It’s a terrible thing to say about one’s grandmother — especially one’s Italian-American grandmother — but mine was not a great cook. Her specialty was a swamp-like egg drop soup […]
Recipe Box
TASTE MEMORIES
The Joy of Cookbooks
Vintage favorites are the ones cooks most want to give
Cookbooks aren’t always for cooking by. That’s what we heard when we asked a few dedicated local cooks about their favorites. These kitchen volumes are for bringing back taste memories […]
FROM THE LARDER
Baking Brings Out the Beauty of a Knobbly Fruit
A dessert-inspired resolve to bring back the homely but fragrant quince
Before we came to Truro, we lived in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, where I grew salad greens and root vegetables in a community garden plot. That’s where I […]
VANCOUVER DISPATCH
A Spicy Curry Soup to Come Home To
A light, aromatic bowl is an antidote for travels and turkey dinners
Now that travel is a thing again, Christopher and I decided to revive our tradition of getting out of town for a bit just before Thanksgiving. We’d been missing the […]
COOK’S KITCHEN
On Thanksgiving, the Sides Are Where Things Get Interesting
Serving up something rich, something foraged, and something green
The Thanksgiving menu is a complex one in which each dish fits into a matrix of nostalgia, identity, excess, creativity, and flavor. At the center is that once-a-year big bird, […]
FROM THE LARDER
Conjuring the Coziness of Choucroute Garni
Homemade sauerkraut is Alsace’s counterpoint to smoky braised pork
The change of seasons has been gentle this year, but with Thanksgiving ahead my mind roams to cold weather meals. And especially to ones that overcome loneliness as much as […]
COOK’S KITCHEN
Election Day Cake
Boozy, nutty, and not too sweet: a recipe made for the midterms
The Puritans were not a fun-loving bunch. Case in point — this declaration posted in Boston in 1659: “Public Notice: the observation of Christmas having been deemed a sacrilege, the […]
THE ESSENTIALS
Giving the Primal Pumpkin a Place at the Table
Warm spices and bright cranberries baked into an autumn tradition
It’s hard to imagine a more fitting dinner for Halloween night than a vibrant orange pumpkin stuffed with rice, warm spices, and meat. I anticipate this ritual every autumn and […]
COOK’S KITCHEN
Tucking the Earthy, Spicy, Fruity Flavors of Fall Into One Simple Taco
Wild mushrooms, winter squash, smoked chiles, and dried cranberries mingle in a warm tortilla
I love the freedom and creativity of the taco. So many delicious things are flattered by the earthiness of a corn tortilla, from braised beef or spice-rubbed pork to grilled […]
RAW BAR
Make Mine a Mignonette
The lightest, brightest sauce to use — sparingly — on those Wellfleet oysters
If you must sauce, a drizzle of homemade mignonette is like magic. It’s the best way to add notes of pepper, herbs, or citrus to a half shell without overwhelming […]
GRENOBLE DISPATCH
Chicken Forestière Brings Home the Pleasure of a Plat du Jour
Booze, cream, and mushrooms sauce a fall supper
Is there a single person on the Outer Cape who doesn’t pine all summer long for September? Friends and neighbors talk about it all year long — it’s mythic. Why […]
QUAHOGGING
Happy as an Eastham Clam
A walk on the tidal flats, rewarded by sunsets and an old-fashioned chowder
EASTHAM — Patience, perseverance, and 25 dollars. In Eastham, if you have all three, you can buy a year’s worth of serenity, plein air exercise, and sustainably harvested seafood: you […]
KNEADED
A Challah to Make You Holler
The perfect loaf for a day of shouting
We’re coming up on the high holy days of the Jewish calendar. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, which starts at sundown on Sunday the 25th, signals the start of […]
COOK’S KITCHEN
A Soleful Breakfast
Fresh-caught flounder, sunny eggs, ripe tomatoes, and a good cup of coffee start a sailor’s weekend
Cooking with friends who also love to cook puts things right for me. It’s like when musicians jam — we play, become inspired, and riff on classics, and our payoff […]
THE ESSENTIALS
End of Summer Lobster Stew
Serve, if possible, by a window with a view
Sand dunes and salty air and lobster stew — I love everything Patti Page sang about, though, curiously, “Old Cape Cod” fills me with nostalgia for a past I never […]
