGHTEN THE ENSEMBLE.

Click here to download recipe

CIPOLLINI ARE LITTLE ITALIN ONIONS. THEY ARE NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM LITTLE AMERICAN ONIONS, EXCEPT THEY ARE FLATTER IN SHAPE AND HAVE A MORE WOODSY TASTE. HERE, THEY ARE PEELED, THEN BROWNED IN FAT FROM THE PANCETTA AND CHICKEN. ADD A CUP OF WHITE WINE, POP IN THE OVEN FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES AND SCATTER WITH FRESH TARRAGON. THE WHOLE THING SHOULDN’T TAKE YOU MORE THAN HALF AND HOUR, BUT IT YIELDS CHICKEN WHICH IS CRISP-SKINNED AND JUICY AND THOSE LITTLE ONIONS, FLAVORED WITH PANCETTA AND WHITE WINE. THE TARRAGON ADDS A ANISE-LIKE BITE AND A SCATTERING OF GREEN.
Click here to download recipe

CELERY, WHICH PRIOR TO THE 16TH CENTURY WAS USED EXCLUSIVELY IN EUROPE AS A MEDICINAL HERB, IS A KIND OF WORKHORSE VEGETABLE.  PAIRED WITH CHOPPED ONION AND CARROTS, IT ADDS A GREEN NOTE TO SOUPS AND STEWS. IT’S INDISPENSABLE IN CHICKEN OR EGG SALAD.  A SUPPORTING PLAYER, CELERY IS RARELY FEATURED ON ITS OWN, AT LEAST IN THE WEST.  THE CHINESE KNOW BETTER AND SOME OF THE BEST SHRIMP DISHES I’VE HAD, SUCH AS JADE SHRIMP, ARE SIMPLY SHRIMP WITH CELERY AND GREEN HERBS.  HERE I’VE ADDED LEMON ZEST AND SCALLIONS.  STILL, IT COULDN’T BE EASIER TO MAKE AND ONCE YOU’VE DONE YOUR PREP AND MIS-EN-PLACE, THE TOTAL COOKING TIME IS ABOUT THREE MINUTES.  IT’S WHAT GIVES THIS DISH ITS BRIGHT AND LIVELY FLAVOR.
Click here to download recipe

I HAVE FOR THE MOST PART STOPPED EATING VEAL.  FIRST, BECAUSE THE MILK-FED VEAL WE GET IN THIS COUNTRY IS A PRODUCT OF THE CRUELEST KIND OF FACTORY FARMING, AND SECOND, BECAUSE FREE-RANGE VEAL– THE KIND YOU GET IN EUROPE– IS ALMOST AS RARE HERE AS IT IS EXPENSIVE.   (more…)

I WOULD HAVE POSTED THIS LAST WEEK, BUT FORGOT TO PHOTOGRAPH IT. LAST WEEK’S GUESTS WERE SO PLEASED WITH THE SALAD, HOWEVER, THAT I MADE IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT WITH SOME MINOR FINE-TUNING AND A DIFFERENT COMBINATION OF MELONS. THE PLEASURE OF THIS SALAD COMES, OF COURSE, FROM THE MELONS. THANKS TO GLOBAL WARMING MELONS ARE STILL IN SEASON AND WEISER FARMS HAS FEATURED A VERITABLE MELON CORNUCOPIA: CANTALOUPE, CANARY, GALIA, CHARENTAIS, AND WATER MELON. THE MELONS ARE SO SWEET THAT THEY CRY OUT FOR LIME JUICE. THE PROSCUITTO OR SERRANO IS BOTH SALTY AND SWEET. THIS IS AFTER ALL DECONSTRUCTED OR PERHAPS I SHOULD SAY RECONSTRUCTED PROSCUITTO AND MELON, BUT MUCH MORE FUN TO EAT.

Click here to download recipe

YES, THESE ARE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK. AND I DON’T EVEN HAVE A GRILL. EXCEPT FOR A FEW MINOR CHANGES, THIS IS 95% JULIA MOSKIN’S RECIPE FROM THE NY TIMES. YOU MARINATE THE RIBS IN HOISIN SAUCE, GARLIC, SOY SAUCE AND OTHER SEASONINGS. THE NEXT DAY (OR FOUR HOURS LATER) YOU STEAM THEM SLOWLY ON A RACK IN THE OVEN, THEN FINISH THEM OFF AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE. (more…)

I’M ACTING IN A PLAY WHICH OPENS THIS WEEK AT THE MATRIX THEATRE IN LOS ANGELES CALLED “JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND SCREWING STALIN” IN WHICH BORSHT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FAMILY HISTORY (BUBBY’S UNCLE WAS A BORSHT TASTER IN THE TSAR’S ARMY.) SO IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT I POST THIS RECIPE. BORSHT IS KIND OF A GENERIC NAME FOR ANY SOUP INVOLVING BEETS AND OFTEN CONTAINS MEAT, WHICH MAKES IT HARDIER THAN THE ALL-VEGETABLE VERSION I OFFER HERE. THIS PARTICULAR RECIPE WAS INSPIRED BY A LUNCH AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS IN THE JEWISH MUSEUM ON FIFTH AVENUE. IT WAS THICK BUT SMOOTH, NOT TOO SWEET, AND A TAD SPICY, MADE WITH WATER AND NOT STOCK. IT’S AS GOOD AS THE BORSHT I HAD AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS, MAYBE EVEN A BISL BETTER.
Click here to download recipe

MORELS, LIKE MOST WILD MUSHROOMS, ARE SEASONAL, DELICIOUS, AND EXPENSIVE, SELLING FOR $65 A POUND IN THE HOLLYWOOD FARMERS’ MARKET. SO WHEN THEY TURNED UP ON FOOD 52 FOR $35 A POUND, WHAT COULD I DO?  I MEAN WHO CAN RESIST A BARGAIN?  I LOOKED UP SEVERAL RECIPES AND THE MOST APPEALING WAS ONE BY LUDOVIC LEFEBVRE, MEANT TO ACCOMPANY GRILLED VEAL CHOPS (more…)

STONE FRUIT HAVE HIT THE FARMERS’ MARKETS, THE FIRST SIGN OF SUMMER.  STANDS ARE PILED HIGH WITH YELLOW PEACHES, WHITE NECTARINES AND APRICOTS.  ANY OF THEM WILL GO NICELY IN THIS SALAD, THEIR SWEETNESS OFFSET BY THE SALTY BITE OF FETA. (more…)

I’M CALLING THIS RECIPE BOUILLABAISSE PASTA BECAUSE IT CONTAINS FENNEL, GARLIC, SAFFRON, AND TOMATOES — THE FLAVOR PROFILE OF CLASSIC BOUILLABAISSE. IT’S A BIT COMPLICATED, SO HAVE YOUR MIS-EN-PLACE, EN PLACE, AND THE STEPS CLEAR IN YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU GET ROLLING. YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH A SEAFOOD PASTA WHICH IS BOTH RUSTIC AND REFINED. SERVE WITH A CRUSTY BAGUETTE AND A STRAW-HUED WHITE FROM THE JURA OR A WHITE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE.
Click here to download recipe

THE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF THIS DISH — SHRIMP, POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS — ARE COOKED SUCCESSIVELY IN THE SAME PAN.  I USED WELL-SEASONED CAST IRON, BUT YOU CAN PREPARE IT IN ANY LARGE SAUTÉ PAN.  THE POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS GIVE THE DISH A HOMEY FEEL; THE ONIONS, A SWEET MOISTURE.  THESE HUMBLE INGREDIENTS ALLOW THE SHRIMP TO STAND OUT, BOTH VISUALLY AND GASTRONOMICALLY.  IF YOU WANT A MORE REFINED VERSION, YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE CHANTERELLES FOR BUTTON MUSHROOMS.  DON’T SKIMP ON THE HERBS, WHICH ADD A PUNCH OF GREEN TO BRIGHTEN THE ENSEMBLE.

