Traditional American Thanksgiving is an interesting meal for vegetarians. On the one hand, obviously pride of place on most families' tables is given to a big roasted turkey. On the other hand, just about everything else (mashed potatoes, stuffing, yams, green beans, cranberry sauce, etc.) is typically vegetarian. So personally, when I'm having Thanksgiving at …
Red Chili Sauce for Tamales, and a Great Tamale Book – Recipe
I love tamales.
I love that they are a project, not something you simply throw together for a weeknight dinner. A project best done with friends and family, beating the masa and making fillings and sauces and forming the tamales together, before sitting down to a celebratory meal.
I love the aromatic cornhusk- or banana leaf- infused …
The Galleys are Here! The Galleys are Here!
It was just about a year ago when I signed the contract to write a book with Harvard Common Press. It has been a whirlwind of a year, developing new recipes, photographing them, testing and retesting and sending them out to wonderful readers for yet more testing. Then months of editing with some of the …
Polenta with Pan Roasted Porcini, Tomato Confit and Chevre – Recipe
Fresh porcini are one of nature's great treats. They are rather expensive unless you know how to forage for them, which I swear I'm going to learn someday … maybe from Langdon.
In the meantime, when I get my hands on a few porcini I like to feature them prominently in a dish. It seems a …
Braised Fennel – Recipe
Braising is something of a lost art, which is a shame because it isn’t at all difficult to do. Learn a couple of basic moves and you’ll be rewarded with a succulent, richly flavored, rustic dish that will have you and your guests mopping up every last bit of sauce.
A proper braise is composed of …
Was Your Chocolate Made with Child Slave Labor?
There are questions I wish I didn't have to ask myself.
One of them arrived in my inbox yesterday, from Rachel Nussbaum, the rabbi of Kavana, a Jewish cooperative community that our family belongs to. Social justice is an important part of Kavana's mission, and the group that focuses on it has been learning about slavery and …
Ilan’s Top Chef Fideos, Vegetarian Style – With A Review Of The Top Chef Cookbook
Ilan Hall's Top Chef Fideos
I'm an avid fan of Top Chef. Our family has a standing date to watch it on TiVO every week. Of the cooking reality shows (Next Food Network Star, Hell's Kitchen and so on), it is the only one that features people who can really cook, and spends most of the …
