07/08/2009

River Falls Restaurant: Ma Glockner’s chicken — and so much more
WOONSOCKET — For more than two decades Ed Jacques, of Ed’s Barber Shop in Providence, had extolled the virtues of Ma Glockner’s chicken to me. He rhapsodized about the tender, moist chicken and the crispy skin created by Ma’s special secret recipe that had kept generations coming back to her restaurant in Bellingham, Mass., since 1937. Chicken served with a salad, a heaping plate of French fries, and the best cinnamon rolls this side of heaven were the only items on Ma’s menu for years. Although the place later changed hands and other things were added to the menu, chicken still took center plate.

07/09/2009

Providence Restaurant Weeks
The third annual Providence Restaurant Weeks dining event is just days away, offering deals from July 12-25. More than 75 restaurants will offer three-course, fixed-price lunches for $12.95 and dinners for $29.95.

07/08/2009

Times are tough, but several new restaurants show hospitality business remains hungry for success
Bobby Flay has arrived from New York. Frank Pepe is in from New Haven. Eleven Forty Nine has a new sibling in Seekonk. A new-wave BYOB Mexican restaurant has come to Newport, and Vanderbilt Hall has a new dining room. Oakland Beach has another spot for clam cakes and more, and a family opened the doors for Italian food and hot dogs in Cranston. Providence’s North Main Street has a new Asian Palace. Little Compton’s Stone House opens with two eating establishments. And that is hardly all the news.

You can make better burgers Bobby Flay’s way
Today’s cooking class comes from Bobby Flay and it can’t be more appropriate to the season.

Cool summer suppers
Summer is the time for three things: Pulling weeds, running through sprinklers and long languorous suppers in the fresh nighttime air.

Food Notes by Gail Ciampa
This week and weekend

World of Flavors Competition Sunday in Providence
The World of Flavors Competition is set for Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Bank of America Skating Center at Kennedy Plaza, Providence. More than 30 local restaurants will be serving samples to guests and competing for a prize package in one of four categories.

Providence Restaurant Weeks
The third annual Providence Restaurant Weeks are just days away, offering deals from July 12-25. More than 75 restaurants will offer three-course, fixed price lunches for $12.95 and dinners for $29.95. The list of restaurants, as well as detailed menus and reservation options are found at providencerestaurantweeks.com. Don’t forget the “s” in weeks when looking for the Web site.

A fresh approach to blueberry pie
Two years ago, Diana Travisono of Jamestown shared with me a family recipe for a wonderful no-bake blueberry pie. It came from her Aunt Molly, whose real name was Amalia Femino.

Recipe: Aunt Molly’s Unbaked Blueberry Pie
AUNT MOLLY’S UNBAKED BLUEBERRY PIE

Lemon lovers’ spaghetti
This recipe sounded light and different — not something I would have thought of doing with spaghetti, but something simple enough for a young kid to like.

Recipe: Pucker Up P’sghetti
PUCKER UP P’SGHETTI

Dinner tours recreate tasty moments in Newport’s history
The Newport Restoration Foundation presents a culinary journey through three centuries of gardens and dining with events at three of its historic sites. Each evening will begin with a short guided stroll through the site’s garden where participants will learn about gardening techniques and traditional foods and then enjoy food and drink prepared by local chefs.

Vinaigrette, for the well-dressed salad
It takes longer to spell vinaigrette than it does to make it. Vinegar. Oil. Salt. Pepper. Mix it up. Splash it on the season’s first greens.

Recipe: Basic Vinaigrette
BASIC VINAIGRETTE

Recipe: Pineapple-Sesame Vinaigrette
PINEAPPLE-SESAME VINAIGRETTE

Recipe: Chipotle-marinated Steak Skewers
CHIPOTLE-MARINATED STEAK SKEWERS

Recipe: Pineapple, Black Bean and Habanero Salsa
PINEAPPLE, BLACK BEAN AND HABANERO SALSA

Recipe: Chile Mango Spears
CHILE MANGO SPEARS

Recipe: Strawberry Sandwiches
STRAWBERRY SANDWICHES

Vague amounts in recipes explained for the novice
Q. Can you help me with vague amounts that are used in recipes? How big is a sprig of thyme? How much basil is in a bunch? What is a medium onion or a small onion?