Click here to download recipe

CIPOLLINI ARE LITTLE ITALIN ONIONS. THEY ARE NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM LITTLE AMERICAN ONIONS, EXCEPT THEY ARE FLATTER IN SHAPE AND HAVE A MORE WOODSY TASTE. HERE, THEY ARE PEELED, THEN BROWNED IN FAT FROM THE PANCETTA AND CHICKEN. ADD A CUP OF WHITE WINE, POP IN THE OVEN FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES AND SCATTER WITH FRESH TARRAGON. THE WHOLE THING SHOULDN’T TAKE YOU MORE THAN HALF AND HOUR, BUT IT YIELDS CHICKEN WHICH IS CRISP-SKINNED AND JUICY AND THOSE LITTLE ONIONS, FLAVORED WITH PANCETTA AND WHITE WINE. THE TARRAGON ADDS A ANISE-LIKE BITE AND A SCATTERING OF GREEN.
Click here to download recipe

CELERY, WHICH PRIOR TO THE 16TH CENTURY WAS USED EXCLUSIVELY IN EUROPE AS A MEDICINAL HERB, IS A KIND OF WORKHORSE VEGETABLE.  PAIRED WITH CHOPPED ONION AND CARROTS, IT ADDS A GREEN NOTE TO SOUPS AND STEWS. IT’S INDISPENSABLE IN CHICKEN OR EGG SALAD.  A SUPPORTING PLAYER, CELERY IS RARELY FEATURED ON ITS OWN, AT LEAST IN THE WEST.  THE CHINESE KNOW BETTER AND SOME OF THE BEST SHRIMP DISHES I’VE HAD, SUCH AS JADE SHRIMP, ARE SIMPLY SHRIMP WITH CELERY AND GREEN HERBS.  HERE I’VE ADDED LEMON ZEST AND SCALLIONS.  STILL, IT COULDN’T BE EASIER TO MAKE AND ONCE YOU’VE DONE YOUR PREP AND MIS-EN-PLACE, THE TOTAL COOKING TIME IS ABOUT THREE MINUTES.  IT’S WHAT GIVES THIS DISH ITS BRIGHT AND LIVELY FLAVOR.
Click here to download recipe

I HAVE FOR THE MOST PART STOPPED EATING VEAL.  FIRST, BECAUSE THE MILK-FED VEAL WE GET IN THIS COUNTRY IS A PRODUCT OF THE CRUELEST KIND OF FACTORY FARMING, AND SECOND, BECAUSE FREE-RANGE VEAL– THE KIND YOU GET IN EUROPE– IS ALMOST AS RARE HERE AS IT IS EXPENSIVE.   (more…)

I WOULD HAVE POSTED THIS LAST WEEK, BUT FORGOT TO PHOTOGRAPH IT. LAST WEEK’S GUESTS WERE SO PLEASED WITH THE SALAD, HOWEVER, THAT I MADE IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT WITH SOME MINOR FINE-TUNING AND A DIFFERENT COMBINATION OF MELONS. THE PLEASURE OF THIS SALAD COMES, OF COURSE, FROM THE MELONS. THANKS TO GLOBAL WARMING MELONS ARE STILL IN SEASON AND WEISER FARMS HAS FEATURED A VERITABLE MELON CORNUCOPIA: CANTALOUPE, CANARY, GALIA, CHARENTAIS, AND WATER MELON. THE MELONS ARE SO SWEET THAT THEY CRY OUT FOR LIME JUICE. THE PROSCUITTO OR SERRANO IS BOTH SALTY AND SWEET. THIS IS AFTER ALL DECONSTRUCTED OR PERHAPS I SHOULD SAY RECONSTRUCTED PROSCUITTO AND MELON, BUT MUCH MORE FUN TO EAT.

Click here to download recipe

YES, THESE ARE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK. AND I DON’T EVEN HAVE A GRILL. EXCEPT FOR A FEW MINOR CHANGES, THIS IS 95% JULIA MOSKIN’S RECIPE FROM THE NY TIMES. YOU MARINATE THE RIBS IN HOISIN SAUCE, GARLIC, SOY SAUCE AND OTHER SEASONINGS. THE NEXT DAY (OR FOUR HOURS LATER) YOU STEAM THEM SLOWLY ON A RACK IN THE OVEN, THEN FINISH THEM OFF AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE. (more…)

I’M ACTING IN A PLAY WHICH OPENS THIS WEEK AT THE MATRIX THEATRE IN LOS ANGELES CALLED “JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND SCREWING STALIN” IN WHICH BORSHT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FAMILY HISTORY (BUBBY’S UNCLE WAS A BORSHT TASTER IN THE TSAR’S ARMY.) SO IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT I POST THIS RECIPE. BORSHT IS KIND OF A GENERIC NAME FOR ANY SOUP INVOLVING BEETS AND OFTEN CONTAINS MEAT, WHICH MAKES IT HARDIER THAN THE ALL-VEGETABLE VERSION I OFFER HERE. THIS PARTICULAR RECIPE WAS INSPIRED BY A LUNCH AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS IN THE JEWISH MUSEUM ON FIFTH AVENUE. IT WAS THICK BUT SMOOTH, NOT TOO SWEET, AND A TAD SPICY, MADE WITH WATER AND NOT STOCK. IT’S AS GOOD AS THE BORSHT I HAD AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS, MAYBE EVEN A BISL BETTER.
Click here to download recipe

MORELS, LIKE MOST WILD MUSHROOMS, ARE SEASONAL, DELICIOUS, AND EXPENSIVE, SELLING FOR $65 A POUND IN THE HOLLYWOOD FARMERS’ MARKET. SO WHEN THEY TURNED UP ON FOOD 52 FOR $35 A POUND, WHAT COULD I DO?  I MEAN WHO CAN RESIST A BARGAIN?  I LOOKED UP SEVERAL RECIPES AND THE MOST APPEALING WAS ONE BY LUDOVIC LEFEBVRE, MEANT TO ACCOMPANY GRILLED VEAL CHOPS (more…)

STONE FRUIT HAVE HIT THE FARMERS’ MARKETS, THE FIRST SIGN OF SUMMER.  STANDS ARE PILED HIGH WITH YELLOW PEACHES, WHITE NECTARINES AND APRICOTS.  ANY OF THEM WILL GO NICELY IN THIS SALAD, THEIR SWEETNESS OFFSET BY THE SALTY BITE OF FETA. (more…)

I’M CALLING THIS RECIPE BOUILLABAISSE PASTA BECAUSE IT CONTAINS FENNEL, GARLIC, SAFFRON, AND TOMATOES — THE FLAVOR PROFILE OF CLASSIC BOUILLABAISSE. IT’S A BIT COMPLICATED, SO HAVE YOUR MIS-EN-PLACE, EN PLACE, AND THE STEPS CLEAR IN YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU GET ROLLING. YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH A SEAFOOD PASTA WHICH IS BOTH RUSTIC AND REFINED. SERVE WITH A CRUSTY BAGUETTE AND A STRAW-HUED WHITE FROM THE JURA OR A WHITE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE.
Click here to download recipe

THE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF THIS DISH — SHRIMP, POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS — ARE COOKED SUCCESSIVELY IN THE SAME PAN.  I USED WELL-SEASONED CAST IRON, BUT YOU CAN PREPARE IT IN ANY LARGE SAUTÉ PAN.  THE POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS GIVE THE DISH A HOMEY FEEL; THE ONIONS, A SWEET MOISTURE.  THESE HUMBLE INGREDIENTS ALLOW THE SHRIMP TO STAND OUT, BOTH VISUALLY AND GASTRONOMICALLY.  IF YOU WANT A MORE REFINED VERSION, YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE CHANTERELLES FOR BUTTON MUSHROOMS.  DON’T SKIMP ON THE HERBS, WHICH ADD A PUNCH OF GREEN TO BRIGHTEN THE ENSEMBLE.

Click here to download recipe

CIPOLLINI ARE LITTLE ITALIN ONIONS. THEY ARE NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM LITTLE AMERICAN ONIONS, EXCEPT THEY ARE FLATTER IN SHAPE AND HAVE A MORE WOODSY TASTE. HERE, THEY ARE PEELED, THEN BROWNED IN FAT FROM THE PANCETTA AND CHICKEN. ADD A CUP OF WHITE WINE, POP IN THE OVEN FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES AND SCATTER WITH FRESH TARRAGON. THE WHOLE THING SHOULDN’T TAKE YOU MORE THAN HALF AND HOUR, BUT IT YIELDS CHICKEN WHICH IS CRISP-SKINNED AND JUICY AND THOSE LITTLE ONIONS, FLAVORED WITH PANCETTA AND WHITE WINE. THE TARRAGON ADDS A ANISE-LIKE BITE AND A SCATTERING OF GREEN.
Click here to download recipe

CELERY, WHICH PRIOR TO THE 16TH CENTURY WAS USED EXCLUSIVELY IN EUROPE AS A MEDICINAL HERB, IS A KIND OF WORKHORSE VEGETABLE.  PAIRED WITH CHOPPED ONION AND CARROTS, IT ADDS A GREEN NOTE TO SOUPS AND STEWS. IT’S INDISPENSABLE IN CHICKEN OR EGG SALAD.  A SUPPORTING PLAYER, CELERY IS RARELY FEATURED ON ITS OWN, AT LEAST IN THE WEST.  THE CHINESE KNOW BETTER AND SOME OF THE BEST SHRIMP DISHES I’VE HAD, SUCH AS JADE SHRIMP, ARE SIMPLY SHRIMP WITH CELERY AND GREEN HERBS.  HERE I’VE ADDED LEMON ZEST AND SCALLIONS.  STILL, IT COULDN’T BE EASIER TO MAKE AND ONCE YOU’VE DONE YOUR PREP AND MIS-EN-PLACE, THE TOTAL COOKING TIME IS ABOUT THREE MINUTES.  IT’S WHAT GIVES THIS DISH ITS BRIGHT AND LIVELY FLAVOR.
Click here to download recipe

