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What is Swiss Chard? In the spectrum of greens, Swiss chard lies between spinach and kale — not as tender as spinach, not as tough as kale. But like spinach, you can easily sauté it in some olive oil in just a few minutes. The stems can be tough. You can either remove them and discard (or boil and toss with butter), if some of the stems are tender, just sauté them first before adding the leaves, to give them more cooking time....

We feasted on as many menu items as we could afford at the Union Oyster House and the No Name Restaurant, and $5/lb lobsters I would buy from the Italian fish monger across the street from where I lived in the North End. One dish I could never get enough of was “chowdah”. Clam chowder, fish chowder, seafood chowder, whatever, I loved it. The word chowder is thought to come from the French “chaudiere”, which is basically a large pot or cauldron used to cook stews like this....

A typical theme throughout many of the recipes include soaking dried fruit in alcohol, as well as some manner of candied citrus folded within the various doughs. As far as spices, cardamom shows up often, and white pepper makes a surprise appearance, as well. If you can imagine how wonderful it would be to see your table full of a towering Panettone, a swirled Chocolate Babka, and glazed Pfeffernüsse Spice Cookies then engage that holiday spirit and make it happen....

But, the true stars of today’s salad are the black ripe olives. These olives have a firm texture that can stand up to a few hours in a lunch box. Plus, they have a uniquely mild and smooth flavor thanks to a processing technique that’s unique to California ripe olives – no bitter-tasting olives here! The olives actually soak up the flavors of the dressing and other ingredients, making each bite burst with flavor....

Why Grill Asparagus? The smoky flavor, the char marks. Tender, but still with a little crunch. Grilled asparagus is seriously so good! I could eat it like French fries (and have). The best thing about grilling asparagus? It’s so easy. You don’t need anything more than thick asparagus spears, olive oil, salt, and a hot grill. It just takes a few minutes to get some char. More Ways to Enjoy Asparagus Roasted Asparagus Boiled Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan Baked Asparagus with Parmesan...

This recipe departs from typical satay in that it features tofu rather than meat as the star ingredient. Though mild in flavor, tofu absorbs the marinade like a champ and remains tender even under the heat of the grill. I serve it with a spicy peanut sauce made from ingredients you can easily find at a big box supermarket. The marinade is made with fresh ginger and garlic, along with curry powder and turmeric for color and flavor....

Homemade Noodle Cups Make Lunch Easy! I eat pretty much the same thing for breakfast every morning with few variations and I don’t mind that. Lunch is another story altogether. If I’m clever enough to plan ahead, I might just have enough leftovers from last night’s dinner to take for lunch, but believe it or not, meals in our house are often last minute throw-together affairs and the leftover options are often pretty thin....

But for those of us that occasionally make recipes calling for a large amount of ricotta, there aren’t any 2-pound tubs available, just tiny plastic containers in the supermarket. You can find very good ricotta by taking a trip to an Italian épicerie, although if you need a large quantity, you’ll quickly find yourself headed for the maison des pauvres. (The Poor House.) Making ricotta really is easy and for the price of a quart or two of milk, you can have a lovely mound of freshly-made, still-warm ricotta with very little effort....

The organization uses its fleet of refrigerated trucks to rescue perishable food from over 70 food vendors in the area. Vendors include everything from grocery stores to warehouses to caterers, with the food going directly from point A to point B without a stop in a warehouse, ensuring it is as fresh as possible when it reaches partner agencies. The key to Saving Grace’s distribution system is their dedicated truck drivers....

Then there’s the question about food rituals. The ink is dry on other traditional holiday menus throughout the year. Chocolate is gifted on Valentine’s Day. And after the egg hunt, deviled eggs are served on Easter. The grills are fired up for hot dogs and barbecue on Independence Day. Turkey is the centerpiece on Thanksgiving and Christmas tables. But when it comes to dishes to serve during the weeklong Kwanzaa festivities, the menu is still being written....

These buttery biscuits rise and are flaky; the flour does not impart any of the grittiness that gluten-free flours can sometimes have. It is the real world, the one we live in, populated with grocery stores and online recipes and food shopping and other ways to buy the ingredients you need to make the likes of a gluten-free biscuit. It is happening! The only “special” ingredient you need is a gluten-free flour mix that you can buy at most supermarkets....

1. Make and Proof the Dough Before you begin shaping the rolls, you’ll need to make the dough, cover it, and let it rise. Some recipes call this first rise the bulk proof or first proof. Before you even uncover the risen dough, make sure you have a clean work surface, a bit of flour, and a sharp chef’s knife or bench scraper on hand. A kitchen scale is helpful too, especially if you want evenly sized rolls....

How to steam broccoli so that it comes out perfectly every time? Video: How to Make Steamed Broccoli Tips for Steaming Perfect Broccoli The most important thing to know about steaming broccoli is that cooking the broccoli any more than seven minutes tops risks overcooking it. After seven minutes the broccoli will turn olive green, instead of that beautiful vibrant green color we want. So, to make sure the broccoli is perfectly cooked, here are a couple tips:...

Of everything we prepared that morning, a simple pan fried haddock with this lemon-garlic butter sauce was the most delectable. To make the sauce first you combine clam juice (can sub chicken stock), milk, dry sherry, shallots, and garlic. Bring it all to a simmer and let it boil until it has reduced by half. In a separate pan, make a roux with a tablespoon each of butter and flour....

After weeks of tending, harvesting, and then cleaning the fruits of my labor, I’m ready to prepare them in the simplest of ways. I don’t want to worry about food; I want to enjoy a meal with the people I’m feeding. Besides, more often than not, fresh produce needs little more than a salad dressing and a good toss to turn it into something for the table. Lentils + Summer Veggies = Summer Salad Template Out of habit (or maybe necessity), I usually cook large batches of lentils, grains, or beans on the weekend, and then combine them with various vegetables to enjoy throughout the week....

Sweet mangoes have a rich and creamy texture that balance beautifully with bright tart lime juice. The problem you can encounter when making homemade sorbet is that it can become hard and icy if stored for any period of time. Alcohol Is the Secret to Creamy Homemade Sorbet The mango helps a bit with this, but if you don’t plan to eat the sorbet right away, it really makes a difference to add a couple tablespoons of some sort of high alcohol content liquor to the sorbet....

So, I have soft spot for berries. They are hand held. They are super concentrated in flavor. They work great in both savory and sweet applications. They preserve well, freeze well, and jam up well. That is, when you’re not doing like Little Sal in the childhood favorite book Blueberries for Sal—eating all the ones you pick so there are none to put away for the winter! (Kerplink, Kerplank, Kerplunk!...