Working With What You Have

ITALIAN PASTA CLASSICS: Penne alla Vodka; Tuscan Spaghetti Bolognese; Crispy Spaghetti Carbonara with Dandelion Greens and Pecorino; Linguine Aglio e Olio con Acciuga; Garlicky Angel Hair with Shrimp and Scallops; Sardine Linguine with Sundried Tomato and Olives; Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, and Sun-dried Tomato Pesto; Genovese Pesto Pasta

Recently, I had a bunch of friends over for taco night. It’s such a good dinner for entertaining a crowd–we’ve done it here and here, and my family’s been…

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Q: What’s the most obvious thing to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers come Friday?

You might say, “make a Gobbler.”

Gobblers, if you don’t know, are Thanksgiving dinner on a sandwich. You take bread, and you load it up with turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing, praying that this version of yesterday’s meal, physically different but metaphysically the same, somehow takes you on a transcendent eating adventure. Now Gobblers are charming and delicious, but  they’re not going to get you there. They are the wrong approach.

So what’s good?

A: Make a Turkey Reuben.

The key to enjoying your leftovers to the…

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I’m a city girl through and through. But on weekends, especially in the fall–when you know that everywhere outside the smoggy city the leaves are turning crimson (like leaves in nature tend to do, when there isn’t a snow storm in October)–I just got to get me some of that country air.

Earlier last month, the change of seasons coincided with a visit from my good friend Steph. At the time, she was weeks away from her wedding and had come back to the East Coast for her final dress fitting. This past weekend, said wedding took…

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Here are some more ideas for delicious summer drinks!

I can remember my first-ever chai tea latte. It was a Saturday in the early spring of 1998, and I had a terrible cold. Feeling sick, I had played hooky from a friend’s bat mitzvah (this was seventh grade, when every weekend’s activity revolved around bar and bat mitzvahs), yet I was somehow up to joining my family on a shopping trip to the Upper West Side. Not only was my nose running but it was also raining out, and at last my family and my whiny…

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We’re proud to announce a new food writing gig: as the new “Eat for Eight Dollars” column on Serious Eats. Our super cheap (i.e. less than $8) and totally delicious meals will be featured on the site each Tuesday.

You can check out our first post, about Cara’s Spinach Strata with Sage and Gruyere, below.

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When I lived with a host family in Paris, day-old baguettes were deeply scorned. If we didn’t get through a whole one in a day, the remnants were tossed, or, worse, relegated to the oblivion of the freezer,…

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DISHES: Zucchini-Fennel Slaw; Tuna Burgers with Lemon Paprika Aioli
TYPE: Casual Weeknight Dinner
MAIN INGREDIENT: Preserved Lemons

Over the course of the past year, three of my close friends have been to and from Morocco. For me, this has meant lots of gifts, in the form of lots and lots of spices. I transferred most of them from their various plastic baggies, jars, and sacks into empty canisters on my spice rack. And now that time has passed and the Berber blends have doubled, I have no idea…

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FRUIT-FILLED MENU: Avocado Quesadillas with Peach Salsa; Chicken Marbella; Blueberries in Lemon Cream

On Friday, Phoebe opined on one of the best ways to use up summer vegetables (zucchini and scallions; fry them into patties). Today, I’ve got another aspect of summer’s bounty on my plate–two kinds of fruit–and they’re figments of Phoebe’s worst nightmare. She is, as you may or may not know yet, our resident fruit hater.

Last summer, I combined the plentiful peach harvest with the almost-as-abundant blueberry yield into a pie that was enjoyed, even

…

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OTHER WAYS TO USE YOUR ZUCCHINI: Zucchini-Shallot Frittata; Green Goddess Soup with Zucchini, Chard, and Cilantro; Baked Orzo Ratatouille; Mediterranean Vegetable Hash; Squash Chips with Basil and Balsamic Drizzle; Parlsey Zucchini

The other day, a friend of my family came over for dinner and brought with him one fat kid of a zucchini from his garden. It might have been larger than my femur. He advised my mother to break it down into slices and slowly roast them at a low temperature, 250 degrees, for around 2 hours. She obediently followed…

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OTHER MOROCCAN MEALS: Merguez and Green Chard Tagine; Fish Tagine with Chourmula, Preserved Lemons, and Mint; Moroccan Bouillabaisse

It’s a pleasure, when traveling, to be able to stay in someone’s home. You see a neighborhood where locals live, which is nice, but most important is that you get to buy food in the market. When I’m staying at hotels, I make a point of visiting local markets, but they are barren excursions. I wander, aimless, wishing I could buy beautiful and exotic ingredients. But there is nothing to do with them in a hotel room. I settle for some street food–crispy flatbreads, little sweets, or juice–take a picture, and move on.

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DISH: Sweet Pea Ravioli with Scallion Cream Sauce
TYPE: Sunday Night Dinner
MAIN INGREDIENT: Pea Puree, Wonton Skins, Cream

Wonton skins are truly a random, unwanted leftover’s best friend. I discovered using them for making ravioli a few months ago, and it really opened up a world of possibility, giving a second life to the odds and ends in my fridge. With all the testing for the book, there has been a constant array of leftovers in stacked plastic containers. I usually welcome these bits and pieces.…

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