Tag: appetizers

Rookie Moves – Mushroom, Goat Cheese, and Fontina Pizza

Rookie Moves – Mushroom, Goat Cheese, and Fontina Pizza

We all make mistakes in the kitchen. Sometimes they are rookie moves, like the first time I roasted a turkey leaving the neck and bag of giblets inside. These novice errors can usually be chalked up to ignorance. How was I supposed to know they 

The Pepperoni Python – Pepperoni Stromboli

The Pepperoni Python – Pepperoni Stromboli

My friends Kathleen and Matt love to eat. Call them foodies or gourmands, they know how to enjoy a good meal and are partial to a nice bottle of wine. And they always want to share the food they eat and create with others. Hence 

A Break From the Cold – Vietnamese-Inspired Chicken Lettuce Wraps

A Break From the Cold – Vietnamese-Inspired Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Think about winter food; root vegetables, hearty soups and stews, braised meats. All delicious, they warm the body as we face the chill of the season. They are heavy and satisfying, getting us through the darkest, coldest months of the year.     But sometimes 

Appetizers of the Year – Ground, Spiced Lamb in Phyllo

Appetizers of the Year – Ground, Spiced Lamb in Phyllo

As Covid continues to surge for the second winter, we unfortunately don’t expect to see many friends this holiday season, at least not up close and personal. That means any big New Year’s Eve plans may have to be put on hold yet again. And 

The Angry Chef – Shiitake Mushrooms and Tofu in Wonton Cups

The Angry Chef – Shiitake Mushrooms and Tofu in Wonton Cups

My wife sometimes calls me the Angry Chef. I guess it’s a nickname well deserved, but only from my past. Our first apartment together, in the early days, was the entire second floor of an old Victorian house on Long Island. We had a small 

Early Thanksgiving, Outside Edition – Sweet Potato Pancakes with Maple Cream

Early Thanksgiving, Outside Edition – Sweet Potato Pancakes with Maple Cream

Traditions and celebrations with friends and family are important; they are the joyous events on the horizon to which we all look forward. As last year was devoid of many of these festive occasions, we weren’t going to let our annual Early Thanksgiving dinner with 

Worth The Hype? – Fried Jimmy Nardello’s Peppers

Worth The Hype? – Fried Jimmy Nardello’s Peppers

The story of Jimmy Nardello’s peppers is an immigrant tale. Giuseppe and Angella Nardello arrived from southern Italy in the late 1800s, immigrating to Naugatuck, Connecticut. With them they brought seeds from their Italian garden, including a sweet frying pepper. They grew these peppers to 

There’s Something About Pickles – Horseradish Pickles

There’s Something About Pickles – Horseradish Pickles

Once, when my son was young, I went to pick him up at the Long Island Fall Festival, but on the periphery, so as not to get entangled with traffic. As I drove up, he was walking down the street with his friend Sam and 

The Simplicity of Summer – Tomato Salad

The Simplicity of Summer – Tomato Salad

It’s been a doozy of a summer. Unbearably hot and humid on Long Island, where I live, we have been forced to use the air conditioner much more than usual. A passing hurricane this week, which fortunately did not amount to much, made things even 

Pregnancy Food – Spiced Ground Lamb in a Pita Panini

Pregnancy Food – Spiced Ground Lamb in a Pita Panini

When my wife was pregnant with our children many years ago, there were foods she would eat and those she would not. The ones she ate, she ate all the time. The dishes she would not eat, I sometimes cooked anyway as she stood in