I HAVE FOR THE MOST PART STOPPED EATING VEAL.  FIRST, BECAUSE THE MILK-FED VEAL WE GET IN THIS COUNTRY IS A PRODUCT OF THE CRUELEST KIND OF FACTORY FARMING, AND SECOND, BECAUSE FREE-RANGE VEAL– THE KIND YOU GET IN EUROPE– IS ALMOST AS RARE HERE AS IT IS EXPENSIVE.   (more…)

I WOULD HAVE POSTED THIS LAST WEEK, BUT FORGOT TO PHOTOGRAPH IT. LAST WEEK’S GUESTS WERE SO PLEASED WITH THE SALAD, HOWEVER, THAT I MADE IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT WITH SOME MINOR FINE-TUNING AND A DIFFERENT COMBINATION OF MELONS. THE PLEASURE OF THIS SALAD COMES, OF COURSE, FROM THE MELONS. THANKS TO GLOBAL WARMING MELONS ARE STILL IN SEASON AND WEISER FARMS HAS FEATURED A VERITABLE MELON CORNUCOPIA: CANTALOUPE, CANARY, GALIA, CHARENTAIS, AND WATER MELON. THE MELONS ARE SO SWEET THAT THEY CRY OUT FOR LIME JUICE. THE PROSCUITTO OR SERRANO IS BOTH SALTY AND SWEET. THIS IS AFTER ALL DECONSTRUCTED OR PERHAPS I SHOULD SAY RECONSTRUCTED PROSCUITTO AND MELON, BUT MUCH MORE FUN TO EAT.

Click here to download recipe

YES, THESE ARE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK. AND I DON’T EVEN HAVE A GRILL. EXCEPT FOR A FEW MINOR CHANGES, THIS IS 95% JULIA MOSKIN’S RECIPE FROM THE NY TIMES. YOU MARINATE THE RIBS IN HOISIN SAUCE, GARLIC, SOY SAUCE AND OTHER SEASONINGS. THE NEXT DAY (OR FOUR HOURS LATER) YOU STEAM THEM SLOWLY ON A RACK IN THE OVEN, THEN FINISH THEM OFF AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE. (more…)

I’M ACTING IN A PLAY WHICH OPENS THIS WEEK AT THE MATRIX THEATRE IN LOS ANGELES CALLED “JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND SCREWING STALIN” IN WHICH BORSHT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FAMILY HISTORY (BUBBY’S UNCLE WAS A BORSHT TASTER IN THE TSAR’S ARMY.) SO IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT I POST THIS RECIPE. BORSHT IS KIND OF A GENERIC NAME FOR ANY SOUP INVOLVING BEETS AND OFTEN CONTAINS MEAT, WHICH MAKES IT HARDIER THAN THE ALL-VEGETABLE VERSION I OFFER HERE. THIS PARTICULAR RECIPE WAS INSPIRED BY A LUNCH AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS IN THE JEWISH MUSEUM ON FIFTH AVENUE. IT WAS THICK BUT SMOOTH, NOT TOO SWEET, AND A TAD SPICY, MADE WITH WATER AND NOT STOCK. IT’S AS GOOD AS THE BORSHT I HAD AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS, MAYBE EVEN A BISL BETTER.
Click here to download recipe

MORELS, LIKE MOST WILD MUSHROOMS, ARE SEASONAL, DELICIOUS, AND EXPENSIVE, SELLING FOR $65 A POUND IN THE HOLLYWOOD FARMERS’ MARKET. SO WHEN THEY TURNED UP ON FOOD 52 FOR $35 A POUND, WHAT COULD I DO?  I MEAN WHO CAN RESIST A BARGAIN?  I LOOKED UP SEVERAL RECIPES AND THE MOST APPEALING WAS ONE BY LUDOVIC LEFEBVRE, MEANT TO ACCOMPANY GRILLED VEAL CHOPS (more…)

STONE FRUIT HAVE HIT THE FARMERS’ MARKETS, THE FIRST SIGN OF SUMMER.  STANDS ARE PILED HIGH WITH YELLOW PEACHES, WHITE NECTARINES AND APRICOTS.  ANY OF THEM WILL GO NICELY IN THIS SALAD, THEIR SWEETNESS OFFSET BY THE SALTY BITE OF FETA. (more…)

I’M CALLING THIS RECIPE BOUILLABAISSE PASTA BECAUSE IT CONTAINS FENNEL, GARLIC, SAFFRON, AND TOMATOES — THE FLAVOR PROFILE OF CLASSIC BOUILLABAISSE. IT’S A BIT COMPLICATED, SO HAVE YOUR MIS-EN-PLACE, EN PLACE, AND THE STEPS CLEAR IN YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU GET ROLLING. YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH A SEAFOOD PASTA WHICH IS BOTH RUSTIC AND REFINED. SERVE WITH A CRUSTY BAGUETTE AND A STRAW-HUED WHITE FROM THE JURA OR A WHITE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE.
Click here to download recipe

THE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF THIS DISH — SHRIMP, POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS — ARE COOKED SUCCESSIVELY IN THE SAME PAN.  I USED WELL-SEASONED CAST IRON, BUT YOU CAN PREPARE IT IN ANY LARGE SAUTÉ PAN.  THE POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS GIVE THE DISH A HOMEY FEEL; THE ONIONS, A SWEET MOISTURE.  THESE HUMBLE INGREDIENTS ALLOW THE SHRIMP TO STAND OUT, BOTH VISUALLY AND GASTRONOMICALLY.  IF YOU WANT A MORE REFINED VERSION, YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE CHANTERELLES FOR BUTTON MUSHROOMS.  DON’T SKIMP ON THE HERBS, WHICH ADD A PUNCH OF GREEN TO BRIGHTEN THE ENSEMBLE.

Click here to download recipe

CIPOLLINI ARE LITTLE ITALIN ONIONS. THEY ARE NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM LITTLE AMERICAN ONIONS, EXCEPT THEY ARE FLATTER IN SHAPE AND HAVE A MORE WOODSY TASTE. HERE, THEY ARE PEELED, THEN BROWNED IN FAT FROM THE PANCETTA AND CHICKEN. ADD A CUP OF WHITE WINE, POP IN THE OVEN FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES AND SCATTER WITH FRESH TARRAGON. THE WHOLE THING SHOULDN’T TAKE YOU MORE THAN HALF AND HOUR, BUT IT YIELDS CHICKEN WHICH IS CRISP-SKINNED AND JUICY AND THOSE LITTLE ONIONS, FLAVORED WITH PANCETTA AND WHITE WINE. THE TARRAGON ADDS A ANISE-LIKE BITE AND A SCATTERING OF GREEN.
Click here to download recipe

CELERY, WHICH PRIOR TO THE 16TH CENTURY WAS USED EXCLUSIVELY IN EUROPE AS A MEDICINAL HERB, IS A KIND OF WORKHORSE VEGETABLE.  PAIRED WITH CHOPPED ONION AND CARROTS, IT ADDS A GREEN NOTE TO SOUPS AND STEWS. IT’S INDISPENSABLE IN CHICKEN OR EGG SALAD.  A SUPPORTING PLAYER, CELERY IS RARELY FEATURED ON ITS OWN, AT LEAST IN THE WEST.  THE CHINESE KNOW BETTER AND SOME OF THE BEST SHRIMP DISHES I’VE HAD, SUCH AS JADE SHRIMP, ARE SIMPLY SHRIMP WITH CELERY AND GREEN HERBS.  HERE I’VE ADDED LEMON ZEST AND SCALLIONS.  STILL, IT COULDN’T BE EASIER TO MAKE AND ONCE YOU’VE DONE YOUR PREP AND MIS-EN-PLACE, THE TOTAL COOKING TIME IS ABOUT THREE MINUTES.  IT’S WHAT GIVES THIS DISH ITS BRIGHT AND LIVELY FLAVOR.
Click here to download recipe

I HAVE FOR THE MOST PART STOPPED EATING VEAL.  FIRST, BECAUSE THE MILK-FED VEAL WE GET IN THIS COUNTRY IS A PRODUCT OF THE CRUELEST KIND OF FACTORY FARMING, AND SECOND, BECAUSE FREE-RANGE VEAL– THE KIND YOU GET IN EUROPE– IS ALMOST AS RARE HERE AS IT IS EXPENSIVE.   (more…)

I WOULD HAVE POSTED THIS LAST WEEK, BUT FORGOT TO PHOTOGRAPH IT. LAST WEEK’S GUESTS WERE SO PLEASED WITH THE SALAD, HOWEVER, THAT I MADE IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT WITH SOME MINOR FINE-TUNING AND A DIFFERENT COMBINATION OF MELONS. THE PLEASURE OF THIS SALAD COMES, OF COURSE, FROM THE MELONS. THANKS TO GLOBAL WARMING MELONS ARE STILL IN SEASON AND WEISER FARMS HAS FEATURED A VERITABLE MELON CORNUCOPIA: CANTALOUPE, CANARY, GALIA, CHARENTAIS, AND WATER MELON. THE MELONS ARE SO SWEET THAT THEY CRY OUT FOR LIME JUICE. THE PROSCUITTO OR SERRANO IS BOTH SALTY AND SWEET. THIS IS AFTER ALL DECONSTRUCTED OR PERHAPS I SHOULD SAY RECONSTRUCTED PROSCUITTO AND MELON, BUT MUCH MORE FUN TO EAT.

