There’s a funny thing about kids and food combinations. At our house, olives are good, and bread is good. But olive bread might as well be poison. Why? I have […]
Recipe Box
FROM THE SNACKBOOK
Twice Baked, the Humble Hero of a Winter Picnic
The good life is a potato, warmed in the coals, and carried in a pocket
Since nearly a year ago, I’ve been cultivating a small, dedicated, cautious band of creative weirdos. We are, as they say, a “pod.” Keeping each other safe, (reasonably) calm, fed, […]
FROM THE LARDER
Kimchi Is Made of Spicy, Funky Kitchen Magic
So many cabbages, and, now, plenty of time
Life in the upside down has pushed me into some kitchen adventures I might not otherwise have entertained. One of them is membership in an “ugly” fruit and vegetable delivery […]
THE KIDS COOK
Acorn Flour-Thickened Beef Stew
A dinner that starts with gathering nuts outdoors
Last fall, I taught a foraging class for Wellfleet Elementary School students. We gathered once a week, after school, rain or shine, and headed out into the woods with no […]
FROM THE LARDER
A Magical Winter Elixir for a Lazy Afternoon
Homemade chicken stock flavors a rich risotto dinner
If you were to stop by my kitchen (were stopping by still allowed), you’d likely find a pot of stock murmuring gently on a back burner. Last spring, when everyone […]
THE BREAKFAST CLUB
Overnight Cornmeal Waffles
It all begins with a buttery sizzle
Of all the things I inherited from my mother, including her special silver and the family china, the thing I cherish most is her waffle iron. It has no special […]
THE CURE
Gravlax With Lemon, Mint, and Gin
Tender Scandinavian salmon seeks chewy New York bagel
I didn’t grow up eating salmon, although when we were kids, my grandfather did teach us how to smoke it. That was something he learned on his fishing trips to […]
THE KIDS COOK
Chili With Cornbread
A dinner that plays up the pleasure of beans (and butter!)
Here is something I am reminded of by the small cooks in my house: we all need more comfort food. Kids do not make obligatory salads. They follow their pleasure […]
BACKYARD PANTRY
Wild Cherry Cough Syrup
Collect native black cherry bark now for a homemade winter cold remedy
Earlier this summer, I discovered a wild cherry tree growing off my back porch. I noticed one variety, then a second, and learned from a friend and Cape Cod National […]
SUMMERTIME BLUES
Reviving a Smoked Bluefish Ritual
The delicate flavor of hard-earned summer leisure
TRURO — Like many men of his generation, my father was not much of a cook. He was good with burgers and steaks and made a fine tuna salad. But […]
KITCHEN TABLE
Big Easy Oysters
Wellfleet oysters make a New Orleans favorite even better
My friend Sophie’s mother, Lillian, was famous for her deceptively slow-paced, Southern-accented way of talking, and for her oyster patties. I never understood why these beautiful appetizers were called “patties.” […]
BAKEOFF
It’s Pie for Pi Day
We’re adopting Pi Day (March 14 = 3.14) as our own here at the P.I. with a pie recipe roundup. Everybody loves pie, we’re pretty sure. Here, local bakers offer […]
RECIPE BOX
Midnight Pasta
A simple dish you can be endlessly creative with
For a time in the 1990s I lived in San Diego — in the Windansea neighborhood in La Jolla, to be precise. I had known nothing about San Diego, but […]
RECIPE BOX
Recreating Iruña’s Pork Tenderloin Estofado
A Cambridge taste memory, brought back with some detective work
When I was in college in the 1990s, there was a restaurant in Harvard Square called Iruña — which is the Basque name for the city of Pamplona. A friend’s […]
