When I was in college, I liked to study in the uptown branch of the New Orleans Public Library on St. Charles Avenue. It occupied a sprawling, slightly decrepit mansion […]
Recipe Box
MAKING MEMORIES
A Sweet Bread for Remembrance and Reunion
Pan de muertos, with a large glass of bourbon
One year after my mother died, she was with me again, vividly. I was walking through a maze of graves lit by a sea of beeswax candles in a cemetery […]
FROM THE LARDER
Jazz and Oysters Bring Two Festivals Home
Homemade salt pork meets Wellfleet oysters for a soup from the Mosquito Supper Club
In south Louisiana, where I come from, if you can eat it or dance to it, there’s probably a festival for it. We have festivals celebrating crawfish, gumbo, catfish, soybeans, […]
FROM THE SNACKBOOK
An Umami-Rich Pasta for the Changing Season
Don’t forget to warm up the bowl
That slight bite in the air — the one that makes you roll your shirtsleeves down, pull on a hat, and recognize the crunch of leaves as you walk — […]
COOK'S KITCHEN
When a Tomato and Mayo Sandwich Takes a Trip to Tuscany
Tomatoes, herbs, Italian cheeses, and fennel baked in a buttery crust
I am seeing red! I don’t mean because of worldly triggers — anti-vaxers, Texas, or extreme climate events. The red I’m seeing right now is the cornucopia of tomatoes on […]
FROM THE LARDER
It’s a Big Year for Beach Plums, So Don’t Be Shy
Pick all you can, then put a little bit of summer in a jar
People on the Outer Cape can be secretive about their go-to stands of beach plum. But not this year — one of abundance for the wild shrubs named Prunus maritima […]
FROM THE LARDER
The Salty, Sweet Taste of a Wild Garden’s Possibilities
Gilded with honey and transformed by heat, feta becomes a luscious spread
I tend to look at things and see not only what they are but what they might become. It drives Christopher a little crazy, since it means that the check […]
FROM THE LARDER
Low Heat and Lots of Smoke Are Summer Magic for Meat
Sorry, Mark Bittman, but the season cannot end without barbecue, just this once
I’ve been trying to move our household in the direction of a plant-based diet, turning out dals and stir-frys and vegetable-stuffed tacos with gusto. I even made a seitan-based chili […]
BLENDER
Cold Soups for Settling Into Real Dinners
Cucumbers or corn become the simplest of summer starters
There was nothing wrong with the Green Monsta I drank for lunch last week. It was delicious. And I’m sure it was good for me, seeing as how it contained […]
FROM THE LARDER
A Citrusy Cool Custard for a Hot Summer Night
It sounds adorable and looks fancy, but lemon posset is a dessert for the lazy
The thing about summer is that I want to cook in a way that leaves me turning pages in the hammock until the very last minute. There will be plenty […]
FROM THE LARDER
Pop’s Savory Zucchini-Feta Pancakes
Family lessons in handling summer abundance with resolve and a squeeze of lemon
I’m resigned to the Outer Cape’s annual round of plagues: mosquitos, gnats, pollen, greenhead flies, black flies, tourists, drought. With climate change at our door, can frogs or a river […]
LOCAL CATCH
A Summer-Only Cape Cod Secret, With Thanks to Dr. Bluefish
The blues go well with bold flavors of tomatoes, olives, and capers
Bluefish are misunderstood on the mainland. Detractors there moan about them being “too oily” or “fishy.” But Cape Codders wait hungrily for this season. What we know is that, handled […]
LOCAL CATCH
A Provincetown Classic Inspires Mac’s Zarzuela
Local shellfish make a Spanish summer stew into a Cape Cod tradition
I can’t remember the first time I got my hands on a very used copy of Howard Mitcham’s Provincetown Seafood Cookbook. It’s a classic, a book that has always been […]
FROM THE LARDER
Early Summer in a Jar
After a walk in the dunes, a jam that brings home the romantic scent of wild roses
The more I live into my life in Truro, the more amazed I am at the food I can find around me if I really look. I’m not talking about […]
FROM THE SNACKBOOK
Cold Carrot Soup for Don’t-Turn-on-the-Oven Days
Fresh ginger, lime juice, and avocado make it something special
For a moment, let’s reflect on what a lucky feeling it is to find yourself in a cookout rut. It means you have been able to get yourself good food, […]