Click here to download recipe

YES, THESE ARE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK. AND I DON’T EVEN HAVE A GRILL. EXCEPT FOR A FEW MINOR CHANGES, THIS IS 95% JULIA MOSKIN’S RECIPE FROM THE NY TIMES. YOU MARINATE THE RIBS IN HOISIN SAUCE, GARLIC, SOY SAUCE AND OTHER SEASONINGS. THE NEXT DAY (OR FOUR HOURS LATER) YOU STEAM THEM SLOWLY ON A RACK IN THE OVEN, THEN FINISH THEM OFF AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE. (more…)

I’M ACTING IN A PLAY WHICH OPENS THIS WEEK AT THE MATRIX THEATRE IN LOS ANGELES CALLED “JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND SCREWING STALIN” IN WHICH BORSHT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FAMILY HISTORY (BUBBY’S UNCLE WAS A BORSHT TASTER IN THE TSAR’S ARMY.) SO IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT I POST THIS RECIPE. BORSHT IS KIND OF A GENERIC NAME FOR ANY SOUP INVOLVING BEETS AND OFTEN CONTAINS MEAT, WHICH MAKES IT HARDIER THAN THE ALL-VEGETABLE VERSION I OFFER HERE. THIS PARTICULAR RECIPE WAS INSPIRED BY A LUNCH AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS IN THE JEWISH MUSEUM ON FIFTH AVENUE. IT WAS THICK BUT SMOOTH, NOT TOO SWEET, AND A TAD SPICY, MADE WITH WATER AND NOT STOCK. IT’S AS GOOD AS THE BORSHT I HAD AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS, MAYBE EVEN A BISL BETTER.
Click here to download recipe

MORELS, LIKE MOST WILD MUSHROOMS, ARE SEASONAL, DELICIOUS, AND EXPENSIVE, SELLING FOR $65 A POUND IN THE HOLLYWOOD FARMERS’ MARKET. SO WHEN THEY TURNED UP ON FOOD 52 FOR $35 A POUND, WHAT COULD I DO?  I MEAN WHO CAN RESIST A BARGAIN?  I LOOKED UP SEVERAL RECIPES AND THE MOST APPEALING WAS ONE BY LUDOVIC LEFEBVRE, MEANT TO ACCOMPANY GRILLED VEAL CHOPS (more…)

STONE FRUIT HAVE HIT THE FARMERS’ MARKETS, THE FIRST SIGN OF SUMMER.  STANDS ARE PILED HIGH WITH YELLOW PEACHES, WHITE NECTARINES AND APRICOTS.  ANY OF THEM WILL GO NICELY IN THIS SALAD, THEIR SWEETNESS OFFSET BY THE SALTY BITE OF FETA. (more…)

I’M CALLING THIS RECIPE BOUILLABAISSE PASTA BECAUSE IT CONTAINS FENNEL, GARLIC, SAFFRON, AND TOMATOES — THE FLAVOR PROFILE OF CLASSIC BOUILLABAISSE. IT’S A BIT COMPLICATED, SO HAVE YOUR MIS-EN-PLACE, EN PLACE, AND THE STEPS CLEAR IN YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU GET ROLLING. YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH A SEAFOOD PASTA WHICH IS BOTH RUSTIC AND REFINED. SERVE WITH A CRUSTY BAGUETTE AND A STRAW-HUED WHITE FROM THE JURA OR A WHITE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE.
Click here to download recipe

THE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF THIS DISH — SHRIMP, POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS — ARE COOKED SUCCESSIVELY IN THE SAME PAN.  I USED WELL-SEASONED CAST IRON, BUT YOU CAN PREPARE IT IN ANY LARGE SAUTÉ PAN.  THE POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS GIVE THE DISH A HOMEY FEEL; THE ONIONS, A SWEET MOISTURE.  THESE HUMBLE INGREDIENTS ALLOW THE SHRIMP TO STAND OUT, BOTH VISUALLY AND GASTRONOMICALLY.  IF YOU WANT A MORE REFINED VERSION, YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE CHANTERELLES FOR BUTTON MUSHROOMS.  DON’T SKIMP ON THE HERBS, WHICH ADD A PUNCH OF GREEN TO BRIGHTEN THE ENSEMBLE.

Click here to download recipe

CIPOLLINI ARE LITTLE ITALIN ONIONS. THEY ARE NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM LITTLE AMERICAN ONIONS, EXCEPT THEY ARE FLATTER IN SHAPE AND HAVE A MORE WOODSY TASTE. HERE, THEY ARE PEELED, THEN BROWNED IN FAT FROM THE PANCETTA AND CHICKEN. ADD A CUP OF WHITE WINE, POP IN THE OVEN FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES AND SCATTER WITH FRESH TARRAGON. THE WHOLE THING SHOULDN’T TAKE YOU MORE THAN HALF AND HOUR, BUT IT YIELDS CHICKEN WHICH IS CRISP-SKINNED AND JUICY AND THOSE LITTLE ONIONS, FLAVORED WITH PANCETTA AND WHITE WINE. THE TARRAGON ADDS A ANISE-LIKE BITE AND A SCATTERING OF GREEN.
Click here to download recipe

CELERY, WHICH PRIOR TO THE 16TH CENTURY WAS USED EXCLUSIVELY IN EUROPE AS A MEDICINAL HERB, IS A KIND OF WORKHORSE VEGETABLE.  PAIRED WITH CHOPPED ONION AND CARROTS, IT ADDS A GREEN NOTE TO SOUPS AND STEWS. IT’S INDISPENSABLE IN CHICKEN OR EGG SALAD.  A SUPPORTING PLAYER, CELERY IS RARELY FEATURED ON ITS OWN, AT LEAST IN THE WEST.  THE CHINESE KNOW BETTER AND SOME OF THE BEST SHRIMP DISHES I’VE HAD, SUCH AS JADE SHRIMP, ARE SIMPLY SHRIMP WITH CELERY AND GREEN HERBS.  HERE I’VE ADDED LEMON ZEST AND SCALLIONS.  STILL, IT COULDN’T BE EASIER TO MAKE AND ONCE YOU’VE DONE YOUR PREP AND MIS-EN-PLACE, THE TOTAL COOKING TIME IS ABOUT THREE MINUTES.  IT’S WHAT GIVES THIS DISH ITS BRIGHT AND LIVELY FLAVOR.
Click here to download recipe

I HAVE FOR THE MOST PART STOPPED EATING VEAL.  FIRST, BECAUSE THE MILK-FED VEAL WE GET IN THIS COUNTRY IS A PRODUCT OF THE CRUELEST KIND OF FACTORY FARMING, AND SECOND, BECAUSE FREE-RANGE VEAL– THE KIND YOU GET IN EUROPE– IS ALMOST AS RARE HERE AS IT IS EXPENSIVE.   (more…)

I WOULD HAVE POSTED THIS LAST WEEK, BUT FORGOT TO PHOTOGRAPH IT. LAST WEEK’S GUESTS WERE SO PLEASED WITH THE SALAD, HOWEVER, THAT I MADE IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT WITH SOME MINOR FINE-TUNING AND A DIFFERENT COMBINATION OF MELONS. THE PLEASURE OF THIS SALAD COMES, OF COURSE, FROM THE MELONS. THANKS TO GLOBAL WARMING MELONS ARE STILL IN SEASON AND WEISER FARMS HAS FEATURED A VERITABLE MELON CORNUCOPIA: CANTALOUPE, CANARY, GALIA, CHARENTAIS, AND WATER MELON. THE MELONS ARE SO SWEET THAT THEY CRY OUT FOR LIME JUICE. THE PROSCUITTO OR SERRANO IS BOTH SALTY AND SWEET. THIS IS AFTER ALL DECONSTRUCTED OR PERHAPS I SHOULD SAY RECONSTRUCTED PROSCUITTO AND MELON, BUT MUCH MORE FUN TO EAT.

