May this week before your Thanksgiving feast be a time of good-natured debate regarding the propriety of the presence of a turkey on the table, whether you’re discussing that dinner […]
Recipe Box
COOK’S KITCHEN
Around a Fire, Stories Are Told, Songs Are Sung, and Dinner Is Warmed
Rediscovering the magic of the flames
As a young cook, I was drawn to vintage preindustrial cookbooks hoping to unlock past wisdom. I was often dissatisfied: the recipes were vague, too simple, kind of bland. Where […]
SALT OF THE EARTH
A Warm Salad Stars the Joni Mitchell of Legumes
The chickpea becomes glamorous lavished in olive oil, onions, and herbs
When I turned 21, I started cooking with a zeal and self-importance that almost made up for how unnatural the whole enterprise was for me. I’d meticulously, maniacally dice onions […]
COOK’S KITCHEN
Great Pumpkin Soup, With Dignity
Like Linus, seeking a winter squash without a sign of hypocrisy
Sometimes I think the scariest thing about Halloween is the flood of pumpkin-spice products that appear for the season. The fact that pumpkin-spice deodorant exists hints at how ludicrous the […]
COOK’S KITCHEN
A ‘Little Fat Boy’s’ Chili-Crisp Roast Chicken
Frankie Gaw’s First Generation tells a story of pride and ‘pot holders’
The minute I cracked open Frankie Gaw’s First Generation (Ten Speed Press, 2022), a birthday gift from my son, the stunning photographs made me want to get into the kitchen. […]
FROM THE LARDER
An Oyster Feast
How do you top Wellfleet’s best bivalves? Buttery, bacony, peppery answers from three local farmers
If you listen carefully right now you will hear whole beds of Wellfleet oysters fattening themselves up for a winter that many of them won’t see. That’s because thousands of […]
JAM SESSION
Crushing on the Hidden Fruit of the Autumn Olive
An invasive plant’s inconspicuous berries make a gorgeous, tangy jam
Each year, Katie Emond tries to make jam from something she forages from the local landscape. This time, she had her eye on the autumn olives growing along a dirt […]
THE ESSENTIALS
Autumn Calls for Quilts and Beans
An improvised pot of soup recalls the resourcefulness of Southern quilt makers
Before the first nip of chilly air arrives, I dust off the soup pot — an autumn ritual set off by early sunsets and the first orange-tinged leaves, or maybe […]
LONDON DISPATCH
A Cross-Cultural Curry to Come Home To
At Dishoom in London, a reminder of the gifts of flavors immigrants bring
I know it’s a mistake to leave the Outer Cape in September or October, missing the glorious weather we wait for all summer long. But Christopher had a work trip. […]
THE FLAVOR PURPLE
Inspired by a Drag Star, a Noncook Ventures Into a Blueberry Bar
One bit of advice: if you’re going to zest, spring for a zester
I’m not a cook. I can follow a set of instructions, but I’m at peace with the fact that I have lazy tastebuds. Do you remember when you were a […]
10-MINUTE DINNER
Pan-Fried Flounder With Capers and Lemon, Maybe
Fresh filets, golden brown, go from pan to plate, no sauce needed
On the Outer Cape, we are blessed with many kinds of fish that are hard to find really fresh elsewhere, such as bluefish and striped bass. But my favorite is […]
COOK’S KITCHEN
A Smoky Salsa for September
Fire-roasting coaxes the best from the last tomatoes of the season
Some grumble about the end of summer. Not me. Being able to turn onto Route 6 without taking my life into my hands is one thing I celebrate. September also […]
FROM THE LARDER
Sweet, Salty Tomates d’Été au Fromage Bleu
Garden tomatoes and salty cheese meet in a Montréalais skillet
A couple of weeks ago my mother told me that she had had entirely enough tomatoes for the summer and was now tossing ripe ones from her garden straight into […]
COOK’S KITCHEN
A BOLT of Oyster Genius in a Cocktail-Size Bite
The joy of Nils Bernstein’s oyster BLTs with oyster mayo
The Joy of Oysters hit me like a BOLT — a Bacon, Oyster, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich — Nils Bernstein’s genius pairing of pan-fried oysters and a BLT. Here were […]
PUDDING, SHE SAID
A Mess of Late Summer Berries for Dessert
Curing the homesick-for-London blues with a bowl full of meringues, cream, and fruit
Eton mess is my quintessential summer pudding. I don’t mean pudding in the American sense, mind you, but if I called it “dessert,” my mother wouldn’t be happy. I am […]
