I cook because I love to eat. I garden because I love to cook.
The meatloaf sandwiches that my brothers and I were compelled to take for school lunch – lest we starve – were lacking in several components that make sandwiches such fine fare for a midday meal. In fact, they were so bad that they have become …
Some foods are a blank slate; they are a vehicle for other flavors. Take escargot, for example. They’re probably not too exciting on their own, but as a way to get your fix of garlic butter, they can’t be beat. Boneless, skinless chicken breast and …
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 …
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 …
About a dozen years ago I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Italy with my family. We spent two incredible weeks there, one with my parents and brothers’ families at a rental in Umbria, the other, just my wife, kids, and I, driving throughout …
I am not a huge believer in making a big deal out of celebrating one’s birthday, at least when you are an adult. I don’t think it warrants a party every year or a day off of work (but then again, my birthday is in …
I read a lot of cooking magazines, so I see the waxing and waning of trends and fads in restaurants and kitchens. Mostly I ignore them. In one ear, out the other, although maybe they leave a tiny impression in a far off corner of …
There are lots of factors that influence and inspire me when I cook and develop a recipe, but it’s rarely a name. Maybe I enjoyed a dish in a restaurant that I want to re-create at home. Or perhaps I saw a picture in a …
I grew up in Philadelphia where the reining sandwiches are cheesesteaks and hoagies. However, there is another Philadelphia sandwich that gets far less attention – roast pork. Comparable in design to a cheesesteak or hoagie, thin sliced pork is stuffed into a long, crusty Italian …
Every Wednesday, starting in middle school, I made pizza. After school, I opened a package of yeast, got out the flour, and kneaded dough. While it was proofing, I simmered a can of tomato puree with garlic, oregano, basil, and sugar. I grated mozzarella, assembled …