Click here to download recipe

YES, THESE ARE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK. AND I DON’T EVEN HAVE A GRILL. EXCEPT FOR A FEW MINOR CHANGES, THIS IS 95% JULIA MOSKIN’S RECIPE FROM THE NY TIMES. YOU MARINATE THE RIBS IN HOISIN SAUCE, GARLIC, SOY SAUCE AND OTHER SEASONINGS. THE NEXT DAY (OR FOUR HOURS LATER) YOU STEAM THEM SLOWLY ON A RACK IN THE OVEN, THEN FINISH THEM OFF AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE. (more…)

I’M ACTING IN A PLAY WHICH OPENS THIS WEEK AT THE MATRIX THEATRE IN LOS ANGELES CALLED “JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND SCREWING STALIN” IN WHICH BORSHT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FAMILY HISTORY (BUBBY’S UNCLE WAS A BORSHT TASTER IN THE TSAR’S ARMY.) SO IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT I POST THIS RECIPE. BORSHT IS KIND OF A GENERIC NAME FOR ANY SOUP INVOLVING BEETS AND OFTEN CONTAINS MEAT, WHICH MAKES IT HARDIER THAN THE ALL-VEGETABLE VERSION I OFFER HERE. THIS PARTICULAR RECIPE WAS INSPIRED BY A LUNCH AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS IN THE JEWISH MUSEUM ON FIFTH AVENUE. IT WAS THICK BUT SMOOTH, NOT TOO SWEET, AND A TAD SPICY, MADE WITH WATER AND NOT STOCK. IT’S AS GOOD AS THE BORSHT I HAD AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS, MAYBE EVEN A BISL BETTER.
Click here to download recipe

MORELS, LIKE MOST WILD MUSHROOMS, ARE SEASONAL, DELICIOUS, AND EXPENSIVE, SELLING FOR $65 A POUND IN THE HOLLYWOOD FARMERS’ MARKET. SO WHEN THEY TURNED UP ON FOOD 52 FOR $35 A POUND, WHAT COULD I DO?  I MEAN WHO CAN RESIST A BARGAIN?  I LOOKED UP SEVERAL RECIPES AND THE MOST APPEALING WAS ONE BY LUDOVIC LEFEBVRE, MEANT TO ACCOMPANY GRILLED VEAL CHOPS (more…)

STONE FRUIT HAVE HIT THE FARMERS’ MARKETS, THE FIRST SIGN OF SUMMER.  STANDS ARE PILED HIGH WITH YELLOW PEACHES, WHITE NECTARINES AND APRICOTS.  ANY OF THEM WILL GO NICELY IN THIS SALAD, THEIR SWEETNESS OFFSET BY THE SALTY BITE OF FETA. (more…)

I’M CALLING THIS RECIPE BOUILLABAISSE PASTA BECAUSE IT CONTAINS FENNEL, GARLIC, SAFFRON, AND TOMATOES — THE FLAVOR PROFILE OF CLASSIC BOUILLABAISSE. IT’S A BIT COMPLICATED, SO HAVE YOUR MIS-EN-PLACE, EN PLACE, AND THE STEPS CLEAR IN YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU GET ROLLING. YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH A SEAFOOD PASTA WHICH IS BOTH RUSTIC AND REFINED. SERVE WITH A CRUSTY BAGUETTE AND A STRAW-HUED WHITE FROM THE JURA OR A WHITE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE.
Click here to download recipe

THE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF THIS DISH — SHRIMP, POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS — ARE COOKED SUCCESSIVELY IN THE SAME PAN.  I USED WELL-SEASONED CAST IRON, BUT YOU CAN PREPARE IT IN ANY LARGE SAUTÉ PAN.  THE POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS GIVE THE DISH A HOMEY FEEL; THE ONIONS, A SWEET MOISTURE.  THESE HUMBLE INGREDIENTS ALLOW THE SHRIMP TO STAND OUT, BOTH VISUALLY AND GASTRONOMICALLY.  IF YOU WANT A MORE REFINED VERSION, YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE CHANTERELLES FOR BUTTON MUSHROOMS.  DON’T SKIMP ON THE HERBS, WHICH ADD A PUNCH OF GREEN TO BRIGHTEN THE ENSEMBLE.

Click here to download recipe

CIPOLLINI ARE LITTLE ITALIN ONIONS. THEY ARE NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM LITTLE AMERICAN ONIONS, EXCEPT THEY ARE FLATTER IN SHAPE AND HAVE A MORE WOODSY TASTE. HERE, THEY ARE PEELED, THEN BROWNED IN FAT FROM THE PANCETTA AND CHICKEN. ADD A CUP OF WHITE WINE, POP IN THE OVEN FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES AND SCATTER WITH FRESH TARRAGON. THE WHOLE THING SHOULDN’T TAKE YOU MORE THAN HALF AND HOUR, BUT IT YIELDS CHICKEN WHICH IS CRISP-SKINNED AND JUICY AND THOSE LITTLE ONIONS, FLAVORED WITH PANCETTA AND WHITE WINE. THE TARRAGON ADDS A ANISE-LIKE BITE AND A SCATTERING OF GREEN.
Click here to download recipe

CELERY, WHICH PRIOR TO THE 16TH CENTURY WAS USED EXCLUSIVELY IN EUROPE AS A MEDICINAL HERB, IS A KIND OF WORKHORSE VEGETABLE.  PAIRED WITH CHOPPED ONION AND CARROTS, IT ADDS A GREEN NOTE TO SOUPS AND STEWS. IT’S INDISPENSABLE IN CHICKEN OR EGG SALAD.  A SUPPORTING PLAYER, CELERY IS RARELY FEATURED ON ITS OWN, AT LEAST IN THE WEST.  THE CHINESE KNOW BETTER AND SOME OF THE BEST SHRIMP DISHES I’VE HAD, SUCH AS JADE SHRIMP, ARE SIMPLY SHRIMP WITH CELERY AND GREEN HERBS.  HERE I’VE ADDED LEMON ZEST AND SCALLIONS.  STILL, IT COULDN’T BE EASIER TO MAKE AND ONCE YOU’VE DONE YOUR PREP AND MIS-EN-PLACE, THE TOTAL COOKING TIME IS ABOUT THREE MINUTES.  IT’S WHAT GIVES THIS DISH ITS BRIGHT AND LIVELY FLAVOR.
Click here to download recipe

I HAVE FOR THE MOST PART STOPPED EATING VEAL.  FIRST, BECAUSE THE MILK-FED VEAL WE GET IN THIS COUNTRY IS A PRODUCT OF THE CRUELEST KIND OF FACTORY FARMING, AND SECOND, BECAUSE FREE-RANGE VEAL– THE KIND YOU GET IN EUROPE– IS ALMOST AS RARE HERE AS IT IS EXPENSIVE.   (more…)

I WOULD HAVE POSTED THIS LAST WEEK, BUT FORGOT TO PHOTOGRAPH IT. LAST WEEK’S GUESTS WERE SO PLEASED WITH THE SALAD, HOWEVER, THAT I MADE IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT WITH SOME MINOR FINE-TUNING AND A DIFFERENT COMBINATION OF MELONS. THE PLEASURE OF THIS SALAD COMES, OF COURSE, FROM THE MELONS. THANKS TO GLOBAL WARMING MELONS ARE STILL IN SEASON AND WEISER FARMS HAS FEATURED A VERITABLE MELON CORNUCOPIA: CANTALOUPE, CANARY, GALIA, CHARENTAIS, AND WATER MELON. THE MELONS ARE SO SWEET THAT THEY CRY OUT FOR LIME JUICE. THE PROSCUITTO OR SERRANO IS BOTH SALTY AND SWEET. THIS IS AFTER ALL DECONSTRUCTED OR PERHAPS I SHOULD SAY RECONSTRUCTED PROSCUITTO AND MELON, BUT MUCH MORE FUN TO EAT.

Click here to download recipe

YES, THESE ARE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK. AND I DON’T EVEN HAVE A GRILL. EXCEPT FOR A FEW MINOR CHANGES, THIS IS 95% JULIA MOSKIN’S RECIPE FROM THE NY TIMES. YOU MARINATE THE RIBS IN HOISIN SAUCE, GARLIC, SOY SAUCE AND OTHER SEASONINGS. THE NEXT DAY (OR FOUR HOURS LATER) YOU STEAM THEM SLOWLY ON A RACK IN THE OVEN, THEN FINISH THEM OFF AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE. (more…)

I’M ACTING IN A PLAY WHICH OPENS THIS WEEK AT THE MATRIX THEATRE IN LOS ANGELES CALLED “JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND SCREWING STALIN” IN WHICH BORSHT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FAMILY HISTORY (BUBBY’S UNCLE WAS A BORSHT TASTER IN THE TSAR’S ARMY.) SO IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT I POST THIS RECIPE. BORSHT IS KIND OF A GENERIC NAME FOR ANY SOUP INVOLVING BEETS AND OFTEN CONTAINS MEAT, WHICH MAKES IT HARDIER THAN THE ALL-VEGETABLE VERSION I OFFER HERE. THIS PARTICULAR RECIPE WAS INSPIRED BY A LUNCH AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS IN THE JEWISH MUSEUM ON FIFTH AVENUE. IT WAS THICK BUT SMOOTH, NOT TOO SWEET, AND A TAD SPICY, MADE WITH WATER AND NOT STOCK. IT’S AS GOOD AS THE BORSHT I HAD AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS, MAYBE EVEN A BISL BETTER.
Click here to download recipe