07/01/2009

Restaurant Scene: Expanded menu lifts Tortilla Flats
Raise your hand if you’ve driven by Tortilla Flats on Hope Street in Providence and thought, “Why haven’t I ever been there?”

Embassies will celebrate the Fourth with taste of R.I.
They’ll be raising glasses of Rhode Island wine at the U.S. Embassies in the Ukraine and on Barbados for their July 4th festivities.

Food Notes
This week and weekend

Projo food blog, tweets at your service
Follow the local food scene with Food Editor Gail Ciampa at foodblog.projo.com and with tweets at Twitter.com/gailciampa.

06/29/2009

Route 95’s Big Blue Bug gets a summer treat
The Big Blue Bug will be enjoying an 8-foot-tall Awful Awful for the next four weeks.

07/01/2009

Chef’s Secret: Citrus Shrimp from Tom’s Market is delicious on the deck
Tom’s Market of Coventry sends out one of the best e-mail newsletters you’ll ever read. I know the whole point is to share the weekly specials and get shoppers into the store, but it doesn’t make me feel like I’m reading advertising. Instead, it seems as though I’m talking to my neighbor in the backyard — a foodie neighbor.

CITRUS SHRIMP WITH SPICY COLESLAW
CITRUS SHRIMP WITH SPICY COLESLAW

SPICY SLAW
SPICY SLAW

Lowly hot dog gets the scholarly treatment
Hot Dog: A Global History, by Bruce Kraig (University of Chicago Press, $15.95).

Simple summer pound cake — with cherries
Confession: I’m a cake-mix person.

Recipe: Lemon Pound Cake with Cherry Compote
LEMON POUND CAKE WITH CHERRY COMPOTE

Corn bread and berries make refreshing summer cake
This is an interpretation of a summer pudding, which is usually made with white bread and macerated fruit. The corn bread recipe comes right off the box of Quaker brand yellow cornmeal. Corn bread and berries form this “cake.”

Recipe: Berry Corn Bread Cake
BERRY CORN BREAD CAKE

R.I. chef Nick Rabar will compete in New Orleans seafood contest
Nick Rabar of Chow Fun Food Group will represent Rhode Island at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans on Saturday, July 18.

Hot-pot country-style ribs an economical option
Country-style ribs are not only an economical option for those who like barbecue, they’re also good for slow cooking. We’ve often braised them in barbecue sauce (for a super-easy dish), but I was intrigued by this recipe from the new book Cheater BBQ, in which the ribs are coated with dry rub, drizzled with liquid smoke and baked in a very hot Dutch oven.

Recipe: Hot-Pot Country-Style Ribs
HOT-POT COUNTRY-STYLE RIBS

Chicken, artichoke and pasta dish captures flavor of Mediterranean
Jill Patterson Tolbert of Decatur, Ga., contributed this recipe for a healthful pasta dish that is quick to prepare and captures yummy Mediterranean flavors.

Recipe: Chicken Artichoke Pasta
CHICKEN ARTICHOKE PASTA

Twinkie Pie is a red, white and blue patriotic treat
I have nothing but happy memories about Twinkies, but I don’t ever eat or buy them because they can’t possibly match what I remember.

Recipe: Patriotic Twinkie Pie
PATRIOTIC TWINKIE PIE

06/25/2009

Silvio’s both elegant and family friendly
JOHNSTON — The same family has been serving Italian fare at Silvio’s for 42 years, which may be as much of an endorsement as anyone needs in a world where restaurants come and go with a sudden change in menu trends.

