Writing about food since 2004.

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Pasta/Risotto

  • Mann Ziti

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    Aimee Mann is one of my favorite musicians of all time. On the way to her Christmas concert at the Wiltern, Craig asked me why I liked her so much. “Because she’s unsentimental yet emotional, cold but vulnerable at the same time; plus, she’s funny.” She writes lyrics like, “And I’m the only one who…

  • How To Make Risotto

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    Here’s our latest video from Food2, featuring beloved Italian chef Cesare Casella (of Salumeria Rosi). Chef Casella (who’s also the dean of Italian studies at the French Culinary Institute) teaches us a technique so effective, I’ll never make risotto any other way again: For those of you who can’t watch the video, here’s the recipe…

  • Orecchiette with Broccoli & Pancetta

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    Here’s something for you to cook this weekend, something from the archives. It comes from The River Cafe Cookbook, a book I no longer own, but no matter. It’s an easy enough recipe, I have it memorized. So easy: I can squeeze it all into this paragraph. Boil a pot of water, add salt. In…

  • A Quick Break With Lemon Risotto

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    &tBefore we get back to Menu For Hope III

  • Waiter, These Tomatoes Aren’t Cooked

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    Here’s something I made last week after watching Mario make it on Molto Mario. Chop a tomato or two, add minced garlic, add parsley (not basil–that’s what makes it different), drizzle a generous helping of olive oil on top, then salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. Cook your spaghetti al dente, you can stop the cooking…

  • A Pasta Invention

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    Those keeping track of my career as a creator of recipes will remember my apple butter buttermilk ice cream which I created last week. This week I present a somewhat loopy, somewhat inspired pasta dish based on a dish Lauren had when we went to Craftbar. That dish was pecorino fondue with honey and hazelnuts.…

  • From Paris, With Risotto [Plus: A Snazzy Salad]

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    Let’s say I have this “friend” and this “friend” (in quotes) recently went to Paris and let’s say when he was in Paris he met lots of people who gave him Parisian foodstuffs and while at a market one day he bought a giant glass bottle of risotto. Let’s say he placed it in his…

  • Penne Carbonara & My Last Will and Testament

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    Lauren can have my cat because Lauren’s a dog person and Lolita (who she lived with for two years) will remind her that cats are people too. Lisa can have my “Freaks & Geeks” DVD set because she hasn’t seen the end yet; Alex can have my VHS tape of the Martin Short special that…

  • A Eureka Pasta Moment with Butter, Parmesan and Nutmeg

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    In the course of working on my book proposal, I had the privilege of interviewing a food celebrity who told me to stock my pantry with Parmesan and nutmeg (among other things). Around this time I began cooking a pantry staple: pasta with butter, parmesan and nutmeg. The thing that makes this dish wonderful is…

  • Pasta Is A Dish Best Served Cold. And with Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

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    Food pictures can be erotic, can’t they? See if this picture makes your mouth horny: Is that the first time I used the word “horny” in a post? I apologize. Did you know my 5th Grade teacher Mrs. White was fired mid-year because she let one of my classmates play that rap song that goes…