MORELS, LIKE MOST WILD MUSHROOMS, ARE SEASONAL, DELICIOUS, AND EXPENSIVE, SELLING FOR $65 A POUND IN THE HOLLYWOOD FARMERS’ MARKET. SO WHEN THEY TURNED UP ON FOOD 52 FOR $35 A POUND, WHAT COULD I DO?  I MEAN WHO CAN RESIST A BARGAIN?  I LOOKED UP SEVERAL RECIPES AND THE MOST APPEALING WAS ONE BY LUDOVIC LEFEBVRE, MEANT TO ACCOMPANY GRILLED VEAL CHOPS (more…)

STONE FRUIT HAVE HIT THE FARMERS’ MARKETS, THE FIRST SIGN OF SUMMER.  STANDS ARE PILED HIGH WITH YELLOW PEACHES, WHITE NECTARINES AND APRICOTS.  ANY OF THEM WILL GO NICELY IN THIS SALAD, THEIR SWEETNESS OFFSET BY THE SALTY BITE OF FETA. (more…)

I’M CALLING THIS RECIPE BOUILLABAISSE PASTA BECAUSE IT CONTAINS FENNEL, GARLIC, SAFFRON, AND TOMATOES — THE FLAVOR PROFILE OF CLASSIC BOUILLABAISSE. IT’S A BIT COMPLICATED, SO HAVE YOUR MIS-EN-PLACE, EN PLACE, AND THE STEPS CLEAR IN YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU GET ROLLING. YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH A SEAFOOD PASTA WHICH IS BOTH RUSTIC AND REFINED. SERVE WITH A CRUSTY BAGUETTE AND A STRAW-HUED WHITE FROM THE JURA OR A WHITE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE.
Click here to download recipe

THE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF THIS DISH — SHRIMP, POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS — ARE COOKED SUCCESSIVELY IN THE SAME PAN.  I USED WELL-SEASONED CAST IRON, BUT YOU CAN PREPARE IT IN ANY LARGE SAUTÉ PAN.  THE POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS GIVE THE DISH A HOMEY FEEL; THE ONIONS, A SWEET MOISTURE.  THESE HUMBLE INGREDIENTS ALLOW THE SHRIMP TO STAND OUT, BOTH VISUALLY AND GASTRONOMICALLY.  IF YOU WANT A MORE REFINED VERSION, YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE CHANTERELLES FOR BUTTON MUSHROOMS.  DON’T SKIMP ON THE HERBS, WHICH ADD A PUNCH OF GREEN TO BRIGHTEN THE ENSEMBLE.

Click here to download recipe

CIPOLLINI ARE LITTLE ITALIN ONIONS. THEY ARE NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM LITTLE AMERICAN ONIONS, EXCEPT THEY ARE FLATTER IN SHAPE AND HAVE A MORE WOODSY TASTE. HERE, THEY ARE PEELED, THEN BROWNED IN FAT FROM THE PANCETTA AND CHICKEN. ADD A CUP OF WHITE WINE, POP IN THE OVEN FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES AND SCATTER WITH FRESH TARRAGON. THE WHOLE THING SHOULDN’T TAKE YOU MORE THAN HALF AND HOUR, BUT IT YIELDS CHICKEN WHICH IS CRISP-SKINNED AND JUICY AND THOSE LITTLE ONIONS, FLAVORED WITH PANCETTA AND WHITE WINE. THE TARRAGON ADDS A ANISE-LIKE BITE AND A SCATTERING OF GREEN.
Click here to download recipe

CELERY, WHICH PRIOR TO THE 16TH CENTURY WAS USED EXCLUSIVELY IN EUROPE AS A MEDICINAL HERB, IS A KIND OF WORKHORSE VEGETABLE.  PAIRED WITH CHOPPED ONION AND CARROTS, IT ADDS A GREEN NOTE TO SOUPS AND STEWS. IT’S INDISPENSABLE IN CHICKEN OR EGG SALAD.  A SUPPORTING PLAYER, CELERY IS RARELY FEATURED ON ITS OWN, AT LEAST IN THE WEST.  THE CHINESE KNOW BETTER AND SOME OF THE BEST SHRIMP DISHES I’VE HAD, SUCH AS JADE SHRIMP, ARE SIMPLY SHRIMP WITH CELERY AND GREEN HERBS.  HERE I’VE ADDED LEMON ZEST AND SCALLIONS.  STILL, IT COULDN’T BE EASIER TO MAKE AND ONCE YOU’VE DONE YOUR PREP AND MIS-EN-PLACE, THE TOTAL COOKING TIME IS ABOUT THREE MINUTES.  IT’S WHAT GIVES THIS DISH ITS BRIGHT AND LIVELY FLAVOR.
Click here to download recipe

I HAVE FOR THE MOST PART STOPPED EATING VEAL.  FIRST, BECAUSE THE MILK-FED VEAL WE GET IN THIS COUNTRY IS A PRODUCT OF THE CRUELEST KIND OF FACTORY FARMING, AND SECOND, BECAUSE FREE-RANGE VEAL– THE KIND YOU GET IN EUROPE– IS ALMOST AS RARE HERE AS IT IS EXPENSIVE.   (more…)

I WOULD HAVE POSTED THIS LAST WEEK, BUT FORGOT TO PHOTOGRAPH IT. LAST WEEK’S GUESTS WERE SO PLEASED WITH THE SALAD, HOWEVER, THAT I MADE IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT WITH SOME MINOR FINE-TUNING AND A DIFFERENT COMBINATION OF MELONS. THE PLEASURE OF THIS SALAD COMES, OF COURSE, FROM THE MELONS. THANKS TO GLOBAL WARMING MELONS ARE STILL IN SEASON AND WEISER FARMS HAS FEATURED A VERITABLE MELON CORNUCOPIA: CANTALOUPE, CANARY, GALIA, CHARENTAIS, AND WATER MELON. THE MELONS ARE SO SWEET THAT THEY CRY OUT FOR LIME JUICE. THE PROSCUITTO OR SERRANO IS BOTH SALTY AND SWEET. THIS IS AFTER ALL DECONSTRUCTED OR PERHAPS I SHOULD SAY RECONSTRUCTED PROSCUITTO AND MELON, BUT MUCH MORE FUN TO EAT.

Click here to download recipe

YES, THESE ARE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK. AND I DON’T EVEN HAVE A GRILL. EXCEPT FOR A FEW MINOR CHANGES, THIS IS 95% JULIA MOSKIN’S RECIPE FROM THE NY TIMES. YOU MARINATE THE RIBS IN HOISIN SAUCE, GARLIC, SOY SAUCE AND OTHER SEASONINGS. THE NEXT DAY (OR FOUR HOURS LATER) YOU STEAM THEM SLOWLY ON A RACK IN THE OVEN, THEN FINISH THEM OFF AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE. (more…)

I’M ACTING IN A PLAY WHICH OPENS THIS WEEK AT THE MATRIX THEATRE IN LOS ANGELES CALLED “JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND SCREWING STALIN” IN WHICH BORSHT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FAMILY HISTORY (BUBBY’S UNCLE WAS A BORSHT TASTER IN THE TSAR’S ARMY.) SO IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT I POST THIS RECIPE. BORSHT IS KIND OF A GENERIC NAME FOR ANY SOUP INVOLVING BEETS AND OFTEN CONTAINS MEAT, WHICH MAKES IT HARDIER THAN THE ALL-VEGETABLE VERSION I OFFER HERE. THIS PARTICULAR RECIPE WAS INSPIRED BY A LUNCH AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS IN THE JEWISH MUSEUM ON FIFTH AVENUE. IT WAS THICK BUT SMOOTH, NOT TOO SWEET, AND A TAD SPICY, MADE WITH WATER AND NOT STOCK. IT’S AS GOOD AS THE BORSHT I HAD AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS, MAYBE EVEN A BISL BETTER.
Click here to download recipe

MORELS, LIKE MOST WILD MUSHROOMS, ARE SEASONAL, DELICIOUS, AND EXPENSIVE, SELLING FOR $65 A POUND IN THE HOLLYWOOD FARMERS’ MARKET. SO WHEN THEY TURNED UP ON FOOD 52 FOR $35 A POUND, WHAT COULD I DO?  I MEAN WHO CAN RESIST A BARGAIN?  I LOOKED UP SEVERAL RECIPES AND THE MOST APPEALING WAS ONE BY LUDOVIC LEFEBVRE, MEANT TO ACCOMPANY GRILLED VEAL CHOPS (more…)

STONE FRUIT HAVE HIT THE FARMERS’ MARKETS, THE FIRST SIGN OF SUMMER.  STANDS ARE PILED HIGH WITH YELLOW PEACHES, WHITE NECTARINES AND APRICOTS.  ANY OF THEM WILL GO NICELY IN THIS SALAD, THEIR SWEETNESS OFFSET BY THE SALTY BITE OF FETA. (more…)

I’M CALLING THIS RECIPE BOUILLABAISSE PASTA BECAUSE IT CONTAINS FENNEL, GARLIC, SAFFRON, AND TOMATOES — THE FLAVOR PROFILE OF CLASSIC BOUILLABAISSE. IT’S A BIT COMPLICATED, SO HAVE YOUR MIS-EN-PLACE, EN PLACE, AND THE STEPS CLEAR IN YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU GET ROLLING. YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH A SEAFOOD PASTA WHICH IS BOTH RUSTIC AND REFINED. SERVE WITH A CRUSTY BAGUETTE AND A STRAW-HUED WHITE FROM THE JURA OR A WHITE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE.
Click here to download recipe

THE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF THIS DISH — SHRIMP, POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS — ARE COOKED SUCCESSIVELY IN THE SAME PAN.  I USED WELL-SEASONED CAST IRON, BUT YOU CAN PREPARE IT IN ANY LARGE SAUTÉ PAN.  THE POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS GIVE THE DISH A HOMEY FEEL; THE ONIONS, A SWEET MOISTURE.  THESE HUMBLE INGREDIENTS ALLOW THE SHRIMP TO STAND OUT, BOTH VISUALLY AND GASTRONOMICALLY.  IF YOU WANT A MORE REFINED VERSION, YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE CHANTERELLES FOR BUTTON MUSHROOMS.  DON’T SKIMP ON THE HERBS, WHICH ADD A PUNCH OF GREEN TO BRIGHTEN THE ENSEMBLE.

