Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

Tom Colicchio’s “Possibly the Best Grilled Cheese You’ll Ever Have”

Posted on by Leave a comment
'Nduja and plenty of mozzarella make this grilled cheese extra messy and delicious.
‘Nduja and plenty of mozzarella make this grilled cheese extra messy and delicious.

Tom Colicchio may be a household name now, thanks to 21 seasons as head judge and executive producer of the Emmy-winning, Bravo hit show “Top Chef.”

But as a kid, he felt a little lost and a lot unsure while growing up in northern New Jersey, especially with a father who was often moody, silent, and a gambling addict.

One day, when he was 13, his mom dragged him to her weekly hair appointment. As he waited, he happened to pick up a magazine, Cuisine. Leafing through it, he grew mesmerized by a recipe for roasted, stuffed eggplant. So much so, that he asked permission to take the magazine home, where he made the dish, the first meal he had ever cooked.

His dad took a taste and remarked, “Not bad, Tom” — words that Colicchio would cherish.

Three years later, when Colicchio was 16 with nary a thought to his future, his father suggested he become a chef, saying, “I think you’d be good at it.” Coming from his usually stoic dad, it carried immeasurable weight and would propel him into his exceedingly successful career.

So Colicchio recounts in his new book, “Why I Cook” (Artisan, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

Read more

“To Lahaina, With Love”

Posted on by 3 comments
A simple and delicious recipe from Chef Lee Anne Wong, who lost her restaurant in the devastating Lahaina fires.
A simple and delicious recipe from Chef Lee Anne Wong, who lost her restaurant in the devastating Lahaina fires.

In times of natural disasters or catastrophic world events, not only do firefighters and paramedics immediately mobilize to help, but so do chefs, cooks, and others in the hospitality industry.

After all, they know better than anyone the power of food to comfort, nourish, and heal.

As I watched the news accounts of the gut-wrenching destruction wrought by the Southern California wildfires, it reminded me eerily of the 2023 firestorm that obliterated the town of Lahaina on the island of Maui.

In each case, restaurateurs and their employees — including some whose establishment or homes had been ravaged by flames — turned up in droves to cook meals for anyone in need, despite their own dire circumstances.

Wildfires may be growing more severe nowadays due to climate change. But it’s heartening to witness the indefatigable resilience, resourcefulness, and compassion of a community rising to meet it.

“To Lahaina, With Love” exemplifies that. Proceeds from this cookbook, which debuted last month, benefit Fresh Help Maui, a non-profit that provides meals and locally-caught fresh fish to those impacted by the Maui fires.

Read more

The Simple Pleasures of Pork Simmered with Ginger

Posted on by Leave a comment
A fast and homey tasting pork dish full of ginger flavor.
A fast and homey tasting pork dish full of ginger flavor.

Spending two weeks in Japan last year gave me an even greater appreciation for the food there. Not just for the regal kaiseki experiences or the sublime omakase meals, but for the uncomplicated everyday food that’s so inexpensive and readily available.

Things like a creamy egg salad sandwich on squishy milk bread from Lawson’s convenience store, the freshly made sesame seed-studded onigiri from the 7-Eleven with rice that was never too cold or too hard, and the shattering crunch of a soy-brushed rice cracker that somehow tasted better than any others I’d ever had.

“A Day In Tokyo” (Smith Street Books, 2024), of which I received a review copy, let me relive those marvelous food memories through its pages.

Read more

Spanakopita Gets An Italian Twist

Posted on by 2 comments
All the flavors of the classic Greek pastry pie -- minus the pastry.
All the flavors of the classic Greek pastry pie — minus the pastry.

Loaded with spinach and creamy, briny feta, who doesn’t love the savory Greek pie with the crisp pastry crust known as spanakopita?

Even so, the thought of fussing with hard-to-handle phyllo pastry sheets might be enough to deter you from wanting to make it at home.

So, take an easier route and use pasta instead.

Yes, “Baked Spanakopita Pasta with Greens and Feta” swaps out phyllo for tubular or curvy pasta instead. Think of it as the Greek cousin to American mac ‘n’ cheese.

This simple recipe is from “Easy Weeknight Dinners” (Ten Speed Press, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by the New York Times Cooking and Emily Weinstein, its editor in chief.

Read more

Chef Jeremy Fox’s Yellow Eye Soup with Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans

Posted on by Leave a comment
Yes, there's a lot of garlic in this veggie-bean soup, but you'll welcome it, I promise.
Yes, there’s a lot of garlic in this veggie-bean soup, but you’ll welcome it, I promise.

If I told you this soup takes more than two heads of garlic to make, would you balk?

Fear not, though, because that copious amount won’t result in a dish (or home-cook) that reeks. The garlic taste is prominent to be sure, but it’s not aggressively sharp or overwhelming pungent. Instead, it gives this vegan bean and veggie soup a deep, delicious flavor that you taste and feel all the way to your core. In other words, the kind of soup your body craves especially at this time of year.

“Jeremy Fox’s Yellow Eye Soup” is from the new “The Bean Book” (Ten Speed Press, 2014), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Steve Sando, the founder of Napa’s Rancho Gordo, a specialty food company known for growing and sourcing heirloom beans prized by discriminating chefs and home-cooks around the country; and Julia Newberry, general manager of Rancho Gordo.

Read more
« Older Entries Recent Entries »