Category

Meat

  • Lamb Meatballs on Ottolenghi’s Hummus with Pomegranate Molasses

    Lamb Meatballs on Ottolenghi’s Hummus with Pomegranate Molasses

    Laurie Anderson has a song–more of a performance piece–called “Only An Expert Can Deal with a Problem.” It’s a dark, satirical look at the way Americans defer so willingly to experts; whether it’s the talking heads on Fox News, hyper-judgmental celebrities on Fashion Police, or mental health gurus like Dr. Phil. And nowhere is this…

  • Quick-Brined Pork Chops with Pan-Fried Cauliflower

    Quick-Brined Pork Chops with Pan-Fried Cauliflower

    For the past few months, I’ve been buying kosher chicken breasts from Trader Joe’s not because I prefer kosher chicken breasts but because Trader Joe’s is underneath my gym and it’s way easier to grab chicken there than to make an extra stop on my way home. The problem with this is that kosher chicken…

  • Julia Moskin’s Steak with Sam Sifton’s potatoes

    Julia Moskin’s Steak with Sam Sifton’s potatoes

    The New York Times is having a tough moment and though some are basking in the scandal, I’d rather take the Ira Glass route and turn the other way. Well not so far that I stop actually reading the Times; it’s still the paper of record, as far as I’m concerned. And though I’ve griped…

  • David Lebovitz’s Caramel Pork Ribs and Garlicky Slaw

    David Lebovitz’s Caramel Pork Ribs and Garlicky Slaw

    Many moons ago, a man in Paris wrote me an e-mail and told me about his food blog with a link at the bottom. I clicked it dubiously–we food bloggers get e-mails like this all the time–only when I clicked, the blog it took me to was unusually impressive. More importantly, the man behind it…

  • Rib-Eye Steak with Sauce Béarnaise

    Rib-Eye Steak with Sauce Béarnaise

    A few months ago, when I first conceived of Sauce Week, I set out to make a dinner for myself that promised to be so outrageously decadent, I’d have to close my blinds before eating the first forkful. The premise was pretty basic–steak and potatoes–with one key difference. I was going to drench the whole…

  • Lamb Burgers and Greek Salad

    Lamb Burgers and Greek Salad

    My cooking life has been a weird one. Most people start out making things like burgers and mac and cheese; me, I started with braises and roasts and only now (almost ten years later) have I started getting comfortable making the stuff that most people make at the beginning of their cooking careers. Burgers are…

  • Stuffed Eggplant with Lamb and Pine Nuts

    Stuffed Eggplant with Lamb and Pine Nuts

    Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem is so popular Julia Moskin of The New York Times did an article about “Jerusalem fever.” Do I have Jerusalem fever? Well, I’ve been cooking from it gradually, making that fattoush a few months ago, and that beet dip I posted about yesterday. The beet dip was for this week’s Clean Plate Club…

  • Smoky Beef Chili

    Smoky Beef Chili

    What happens when a famous French chef offers up a recipe for chili? Here’s what happens: the birthday girl that you make it for (in this case, Diana) writes you an e-mail the next day that says, “Best chili I’ve ever had, hands down.” Notice I’m not the one saying that. It’s not because I…

  • Mystical, Magical Curry Leaves

    Mystical, Magical Curry Leaves

    The other day I was in Atwater Village driving past a large Indian grocery store called India Sweets and Spices. I decided to do a very sensible thing: I parked my car and went inside. In the front, there’s an actual restaurant where you get food from a counter and the food looked pretty good.…

  • Carnitas Tacos with Green Salsa and Pico de Gallo

    Carnitas Tacos with Green Salsa and Pico de Gallo

    To understand my Mexican food expertise, consider this: when I was younger, I took several cruises with my family that brought us to Mexico. Cozumel, mostly. Upon arriving in Mexico, my family would immediately trek to the center of town where my mom would shop for jewelry and my brother, dad and I would stand…