Click here to download recipe

CIPOLLINI ARE LITTLE ITALIN ONIONS. THEY ARE NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM LITTLE AMERICAN ONIONS, EXCEPT THEY ARE FLATTER IN SHAPE AND HAVE A MORE WOODSY TASTE. HERE, THEY ARE PEELED, THEN BROWNED IN FAT FROM THE PANCETTA AND CHICKEN. ADD A CUP OF WHITE WINE, POP IN THE OVEN FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES AND SCATTER WITH FRESH TARRAGON. THE WHOLE THING SHOULDN’T TAKE YOU MORE THAN HALF AND HOUR, BUT IT YIELDS CHICKEN WHICH IS CRISP-SKINNED AND JUICY AND THOSE LITTLE ONIONS, FLAVORED WITH PANCETTA AND WHITE WINE. THE TARRAGON ADDS A ANISE-LIKE BITE AND A SCATTERING OF GREEN.
Click here to download recipe

CELERY, WHICH PRIOR TO THE 16TH CENTURY WAS USED EXCLUSIVELY IN EUROPE AS A MEDICINAL HERB, IS A KIND OF WORKHORSE VEGETABLE.  PAIRED WITH CHOPPED ONION AND CARROTS, IT ADDS A GREEN NOTE TO SOUPS AND STEWS. IT’S INDISPENSABLE IN CHICKEN OR EGG SALAD.  A SUPPORTING PLAYER, CELERY IS RARELY FEATURED ON ITS OWN, AT LEAST IN THE WEST.  THE CHINESE KNOW BETTER AND SOME OF THE BEST SHRIMP DISHES I’VE HAD, SUCH AS JADE SHRIMP, ARE SIMPLY SHRIMP WITH CELERY AND GREEN HERBS.  HERE I’VE ADDED LEMON ZEST AND SCALLIONS.  STILL, IT COULDN’T BE EASIER TO MAKE AND ONCE YOU’VE DONE YOUR PREP AND MIS-EN-PLACE, THE TOTAL COOKING TIME IS ABOUT THREE MINUTES.  IT’S WHAT GIVES THIS DISH ITS BRIGHT AND LIVELY FLAVOR.
Click here to download recipe

I HAVE FOR THE MOST PART STOPPED EATING VEAL.  FIRST, BECAUSE THE MILK-FED VEAL WE GET IN THIS COUNTRY IS A PRODUCT OF THE CRUELEST KIND OF FACTORY FARMING, AND SECOND, BECAUSE FREE-RANGE VEAL– THE KIND YOU GET IN EUROPE– IS ALMOST AS RARE HERE AS IT IS EXPENSIVE.   (more…)

I WOULD HAVE POSTED THIS LAST WEEK, BUT FORGOT TO PHOTOGRAPH IT. LAST WEEK’S GUESTS WERE SO PLEASED WITH THE SALAD, HOWEVER, THAT I MADE IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT WITH SOME MINOR FINE-TUNING AND A DIFFERENT COMBINATION OF MELONS. THE PLEASURE OF THIS SALAD COMES, OF COURSE, FROM THE MELONS. THANKS TO GLOBAL WARMING MELONS ARE STILL IN SEASON AND WEISER FARMS HAS FEATURED A VERITABLE MELON CORNUCOPIA: CANTALOUPE, CANARY, GALIA, CHARENTAIS, AND WATER MELON. THE MELONS ARE SO SWEET THAT THEY CRY OUT FOR LIME JUICE. THE PROSCUITTO OR SERRANO IS BOTH SALTY AND SWEET. THIS IS AFTER ALL DECONSTRUCTED OR PERHAPS I SHOULD SAY RECONSTRUCTED PROSCUITTO AND MELON, BUT MUCH MORE FUN TO EAT.

Click here to download recipe

YES, THESE ARE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK. AND I DON’T EVEN HAVE A GRILL. EXCEPT FOR A FEW MINOR CHANGES, THIS IS 95% JULIA MOSKIN’S RECIPE FROM THE NY TIMES. YOU MARINATE THE RIBS IN HOISIN SAUCE, GARLIC, SOY SAUCE AND OTHER SEASONINGS. THE NEXT DAY (OR FOUR HOURS LATER) YOU STEAM THEM SLOWLY ON A RACK IN THE OVEN, THEN FINISH THEM OFF AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE. (more…)

I’M ACTING IN A PLAY WHICH OPENS THIS WEEK AT THE MATRIX THEATRE IN LOS ANGELES CALLED “JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND SCREWING STALIN” IN WHICH BORSHT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FAMILY HISTORY (BUBBY’S UNCLE WAS A BORSHT TASTER IN THE TSAR’S ARMY.) SO IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT I POST THIS RECIPE. BORSHT IS KIND OF A GENERIC NAME FOR ANY SOUP INVOLVING BEETS AND OFTEN CONTAINS MEAT, WHICH MAKES IT HARDIER THAN THE ALL-VEGETABLE VERSION I OFFER HERE. THIS PARTICULAR RECIPE WAS INSPIRED BY A LUNCH AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS IN THE JEWISH MUSEUM ON FIFTH AVENUE. IT WAS THICK BUT SMOOTH, NOT TOO SWEET, AND A TAD SPICY, MADE WITH WATER AND NOT STOCK. IT’S AS GOOD AS THE BORSHT I HAD AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS, MAYBE EVEN A BISL BETTER.
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MORELS, LIKE MOST WILD MUSHROOMS, ARE SEASONAL, DELICIOUS, AND EXPENSIVE, SELLING FOR $65 A POUND IN THE HOLLYWOOD FARMERS’ MARKET. SO WHEN THEY TURNED UP ON FOOD 52 FOR $35 A POUND, WHAT COULD I DO?  I MEAN WHO CAN RESIST A BARGAIN?  I LOOKED UP SEVERAL RECIPES AND THE MOST APPEALING WAS ONE BY LUDOVIC LEFEBVRE, MEANT TO ACCOMPANY GRILLED VEAL CHOPS (more…)

STONE FRUIT HAVE HIT THE FARMERS’ MARKETS, THE FIRST SIGN OF SUMMER.  STANDS ARE PILED HIGH WITH YELLOW PEACHES, WHITE NECTARINES AND APRICOTS.  ANY OF THEM WILL GO NICELY IN THIS SALAD, THEIR SWEETNESS OFFSET BY THE SALTY BITE OF FETA. (more…)

I’M CALLING THIS RECIPE BOUILLABAISSE PASTA BECAUSE IT CONTAINS FENNEL, GARLIC, SAFFRON, AND TOMATOES — THE FLAVOR PROFILE OF CLASSIC BOUILLABAISSE. IT’S A BIT COMPLICATED, SO HAVE YOUR MIS-EN-PLACE, EN PLACE, AND THE STEPS CLEAR IN YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU GET ROLLING. YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH A SEAFOOD PASTA WHICH IS BOTH RUSTIC AND REFINED. SERVE WITH A CRUSTY BAGUETTE AND A STRAW-HUED WHITE FROM THE JURA OR A WHITE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE.
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THE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF THIS DISH — SHRIMP, POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS — ARE COOKED SUCCESSIVELY IN THE SAME PAN.  I USED WELL-SEASONED CAST IRON, BUT YOU CAN PREPARE IT IN ANY LARGE SAUTÉ PAN.  THE POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS GIVE THE DISH A HOMEY FEEL; THE ONIONS, A SWEET MOISTURE.  THESE HUMBLE INGREDIENTS ALLOW THE SHRIMP TO STAND OUT, BOTH VISUALLY AND GASTRONOMICALLY.  IF YOU WANT A MORE REFINED VERSION, YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE CHANTERELLES FOR BUTTON MUSHROOMS.  DON’T SKIMP ON THE HERBS, WHICH ADD A PUNCH OF GREEN TO BRIGHTEN THE ENSEMBLE.