06/24/2009

A ‘Ritzy’ mock apple pie
It fascinated me when I was a child in the 1960s.

Recipe: Ritz Mock Apple Pie
RITZ MOCK APPLE PIE

Recipe: Ritz Upside-Down Mock Apple Pie
RITZ UPSIDE-DOWN MOCK APPLE PIE

75 years of Ritz Crackers
Ritz crackers are 75 years old this year. They were introduced on Nov. 21, 1934. Here are some fun facts.

Food for thought by Gail Ciampa: Books to work up an appetite at the beach
Does anybody else think it’s a bit creepy to get an e-mail from a bookseller suggesting a purchase?

Thomas Tew Rum revives a corner of R.I.’s triangle trade
For years, rum formed one leg of the infamous triangle trade — Caribbean molasses to Rhode Island, rum to Africa, slaves to the Caribbean, until it died out in the middle of the 19th century.

Recipe: Champagne Punch
CHAMPAGNE PUNCH

Recipe: Skinny Rum Punch
SKINNY RUM PUNCH

Recipe: Bahama Mama
BAHAMA MAMA

Recipe: Bajito
BAJITO

Recipe: The Beachbum
THE BEACHBUM

Food Notes by Gail Ciampa
This week and weekend

Providence Restaurant Weeks is a chance to try someplace new, July 12-25
The 3rd annual Providence Restaurant Weeks will be held July 12-25.

Welcome to the Luxe Burger Bar in downtown Providence
The Citron Wine Bar & Bistro is no more, but the Luxe Burger Bar opened in Providence on Tuesday across from the Capital Grille.

Rehoboth cook’s asparagus recipe will be sent to White House
Amy McCoy of Rehoboth, Mass., is the grand-prize winner in RegionalBest.com’s Asparagus Lovers Unite for Obama! The recipe contest sought to find the best asparagus recipe in the nation. McCoy’s recipe, “Pancetta, Asparagus and Sun Dried Tomato Sandwich,” was chosen from more than 100 recipes.

Recipe: Amy McCoy’s Pancetta, Asparagus and Sundried Tomato Sandwich
Amy MCCoy’s Pancetta, Asparagus and Sundried Tomato Sandwich

Tortilla pizza is an easy kid-pleaser
This may look like an ordinary pizza, but it’s actually made from layered tortillas — thanks to a recipe tip from Judith Wilson Burkes, who writes the blog “Having a Unique Family” and thought my kids might like it.

Recipe: Quick Tortilla Pizza
QUICK TORTILLA PIZZA

Chef’s Secret: Work your own magic with The Barking Crab’s prize-winning chowder
When I saw Newport’s The Barking Crab Restaurant won the “Most Spirited” people’s choice award and second place for clam chowder in the annual Schweppes Great Chowder Cook-Off earlier this month at the Newport Yachting Center, I thought it would be a recipe we’d like to see, because I couldn’t help wondering what a spirited chowder tastes like.

Recipe: The Barking Crab’s Clam Chowder, Almost
THE BARKING CRAB’S CLAM CHOWDER, ALMOST

06/23/2009

Bickford’s closes its last R.I. restaurant
The chain, which once maintained a major presence in New England, closes its restaurant in Warwick.

Alan Rosenberg: The Big Apple of my eye is no longer
Hot out of the restaurant oven, its sweet, dense dough covered with tart slices of baked apple, then topped with a thick better-than-syrup Saigon cinnamon glaze. When I was growing up, that was my family’s ultimate breakfast treat — the plate-sized, more-than-enough-for-a-meal Apple Pancake at Walker Bros., The Original Pancake House.

06/20/2009

Chef at New Rivers Restaurant makes a tasty dish out of wild mushrooms
Confronted with a food item he had never seen before, Beau Vestal of Providence’s New Rivers Restaurant rises to the occasion.

