What to Cook

I am no longer engaging in any kind of debate about ramps.  I love them, these wild scallions, which grow in some parts of the country for a short period in the early spring, and are always the subject of so much contention.  They are uncultivate-able harbingers of spring, and people long for them all year long….and then other people hate them, because anything that is prized and fetishized inevitably becomes the object of scorn by those who are “over them”. Seriously, enough. They are delicious and versatile and fun to cook with. Everyone, get over yourselves. OR conversely, if …

I’m writing this newsletter in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where our family is enjoying a long-awaited, splurgey ski vacation with some friends. I’m typing this with one leg propped up on a chair and an ice pack on my knee, since a certain Mom 100 overdid it on the first day and managed to slightly tear her meniscus (and if you don’t know what a meniscus is, you’re lucky, and you shouldn’t even bother to look it up). I am looking out the window at some seriously snow-covered hills, and alternately thinking of Stevie Nicks (if you get this reference and …

As we approach spring, the excitement mounts. Longer days, warmer weather, and an abundance of amazing produce that is nothing short of inspiring. Farmers’ markets are exploding with all kinds of produce, and it’s impossible not to gather up as much as one can carry and cart it all home. But then what? Put all of these beautiful fruits and vegetables to work! Here are some suggestions for ways to use all of the gorgeous produce of the spring season.   Apricots Try them instead of plums in this crisp. Apricots go beautifully with many cheeses, so add them to a bountiful …

Ground meat, often beef, is a dinner mainstay for many of us.  So many things to do with it, it cooks up very quickly, and whatever you make with it is usually comforting and homey and satisfying and family friendly.  But as with any dinner staple, we can get rut-like about how we make it, so here are 10 ways for putting that protein to work in delicious ways. Many of these recipes call for browning the beef within the recipe itself, but if you have leftover ground beef you can skip the browning step and just add the cooked …

The word “cheesy” is often used in a negative way, and it makes me sad, I must tell you. Many of the best foods in the world might be described with that adjective. Let’s redeem cheesy. Writer Clifton Fadiman put it well: “Cheese—milk’s leap towards immortality.” Even the names roll deliciously off the tongue. Taleggio, fontina, mozzarella, Gruyère, Brie, Camembert, chèvre, gorgonzola, parmesan, muenster . . . well, maybe not muenster. And the sheer versatility! Melty or crumbly, creamy or firm, fresh or aged, delicate or sharp, made from the milk of sheep or cows or goats, or a combination …

If pressed to pick one cuisine to cook and eat for the rest of my life, I think it would have to be Asian. Now that’s a total cheat, since the idea of Asian cooking encompasses a vast array of more specific Asian cuisines, from Thai to Japanese to Chinese . . . and those cuisines encompass a whole array of other more discrete Asian cuisines (take Chinese food—we have Szechuan, Catonese, Hunan, etc., etc. . . .) And a smidge of a confession—I would eat sushi every day if the fates would allow. It’s my favorite food, yet it’s …