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CIPOLLINI ARE LITTLE ITALIN ONIONS. THEY ARE NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM LITTLE AMERICAN ONIONS, EXCEPT THEY ARE FLATTER IN SHAPE AND HAVE A MORE WOODSY TASTE. HERE, THEY ARE PEELED, THEN BROWNED IN FAT FROM THE PANCETTA AND CHICKEN. ADD A CUP OF WHITE WINE, POP IN THE OVEN FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES AND SCATTER WITH FRESH TARRAGON. THE WHOLE THING SHOULDN’T TAKE YOU MORE THAN HALF AND HOUR, BUT IT YIELDS CHICKEN WHICH IS CRISP-SKINNED AND JUICY AND THOSE LITTLE ONIONS, FLAVORED WITH PANCETTA AND WHITE WINE. THE TARRAGON ADDS A ANISE-LIKE BITE AND A SCATTERING OF GREEN.
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CELERY, WHICH PRIOR TO THE 16TH CENTURY WAS USED EXCLUSIVELY IN EUROPE AS A MEDICINAL HERB, IS A KIND OF WORKHORSE VEGETABLE.  PAIRED WITH CHOPPED ONION AND CARROTS, IT ADDS A GREEN NOTE TO SOUPS AND STEWS. IT’S INDISPENSABLE IN CHICKEN OR EGG SALAD.  A SUPPORTING PLAYER, CELERY IS RARELY FEATURED ON ITS OWN, AT LEAST IN THE WEST.  THE CHINESE KNOW BETTER AND SOME OF THE BEST SHRIMP DISHES I’VE HAD, SUCH AS JADE SHRIMP, ARE SIMPLY SHRIMP WITH CELERY AND GREEN HERBS.  HERE I’VE ADDED LEMON ZEST AND SCALLIONS.  STILL, IT COULDN’T BE EASIER TO MAKE AND ONCE YOU’VE DONE YOUR PREP AND MIS-EN-PLACE, THE TOTAL COOKING TIME IS ABOUT THREE MINUTES.  IT’S WHAT GIVES THIS DISH ITS BRIGHT AND LIVELY FLAVOR.
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I HAVE FOR THE MOST PART STOPPED EATING VEAL.  FIRST, BECAUSE THE MILK-FED VEAL WE GET IN THIS COUNTRY IS A PRODUCT OF THE CRUELEST KIND OF FACTORY FARMING, AND SECOND, BECAUSE FREE-RANGE VEAL– THE KIND YOU GET IN EUROPE– IS ALMOST AS RARE HERE AS IT IS EXPENSIVE.   (more…)

I WOULD HAVE POSTED THIS LAST WEEK, BUT FORGOT TO PHOTOGRAPH IT. LAST WEEK’S GUESTS WERE SO PLEASED WITH THE SALAD, HOWEVER, THAT I MADE IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT WITH SOME MINOR FINE-TUNING AND A DIFFERENT COMBINATION OF MELONS. THE PLEASURE OF THIS SALAD COMES, OF COURSE, FROM THE MELONS. THANKS TO GLOBAL WARMING MELONS ARE STILL IN SEASON AND WEISER FARMS HAS FEATURED A VERITABLE MELON CORNUCOPIA: CANTALOUPE, CANARY, GALIA, CHARENTAIS, AND WATER MELON. THE MELONS ARE SO SWEET THAT THEY CRY OUT FOR LIME JUICE. THE PROSCUITTO OR SERRANO IS BOTH SALTY AND SWEET. THIS IS AFTER ALL DECONSTRUCTED OR PERHAPS I SHOULD SAY RECONSTRUCTED PROSCUITTO AND MELON, BUT MUCH MORE FUN TO EAT.

Click here to download recipe

YES, THESE ARE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK. AND I DON’T EVEN HAVE A GRILL. EXCEPT FOR A FEW MINOR CHANGES, THIS IS 95% JULIA MOSKIN’S RECIPE FROM THE NY TIMES. YOU MARINATE THE RIBS IN HOISIN SAUCE, GARLIC, SOY SAUCE AND OTHER SEASONINGS. THE NEXT DAY (OR FOUR HOURS LATER) YOU STEAM THEM SLOWLY ON A RACK IN THE OVEN, THEN FINISH THEM OFF AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE. (more…)

I’M ACTING IN A PLAY WHICH OPENS THIS WEEK AT THE MATRIX THEATRE IN LOS ANGELES CALLED “JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND SCREWING STALIN” IN WHICH BORSHT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FAMILY HISTORY (BUBBY’S UNCLE WAS A BORSHT TASTER IN THE TSAR’S ARMY.) SO IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT I POST THIS RECIPE. BORSHT IS KIND OF A GENERIC NAME FOR ANY SOUP INVOLVING BEETS AND OFTEN CONTAINS MEAT, WHICH MAKES IT HARDIER THAN THE ALL-VEGETABLE VERSION I OFFER HERE. THIS PARTICULAR RECIPE WAS INSPIRED BY A LUNCH AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS IN THE JEWISH MUSEUM ON FIFTH AVENUE. IT WAS THICK BUT SMOOTH, NOT TOO SWEET, AND A TAD SPICY, MADE WITH WATER AND NOT STOCK. IT’S AS GOOD AS THE BORSHT I HAD AT RUSS AND DAUGHTERS, MAYBE EVEN A BISL BETTER.
Click here to download recipe

MORELS, LIKE MOST WILD MUSHROOMS, ARE SEASONAL, DELICIOUS, AND EXPENSIVE, SELLING FOR $65 A POUND IN THE HOLLYWOOD FARMERS’ MARKET. SO WHEN THEY TURNED UP ON FOOD 52 FOR $35 A POUND, WHAT COULD I DO?  I MEAN WHO CAN RESIST A BARGAIN?  I LOOKED UP SEVERAL RECIPES AND THE MOST APPEALING WAS ONE BY LUDOVIC LEFEBVRE, MEANT TO ACCOMPANY GRILLED VEAL CHOPS (more…)

STONE FRUIT HAVE HIT THE FARMERS’ MARKETS, THE FIRST SIGN OF SUMMER.  STANDS ARE PILED HIGH WITH YELLOW PEACHES, WHITE NECTARINES AND APRICOTS.  ANY OF THEM WILL GO NICELY IN THIS SALAD, THEIR SWEETNESS OFFSET BY THE SALTY BITE OF FETA. (more…)

I’M CALLING THIS RECIPE BOUILLABAISSE PASTA BECAUSE IT CONTAINS FENNEL, GARLIC, SAFFRON, AND TOMATOES — THE FLAVOR PROFILE OF CLASSIC BOUILLABAISSE. IT’S A BIT COMPLICATED, SO HAVE YOUR MIS-EN-PLACE, EN PLACE, AND THE STEPS CLEAR IN YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU GET ROLLING. YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH A SEAFOOD PASTA WHICH IS BOTH RUSTIC AND REFINED. SERVE WITH A CRUSTY BAGUETTE AND A STRAW-HUED WHITE FROM THE JURA OR A WHITE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE.
Click here to download recipe

THE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF THIS DISH — SHRIMP, POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS — ARE COOKED SUCCESSIVELY IN THE SAME PAN.  I USED WELL-SEASONED CAST IRON, BUT YOU CAN PREPARE IT IN ANY LARGE SAUTÉ PAN.  THE POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS GIVE THE DISH A HOMEY FEEL; THE ONIONS, A SWEET MOISTURE.  THESE HUMBLE INGREDIENTS ALLOW THE SHRIMP TO STAND OUT, BOTH VISUALLY AND GASTRONOMICALLY.  IF YOU WANT A MORE REFINED VERSION, YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE CHANTERELLES FOR BUTTON MUSHROOMS.  DON’T SKIMP ON THE HERBS, WHICH ADD A PUNCH OF GREEN TO BRIGHTEN THE ENSEMBLE.

Click here to download recipe

CIPOLLINI ARE LITTLE ITALIN ONIONS. THEY ARE NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM LITTLE AMERICAN ONIONS, EXCEPT THEY ARE FLATTER IN SHAPE AND HAVE A MORE WOODSY TASTE. HERE, THEY ARE PEELED, THEN BROWNED IN FAT FROM THE PANCETTA AND CHICKEN. ADD A CUP OF WHITE WINE, POP IN THE OVEN FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES AND SCATTER WITH FRESH TARRAGON. THE WHOLE THING SHOULDN’T TAKE YOU MORE THAN HALF AND HOUR, BUT IT YIELDS CHICKEN WHICH IS CRISP-SKINNED AND JUICY AND THOSE LITTLE ONIONS, FLAVORED WITH PANCETTA AND WHITE WINE. THE TARRAGON ADDS A ANISE-LIKE BITE AND A SCATTERING OF GREEN.
Click here to download recipe