Eating well: recipes -- amNY.com

August 19, 2008

Back to the seed: Great tastes from heirloom tomatoes

After seven weeks of being battered in the news and banned from menus, the tomato was absolved late last month of the sin of salmonella when the outbreak traced to jalapenos.

August 5, 2008

Payard's tofu touch

French chefs may be a great many things, but they are not, as a rule, passionate vegetarians.

July 29, 2008

The Fifth Taste Turns 100

It's one of those buzzwords that everyone talks about but few can explain.

July 22, 2008

Orange salad with almonds -- perfect for summer

When the mere reading of a cookbook recipe index is cause enough to linger, its author must be doing something right.

July 15, 2008

A (healthy) fast-food breakfast

To keep free of Starbucks temptation or a mealless morning, I whip-up this easy to make, healthy alternative to the greasy and calorie-laden breakfast sandwiches at fast-food joints and in the frozen food aisle. It beats the monotony of oatmeal.

July 1, 2008

Grilling with Mario Batali

Summer means the heat is on--and grills all over town are being fired up for that all-American activity -- barbecuing. Haven't got a backyard, you say? Never mind. we've got you covered (see: Where to get your grill on).

June 10, 2008

Commerce's Harold Moore makes pasta

Michelin star winner Chef Harold Moore has logged time at some of NYC's most famous restaurants, including the demanding kitchens of Montrachet, Jean-Georges, and March. Moore's ascent in the NYC culinary scene occurred step by step, as he moved from intern all the way up to sous chef.

May 13, 2008

Secrets of the Green Market

Now that summer is on the horizon, it's time to abandon some of your bad habits. First off, skip the supermarket food and head to the Greenmarket. Secondly, now is a prime time to get to know the farmers who raise your food.

May 20, 2008

The love of bread with Vikas Khanna

When I told Vikas Khanna, the executive chef at Indian eatery Purnima in Midtown, that I wanted to discuss bread, he became very animated.

June 16, 2008

How to stretch a shrimp

Shrimp is a prime ingredient for summer cooking, but cheap it isn't. We suggest you pair it up with rice or pasta, and add a few vegetables; a pound bag will give you enough shrimp to feed four. Here's how to do it.

June 3, 2008

Make your own fro-yo

With so many new fro-yo shops in town -- Yolato, Pinkberry, and Red Mango among them -- it seems clear that more and more New Yorkers are treating themselves to the tasty ice cream alternative.

May 27, 2008

Top steaks from chef Ricardo Cardona

Chef Ricardo Cardona is known for his flavor-packed Latin American cuisine -- pleasing diners at popular restaurants like 809 Sangria Bar & Grill, Sofrito, and Lua (in NJ). These days, Cardona mans the grill at The Hudson River Café (697 W. 133rd St; 212-491-9111), a sprawling, 6,000-square-foot restaurant in Harlem boasting killer water views, a huge outdoor rooftop, and a brand new stainless-steel grill.

May 6, 2008

A great salad for Mother's Day

Alex Guarnaschelli struggles to keep from rolling her eyes when asked about Butter's recent appearance on "Gossip Girl" as the characters' go-to restaurant.

April 28, 2008

Chef Al Di Meglio's springtime risotto

New York's Hudson Valley may be miles away from Italy, but that doesn't stop chef and co-owner Al Di Meglio from combining the traditions of both regions at Olana, the Flatiron restaurant that opened in February. Though in many ways the venue is a tribute to the ingredients and produce of the area (the restaurant's name refers to the estate of Hudson Valley painter Frederic Church), Di Meglio doesn't want to be pegged to the now- ubiquitous "locally grown" tag.

April 22, 2008

Cooking with Cafe Boulud's Gavin Kaysen

Five months ago, puckish, 28-year-old Gavin Kaysen arrived on a red-eye from San Diego, where he'd been whipping up European fare at El Bizcocho that earned him a "Best New Chef" award from Food & Wine Magazine. By the next day, he was helming the kitchen of venerated Upper East Side eatery Café Boulud, taking over from predecessor Bertrand Chemel.

April 15, 2008

Cooking for Passover

Passover is the time of year when Jews and gentiles alike will turn their thoughts to Jewish cuisine.

April 7, 2008

Salmon roe from 15 East

Sushi can take any number of forms, from a six-pack of California rolls at your local deli, to melt-in-your-mouth pillows of just-off-the-boat snapper.

April 1, 2008

Recipe: Vegetarian Tacos with Jicama Tortilla

Ingredients:

Making artisanal sausage at Esposito's

When Giovanni Esposito opened his Mulberry Street butcher shop in 1933, the neighborhood was the destination point for fresh meat and fish. Today, Giovanni Esposito & Sons, run by Giovanni's grandson, Robert Esposito and relocated to Hell's Kitchen, is one of a dying breed of specialty stores in the neighborhood that has maintained both its stellar reputation and its clientele.