06/18/2009

Dining out: Providence’s Cafe; Noir is sophisticated, yet comfy, with big flavors
Café Noir is an elegant bistro serving French specialties with sophisticated flair. So naturally the dinner check is accompanied by a stick of blue cotton candy worthy of any carnival.

06/17/2009

Grill recipes for Father’s Day
It’s time to head out to the grill and get this summer started. Father’s Day offers the perfect opportunity to bring out the meat, beer and a sweet finish for a gathering of family or friends.

Recipe: Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos
GRILLED SKIRT STEAK TACOS

Recipe: Buttery Lemon Chicken
BUTTERY LEMON CHICKEN

Recipe: Loaded Baked Idaho Potato Salad
LOADED BAKED IDAHO POTATO SALAD

Recipe: Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach and Dried Tomatoes
PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS STUFFED WITH SPINACH AND DRIED TOMATOES

Recipe: Cran-Pomegranate Sangria
CRAN-POMEGRANATE SANGRIA

Recipe: Green Lantern
GREEN LANTERN

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

Recipe: BBQ Apple Pie
BBQ APPLE PIE

Allergy sufferers can still dine well with healthful alternatives
Christine Doherty’s body won’t tolerate wheat gluten. She’s allergic to corn and eggs. And her daughter has soy allergies.

Food Notes, June 17
This week and weekend

Teams face off at barbecue party at Foxwoods
The Phantom Gourmet TV cooking team hosts a BBQ Beach Party at MGM Grand at Foxwoods Friday, June 19, through Sunday, June 21. The event features barbecue teams from Australia to Texas.

Chef’s Secret: CAV’s meaty crab cake has crunchy crust and spicy sauce
When CAV hosted a 50th Reunion Sunday Brunch for Rhode Island College alumni, guests had choices of many dishes. Owner Sylvia Moubayed was surprised that half the guests selected the crab cake. She was not surprised when I told her a group from that party requested the recipe.

Recipe: CAV’s Pistachio Encrusted Crab Cake
CAV’S PISTACHIO ENCRUSTED CRAB CAKE

Recipe: Sriracha Aioli
SRIRACHA AIOLI

Recipe: Pistachio Rub
PISTACHIO RUB

What would Dad like better than grilled bratwurst with bacon?
This is a WYSIWYG recipe: The ingredients in the title are all there is to it.

Recipe: Brats With Cherries And Bacon
BRATS WITH CHERRIES AND BACON

06/10/2009

On Wine: Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand pairs well with a summer sunset
Every moment of the day feels special in the summer. The vibe is different driving home in still strong sunlight; the mood interesting when cooking dinner as the sun is just starting to set; the nights not as long when birds begin singing at 4 a.m.

On Wine: Six alternative whites for summer
Is the party over for Pinot Grigio? Will rosé be the rage or passé? Can prosecco sales continue to bubble upward? What will be the hot wines of summer?

Eight vineyards combine for Coastal Wine Trail
LITTLE COMPTON — On Sunday, Sakonnet Vineyards hosted the 2009 Coastal Wine Trail Kick Off, a two-hour tasting event featuring samples from eight wineries that have joined together to market their products and vineyards. They say that on any given day, a handful of vineyards in Rhode Island and Massachusetts are within your reach.

06/09/2009

Riverside clam shack recalls fun of less complicated times
EAST PROVIDENCE Once upon a time, a summery Saturday evening attracted thousands to Crescent Park for a night of food and fun.

06/10/2009

Seven tips will help you fight belly bloat
Extra fluid and gas can puff up even the fittest among us. Beyond eating right and exercising, here are some foods and drinks to avoid if you’re trying to deflate your tummy:

Three Providence Chinese restaurants were part of community’s fabric
It may be the tiniest exhibit you’ll ever see, but the Culinary Arts Museum’s “Chow Mein, Chicken Wings, and Cheeseburgers” show is sure to evoke a big wave of memories and nostalgia for the patrons of three Chinese restaurants that once reigned in Providence.

