I am an aspiring vegetarian. I love the idea of eating low on the food chain, and I think there are considerable ethical arguments for doing so (not to mention […]
Recipe Box
FROM THE WILD
Beach Plum Bliss
As brandy, liqueur, or cordial, fruit picked now is Cape Cod sunshine at the solstice
Of all the delights that can be made with beach plums — the jam and jelly, sauces, cakes, and tea — for me nothing matches the pure pleasure of beach […]
SEASIDE GARDENER
Kale by Any Other Name
The search for a seedling’s Portuguese culinary roots
I saw the dark green, somewhat spindly plantlets this past May at Bayberry Gardens in Truro. The hand-lettered sign contained a single word that I’d never seen before — “couves,” […]
COOK’S KITCHEN
Beyond Remembrance of Tea Sandwiches Past
A cucumber and purslane salad brings home flavors of the eastern Mediterranean
Cucumber sandwiches are one of the indelible memories of my childhood visits to Chatham. My grandmother served them with warm milky tea after sailboat races in Stage Harbor. These were […]
TRADITIONS
A Polish Grandma’s Pickles
In this family recipe, ‘there can never be too much dill’
When I visit my grandma in Poland, she always prepares a meal that’s more than I can eat. Saying no to her cooking is not an option, though: food is […]
MARKET REPORT
A Nectarine Torte, With Thanks to Marian Burros
After raspberries resist the calling, other fruits make the summer cake
I had to leave the Cape for a couple of weeks just as summer settled in. Aside from all the other inherent longings of homesickness — in this instance mostly […]
COOK’S KITCHEN
Liberate Your Summer Pie
Zucchini and tomatoes baked into a savory free-form galette
“We made great time, just over the bridge,” said the text. Friends were arriving after a long drive — but hours earlier than I expected them to. I would have […]
FROM THE LARDER
Low and Slow Is the Way to Go With a Bumper Crop of Beans
Sweet and luscious green beans, braised the way a Louisiana grandmother made them
I had a lot of things for the first time in college. Sex, for example — that was a keeper. And bagels. We didn’t have bagels where I grew up. […]
THE ESSENTIALS
A Summer Skillet Dinner of Peaches, Zucchini, and Chicken
Cooking brilliantly for the season starts with a book from the 1970s
As soon as I spot peaches ripening on the little tree in a corner of our yard, I count them. If there are enough to eat straight off the tree […]
FROM THE DUCHESS OF SANDWICH
Rebecca Orchant’s Memoir Simmers and Sears
The queer kitchen stories of one steamy Provincetown sandwich maker
Rebecca Orchant had me with grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast. Her father made her one every morning in the kitchen of their house on Quixote Drive when she was growing […]
MARKET REPORT
Beet Greens Get the Quiche Treatment
A cook lets the farmers decide what’s for dinner
Sometime during the early spring of 2020, a friend told me about an enterprising young couple who were, for a reasonable fee, building victory gardens in and around Wellfleet for […]
COOK’S KITCHEN
The Elemental Elegance of Whole Roasted Fish
Stuffed with lemon and herbs, black sea bass is a summer visitor worth inviting to dinner
It’s hard not to brag about the wonderful seafood we have here: the freshest bluefish, meaty striped bass, pearly scallops, hard and soft clams, and world-class oysters. I enjoy salmon […]
FROM THE LARDER
Cocktail Hour for a Lazy Summer Day
Pickled oysters and a pitcher of drinks to make ahead, then serve with flair
After one of his days at the beach, Christopher sees nothing wrong with inviting friends to get together for drinks without giving the first thought to what we’ll serve with […]
FOURTH OF JULY
A Not-So-Straight-Up Potato Salad
Comforting yet zingy, a recipe that’s right for whatever kind of party you’re invited to
I attended a swanky dinner party on an early summer night when the weather was still cool enough to ward off mosquitoes and invite indulgent feasting. It was at an […]
FROM THE LARDER
Planning the Next Bowlful of Risi e Bisi
Garden peas in flower a Venetian summer dish
Every year I tempt fate and plant my peas dangerously early. It’s worth the risk so that I can look out on gray, chilly spring days and see green poking up in the […]
