Yes, I’m a Lidia Bastianich fan. I love the pace of her PBS show “Lidia’s Kitchen,” that recently started its tenth season. The programs move along to keep my attention but go slow enough to see how she prepares the dishes from start to finish. Her enthusiasm for Italian food and scratch cooking is contagious. Making her pasta dish that…
Cathy Thomas
YUM-OH-LAH! This delectable open-faced sandwich requires a slice of toasted rustic whole-grain bread as a crisp foundation. What is rustic bread? It’s not easy to define. Some might describe it as artisanal without any preservatives. It’s sold unsliced, usually in round or oval shapes. The bread has a crusty exterior and an interior with a chewy texture. Atop the toast…
Pomegranate passion. For me it started at an early age when I pilfered one from a neighbor’s yard, a beauty found on the ground under the tree. It was cracked and revealed 2 or 3 rows of glistening crimson seeds. Years later I apologized to the owners for the larceny. Grinning, they accepted by tearful confession, telling me I wasn’t…
Brussels sprouts are a lot more versatile than we often give them credit for. One of my favorite ways to serve them is raw, an approach many cooks overlook. The secret is to slice them into thin ribbons and then toss in flavorful vinaigrette. The easiest way to slice is to first make a shallow trim at the base where…
Chicken can make a delicious taco filling, but boneless, skinless chicken breasts can lack flavor bling. Chipotle chilies canned in adobo sauce adds both flavor and aroma to the poaching liquid. Chipotles are smoked, dried jalapeno chilies and they add an enticing rich smokiness. More add-ins heighten flavor, too, including garlic, orange juice and Worchester sauce, plus a smidgen of…
The counterpoint of sweet Port-infused roasted grapes and tangy cheese make these nibbles a delectable treat. They can be served as appetizers or as an after-dinner cheese course. A blue cheese spread is smeared atop small portions of toasted bread and then topped with a generous scoop of the roasted orbs. The sharp, salty taste of the blue cheese is…
After all these years, this is still one of my favorite appetizer spreads! Serve it with apple slices, crackers, or slices of baguette (toasted or fresh)! Six-Layer Bombay CheeseYield: about 30 servings8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated1/2 teaspoon curry powderGarnishes:1/2 cup mango chutney2 tablespoons unsweetened flaked coconut1/4 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped, see cook’s notes1…
LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED … Five minutes and you have starters that are as delicious as they are glamorous. These beauties are lavash (bought at Trader Joe’s) spread with cream cheese and rolled around watercress (or arugula) and pickled ginger. EASY. Ginger Roll-UpsYield: 16 servingsOne (8-ounce) plus one (3-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature2 (9-by-12-inch) sheets of lavash, see…