Food Notes
This week and weekend

Multicultural culinary competition set for July 12
Seth Resler is a Providence marketing specialist who looked around and thought Rhode Island, with its rich, ethnic food world, needed a multicultural culinary competition.

Two contests aimed at fans of lamb, phyllo dough
The American Lamb Board is holding its Get Your Grill On Video Competition. Fans of lamb can show off their most cherished grilling secrets from slow-smoked techniques to tried-and-true rubs. The winner receives a brand-new grill-on-the-go set, including grill tools and a portable grill for picnics and tailgating and a Labor Day bash barbecue package including lamb for six. Contestants should submit a three- to five-minute video showing how they get their grill on, specifying the recipe, what cut they used and why they love lamb. Videos will be accepted until July 13.

Salmon with goat cheese has French accent
Entertaining season is here, and you want something new to wake up your taste buds and impress friends, but you want to do it with a dish that’s easy to make.

Recipe: SALMON AND GOAT CHEESE TIMBALE WITH CHAMPAGNE SAUCE
SALMON AND GOAT CHEESE TIMBALE WITH CHAMPAGNE SAUCE

Chinese chicken salad has less fat, fewer calories
Kathy Huschka loves Chinese chicken salad, but she wanted to lighten up her recipe for it.

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD
CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

Food: Waist-friendly cassoulet a twist on a tasty classic
A classic French cassoulet is a stew of silky white beans simmered with aromatic vegetables and deliriously delicious high-fat meats, including roasted pork loin, braised lamb and homemade sausages.

Recipe: Bean and Vegetable Cassoulet with Brown Rice
BEAN AND VEGETABLE CASSOULET WITH BROWN RICE

06/04/2009

Restaurant review: Newport’s Brick Alley Pub is still cozy and colorful
NEWPORT — The Newport International Film Festival is in full swing through Sunday and filmmakers and filmgoers alike may be looking for an easy dining spot.

Newport Yachting Center’s Chowder Cook-Off is Saturday
The Newport Yachting Center’s International Schweppes Great Chowder Cook-Off is set for Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The festival includes all-you-can-eat chowder and music.

06/03/2009

Providence’s Ellen Brown is a seasoned writer and cook
Twenty-eight years ago, USA Today founder (and former Gannett chairman) Al Neuharth arrived at the Cincinnati Enquirer (Gannett’s largest paper).

Penny-pinching tips from a veteran cook
Ellen Brown’s passion for food isn’t limited to chefs and restaurants. From the time she joined the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1970, she has understood the home cook’s desire to prepare meals with the freshest, natural ingredients. But with the current economic challenges, there is a new urgency, which is why she wrote $3 Meals and is turning it into a series of books.

Recipe: Basic Oven-Fried Chicken
BASIC OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN

Recipe: Pizza Dough
PIZZA DOUGH

Recipe: Guinness Beef Stew
GUINNESS BEEF STEW

Recipe: Mexican Turkey Lasagna
MEXICAN TURKEY LASAGNA

Providence spot named fifth for best pizza in nation
Sometimes the story isn’t what you thought it would be. In reporting on the fact that Providence’s Bob & Timmy’s Grilled Pizza ranked number five on GQ magazine’s The 25 Best Pizzas You’ll Ever Eat, I learned that two longtime pizza makers bought the spot from original owner Tim Doyle.

Food Notes
This week and weekend

Celebrate with ‘Ciao Italia’ in Providence
Ciao Italia celebrates its 20th year on the air this year and chef Mary Ann Esposito and her crew are back in Rhode Island to tape a new season of shows at the Rhode Island PBS studios in Providence. Esposito invites the public into her kitchen for an up-close and personal visit Sunday, June 7, 4 to 5:30 p.m. The drop-in Meet and Greet will be at WSBE Rhode Island PBS, 50 Park Lane, Providence.

