Years ago I had a seafood risotto at a restaurant on the Grand Canal of Venice (back in the cushy days of business trips with expense accounts) that was so silky, so luscious, so creamy yet still light, I didn’t know what hit me. I ate every grain with a stunned and happy look on my face and still remember that risotto more than what was inside St. Mark’s....
If you travel the countryside of Sicily, you’d be hard pressed not to notice olive groves dotting the landscape, vineyards along hillsides, capers growing wild, a variety of citrus trees, and olive oil producers from coast to coast. These are just some of the treasures that have put Sicily on the culinary map, and all of them play a role in making this a winner of a recipe. This tender, tasty one-skillet chicken dish borrows the best from the Sicilian kitchen....
You can expect to get about 35 to 40 golf ball-sized meatballs. This is the perfect size to serve over pasta for a weeknight dinner (and freeze some for later), set out for a party snack (football season anyone?), or feed an army for Sunday supper. The sauce is made from pantry staples like canned crushed tomatoes, with a little crushed red pepper to add just a bit of heat....
There are the expected—kebabs, corn dogs and popsicles—and the whimsical—jello shots, potato chips, and my visual favorite, spaghetti and meatballs. All on a stick. It’s a seriously fun book, and even if you don’t ever try to make some of the more unusual stick foods, just the idea of them may make you smile. At my last somewhat larger than normal gathering at my house, I decided to try out a few recipes from Matt’s book....
The best part is that they’re easy to prepare and most of the time spent is hands-off, waiting for the dough to rise. Simply knead the dough in a stand mixer, let the dough rise, shape, rise again, and they’re ready to bake. Sourdough Starter Versus Yeast While commercial yeast is one isolated strain of yeast for bread baking, sourdough is a culture of wild yeasts and good bacteria present in the environment and your flour....
My friend Suzanne has been teaching me some of her favorite recipes this summer (lucky me!), and this spicy black bean recipe from the fabulous Field of Greens Cookbook is one she couldn’t wait to share. Suzanne usually makes a big batch for her family (husband and three hungry teenagers included) with enough for some leftovers during the week. The beans have layers of chili flavor, balanced with zesty orange, lime, and cilantro....
The Best Dough for This Pizza There are many different pizza dough recipes out there, but for my money (and time) I like No-Knead Pizza Dough. Generally, I’ll make it a day in advance so it has plenty of time to rise slowly. Then I take it out at least an hour before I’m ready to make pizza so it can come to room temperature. If you don’t want to bother with homemade dough, you can buy dough at most supermarkets these days, or if you have a local pizzeria, they will most likely sell you a few dough balls for a few bucks....
Turn Pineapple Peels Into Tepache Originally made with corn, tepache dates to the pre-Columbian era, but has since evolved into a version with pineapple. Tepache is a fermented drink with a low alcohol content (2% to 3%), similar in style to a kombucha; in fact, I’d say it’s even easier to make. The added sugar combined with the bacteria and wild yeast cultures on the pineapple skin create a light carbonation within 2 to 5 days....
What Is in Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps? This recipe consists of ground chicken cooked with vegetables such as red onion, diced zucchini, and red bell peppers, seasoned with teriyaki sauce. It also works with whatever vegetables you have on hand. Feel free to improvise! I like using butter lettuce as wraps, but any kind of lettuce works. You can even use collard greens or Swiss chard. How to Make and Store Teriyaki Sauce The chicken filling is flavored with a homemade teriyaki sauce....
The best deep fryers make it simple to fry food from scratch. They are designed to be an all-inclusive appliance that is also easy to clean, safe to use, and packed full of features. Our top pick, the Cuisinart Deep Fryer, can hold a lot of food, has a built-in timer, and a lot of elements to keep large messes at bay. Thankfully, good ones are quite affordable, and they do not take up much real estate on your countertop....
However, anyone who regularly visits their local coffee shop can attest to the fact that espresso drinks aren’t cheap. If you’d like to cut your java bill by making your own espresso at home, then Nespresso, a company that produces user-friendly machines with single-serve pods to brew espresso, is about to become your best friend. For example, there’s their VertuoPlus + Aeroccino Bundle—an all-in-one, versatile workhorse with advanced features that we think is the company’s best offering....
As a bonus, many cheese graters can also be used beyond the world of fromage. Think potatoes for latkes or hash browns, veggies for salads or stir fry, and even citrus and spices. From coarse slices for casseroles to fine sprinkles for pasta, there are plenty of ways to get the job done, but only so many tools stand out among the rest. So I chose some of the top cheese graters available out there based on reviews and manufacturer information—and took them home to test....
What makes a good cheese knife? First, it should work with the cheese, not against it, and it shouldn’t make your precious cheeses crack or crumble. It should also be comfortable, easy to use, and, ideally, stylish in design. With these factors in mind, we took a look at the many cheese knives available out there and consulted Sid Cook, a certified Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker with Carr Valley Cheese, on what he thinks is worth your money....
Food waste is a tremendous problem here in the “Land of Plenty,” a moniker that’s becoming less accurate as supply chain issues continue to impact everything we use, cook, drink, and eat. According to Feeding America, during a normal year, 108 billion pounds of food is wasted in the United States—an embarrassing 40% of all the food created in this country. While this number includes what’s thrown away at restaurants and grocery stores, as well as food tossed by farmers, packers, and manufacturers, there’s a lot discarded unnecessarily at home, too....
Know What You’ll Say When Someone Offers You an Alcoholic Drink Doing some light legwork beforehand can go a long way in easing that pre-party stress. “Know what you’ll say when you’re offered a drink,” advises Joy Manning, a health writer and creator of @BetterWithoutBooze (and lucky us, she’s also a Simply Recipes contributor). “‘No, thank you,’ ‘I’m not drinking tonight,’ and ‘I’ll have a water’ are all enough. You can leave it at that!...
Salt is unique in the culinary galaxy. It’s the only mineral we use in cooking. It’s also a vital nutrient, helping the body maintain the balance of its body fluids, and aiding in nerve and muscle function Without it, we die. Also, salt makes things taste good. Too much salt isn’t great for you or your food, but just enough salt makes food sing. This guide is to help you decide which salt to buy and how much of it to use....
These are quick and easy cream biscuits. There is no need to carefully cut butter or shortening into the flour. You don’t even have to chill the biscuits before baking them. The biscuits are topped with a vegetarian mushroom gravy that is luscious, creamy, and delicious without being too rich and heavy. Traditionally, the gravy is made with crumbled sausage; this recipe imitates that flavor by calling for seasonings typically found in sausage: crushed red pepper flakes, fennel, and fresh thyme....
So fast that I got caught once as a boy purloining several. When I proclaimed my innocence, mum noted the powdered sugar on my face. Busted. The Best Nuts to Use for Snowball Cookies We always made these cookies with walnuts, but pecans are also customary. While we always called these “nut balls,” I’ve seen similar cookies called Mexican wedding cookies and Russian tea cakes. No matter what you call them, these cookies are addictive....
It’s often called the “queen of spices” because it’s one of the most expensive spices in the world. What is Cardamom and Where Is It Grown? Most cardamom is grown in India, Sri Lanka, and Guatemala. The spice is known for its use in Indian cuisines as whole pods and as a component of garam masala, but cardamom (particularly white cardamom) is also widely used in northern Europe in traditional Scandinavian breads and pastries like Stollen and Swedish Coffee Bread....