March 18, 2008

Pastiera for Easter

Restaurateur Donatella Arpaia strutted into Mia Dona, the newest addition to her restaurant empire, at nine in the morning to prove to us that she could cook. Arpaia's culinary knowledge was never in doubt. As the co-owner of three highly regarded restaurants, including davidburke & donatella and the Michelin-starred Anthos, and a frequent guest on various Food Network shows, it is obvious she has a golden palate. We wondered if she was as good at making food as she was at tasting it.

February 26, 2008

In the kitchen at Fiamma

That the menu at Fiamma lists straightforward-sounding Italian dishes, such as 'Il Risotto' and 'Il Carpaccio' might cause some diners to assume they¹re eating in an Italian restaurant. Others will point to the creaminess of the dishes and the complexity of the ingredients as evidence that the establishment borrows from more international sources. As far as the chef, Fabio Trabocchi, is concerned, though his food doesn¹t fall into the traditional category of what we in America consider Italian food, that doesn¹t mean that¹s not what he¹s serving.

February 19, 2008

Steaks fit for a president

When it comes to discussing presidential tastes, Walter Scheib, the former executive chef at the White House, likes to keep pretty mum.

February 12, 2008

A Valentine's Day dessert from P*Ong

Pichet Ong is laboriously smoothing the edges of a heart-shaped crème de la Coeur -- or, as Ong describes it, a "no-bake cheesecake."

February 5, 2008

A Korean dish for the New Year

Saerie Yoo Park sorted through a pile of her favorite traditional Korean ingredients.

January 29, 2008

"Miss Mamie" cooks fried chicken

Thirty years ago, Norma Jean Darden was a model at Wilhemina agency, more concerned with keeping her size 4 figure than with mastering hush puppies. That was until a Vogue editor suggested she write a cookbook. What followed was a culinary expedition through the South that uncovered both her family's history and some delicious recipes.

January 22, 2008

Borscht at the Russian Tea Room

There is something comforting about entering the Russian Tea Room, in the same way there is something comforting about black-and-white movies. Both serve as a somewhat melancholy reminder of the way things used to be.

August 14, 2007

In the kitchen at Cones

When Raul and Oscar D'Aloisio left their native Buenos Aires to open up a gelato shop in New York, they knew they were taking a chance. For starters, the Argentine brothers had no culinary training (Raul was an architect, while Oscar worked in construction).

September 12, 2007

The city's best cheesecake

For those who love cheesecake -- I assume that's everybody who's still alive -- it's well worth traveling miles out of the way for even a single velvety slice of it. Fortunately, we've made sure you won't have to: Wonderful cheesecake abounds in almost all of they city's boroughs.

January 15, 2008

A casserole from Hill Country

For most of us city dwellers not raised in the south, the idea of entertaining guests with a casserole seems laughable. We equate the dish with something base: processed food. In our minds, casseroles are often made with Campbell's soup. To a Southerner, however, it's standard potluck fare.

November 23, 2007

NYC's sexiest chefs

In September, we asked our readers to nominate candidates for the sexiest male and female chefs in the city.

October 30, 2007

At Provence. it's game time

Eight months ago, Marc Meyer and Vicki Freeman added Provence, a charming West Village restaurant, to their list of culinary holdings, which includes Cookshop and Five Points. The husband-and-wife team had a sentimental reason for buying the restaurant: Eleven years ago, they got engaged there.

October 23, 2007

Make your own Halloween treats

Halloween may be one of the most opportunistic holidays of the year: It¹s a legitimate reason to dress up and one of the few times you¹re actually expected to gorge yourself on candy. But there¹s one opportunity that is often overlooked: The occasion to bond with your kids.

August 29, 2007

Steak frites to die for

While you can¹t throw a stone without hitting a French bistro in this town, the same can¹t be said for a quality serving of steak frites. This en francais version of meat and potatoes calls for soft, fall-off-the-bone-tender beef, and thin, crisp fries. Here's where to get them.

August 1, 2007

Cool soups for a hot summer

If only the weather could make up its mind. One day it pours, the next day it swelters. While the cold days put one in the mood for soup, the warm days dictate it be of the chilled, soothing variety. Below, we¹ve listed some the city¹s best cool soups.

June 5, 2007

Michael Ayoub's perfect pizza

Michael Ayoub¹s career path has been pretty atypical, if not downright backward. Formerly of Cucina in Park Slope, Ayoub abandoned haute cuisine and decided instead to develop his own version of high-end pizza Currently, he runs Fornino in Williamsburg and Cronkite on the Lower East Side.