Meet Café Nuovo’s new top chef: Eric Flynn
Café Nuovo has a new executive chef. He is Eric Flynn, and he comes from the Mayacama, a private club in Santa Rosa, California wine country.

Home-brewed coffees can be as good as gourmet shop’s
Whether they’re watching their wallets or their waistlines, more consumers are getting their coffee at home these days.

Roasted red peppers add rich flavor to dishes
Roasted red bell peppers are among my favorite cheater ingredients. I call them cheater because once people taste them — or a dish with them in it — they think you’ve used some extravagant ingredient. They are packed with that much flavor.

Recipe: Pasta With Scallops and Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
PASTA WITH SCALLOPS AND ROASTED RED PEPPER PESTO

Fava beans find culinary stardom
Ever notice how one oddball ingredient seems to become an overnight sensation in the food world?

Recipe: Pasta with Fava Beans and Spring Vegetables
PASTA WITH FAVA BEANS AND SPRING VEGETABLES

Food Q&A: High-quality olive oils usually keep fresh longer
Q. I would love to keep a high-quality olive oil on hand to use with bread or as a garnish for soup. But as you have said, that kind of oil is used sparingly. Won’t it break down once it is opened? How long is the shelf life?

05/28/2009

Restaurant review: Warwick’s China Inn serves superb food at inexpensive prices
WARWICK — All I needed to see was a recent item in The Journal’s Food Notes column that the Chinese Restaurant News had named the Chow Mei Fun served at the China Inn as one of the “Top 100 Signature Asian Dishes” in the country, and I was making tracks to its Post Road door.

05/27/2009

Chef’s Secret: It takes patience to make Seven Stars’ olive bread
After reader Tony Marro attended Farm Fresh’s Wintertime Farmers’ Market at the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket, he noted that the olive bread from Seven Stars Bakery may have been the best bread he’d ever had. He thought it should be considered for the Chef’s Secret feature.

Recipe: Seven Stars’ Olive Bread
SEVEN STARS’ OLIVE BREAD

Food for Thought: Gail Ciampa: Summer break signals an end to an unharried life
So last fall my life changed. My twin sons went off to college. So did most of their friends. Of course I missed their happy faces. But our household food costs started falling faster than the stock market.

Blackstone Valley chefs open kitchens for ‘secret’ food tour
It’s time to hit the road and travel the world — foodwise, that is. And you don’t have to leave the state.

Food Notes: May 27
Classes

Cheese needs a little help to melt into a good dip
Q. What is your preferred method of melting cheese so you don’t get a congealed mess? My goal is a decent cheese dip.

Yogurt adds healthful twist to lemon poppy seed loaf
When it comes to baking light, yogurt is an ingredient workhorse.

Recipe: Lemon Yogurt Poppy Seed Loaf
LEMON YOGURT POPPY SEED LOAF

Food: Sausage-and-egg breakfast with only half the fat
One of my breakfast bowls gets your day off to a hearty start without the extra fat and calories that come with similar restaurant dishes.

Recipe: Sausage, Egg and Potato Breakfast Bowls
SAUSAGE, EGG AND POTATO BREAKFAST BOWLS

Frozen shrimp, zesty spices make quick work of North African dish
A bag of shrimp in the freezer is like a helping hand. It’s a great backup for those nights when you just can’t make it to the store to pick up dinner.

Recipe: North African Spiced Shrimp
NORTH AFRICAN SPICED SHRIMP

Versatile, fresh ginger can perk up veggies and bring sweet relief to tummies
As I plan a menu, I dig through my garden and pull out a few knobs of really ugly rhizomes. They are covered with mud, and I know that they are a treasure of flavor waiting to be rinsed and peeled.

Recipe: Ginger Soy Drizzle
GINGER SOY DRIZZLE

Get fill-up and order of fried chicken at Hartfort stations
HARTFORD, Conn. — Gasoline station cuisine tends toward uninspiring, on the rare occasions that it isn’t flat-out nasty: hot dogs turning on the rollers for heaven knows how long; nachos coated in congealing, orange cheese; limp, pre-made sandwiches packed full of nitrates, from lettuce to bread to “meat.”

05/21/2009

Dining Out: Making memories in sunny Spain
CRANSTON — One of the nicer things about the Ocean State is that even on a cool, dreary day you can drive to Spain for a quick pick me up. Steps from the restaurant’s parking lot on Reservoir Avenue and suddenly you’re in a courtyard in Old Spain. The place is almost always crowded. On our first of two recent weekday visits, there was a 45-minute wait for a table.Owner Felix Rodriguez, who once was a partner in the Spain restaurant in Narragansett and opened the Cranston facility in 1994, believes customers have kept coming, even in these trying times, because of “reputation and value.” Portions are generous and many customers left with leftovers. Prices are surprisingly moderate.

05/20/2009

Brewpubs add to flavor of Rhode Island
We live in the golden age of microbrews, craft beers made in small batches in interesting styles. Likewise these are days in which we revel in keeping it local and seasonal with our food purchases.

One man keeps things brewing at Mohegan Sun
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Mohegan Sun has its own Brew Pub in Uncasville, Conn. The freshly brewed beers are served at various establishments throughout the complex.

Espresso double-chocolate chunk cookies without the guilt
I split a Starbucks espresso fudge brownie with a friend recently, and here’s how we described it: “Oh, my heavenly yum!”

Recipe: Espresso Double-Chocolate Chunk Cookies
ESPRESSO DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

Food Notes: May 20
Opening

Get grilling with Emeril, and kick it up a notch
Make a little room on your bookshelf, and dust off the grill.

Dive in to marinades to punch up the flavor of foods
Marinade is one of those culinary terms that evokes an aura of kitchen mystique, as if throwing together a bunch of liquids, flavorings, herbs and spices will magically transform meat, fish or even vegetables into tender dishes bursting with flavor.

Recipe: Thai Coconut Chicken
THAI COCONUT CHICKEN

Recipe: Mediterranean Balsamic Chicken
MEDITERRANEAN BALSAMIC CHICKEN

Recipe: Caribbean Jerk Chicken
CARIBBEAN JERK CHICKEN

Recipe: Vietnamese-Style Chicken Wings
VIETNAMESE-STYLE CHICKEN WINGS

Recipe: Grilled Asparagus with Garlic
GRILLED ASPARAGUS WITH GARLIC

Chef’s Secret: Wildfire’s Chicken Scarpiello has Old World appeal
Kemmy wrote, “After a high school lacrosse game, three adults and three very hungry lacrosse players stopped at Wildfire in North Providence. My husband had a dish that he enjoyed so much he asked if I thought I could try to duplicate for him. It was boneless chicken breast, Italian sausage and potatoes (instead of the ubiquitous pasta), and had a light, lemony/olive oil sauce that he raved about. Wildfire does share some of their recipes online, but do you think they might share this one? We didn’t think to memorize the name of the dish. Thanks!”

Recipe: Wildfire’s Chicken Scarpiello
WILDFIRE’S CHICKEN SCARPIELLO

05/09/2009

Fast food the Latino way thrives on Providence’s Broad Street
PROVIDENCE — Where Broad Street straddles Elmwood and Lower South Providence is a bustling center of commerce of the small mom-and-pop variety. Latino grocery stores, hairdressers and restaurants serve a community that is more than 75 percent black and Hispanic.

05/14/2009

Federal Hill offers temptations for any palate
All those gallery visits can make a person hungry. But there is no better spot than Federal Hill to satisfy any craving. Here are restaurant capsules of recently reviewed spots in the neighborhood and a list of other spots that might tempt the palate.

05/13/2009

Unsung Superfoods
Step aside, blueberries, spinach and broccoli. It’s time to give unsung superfoods a chance.

Snackers everywhere worship Hungry Girl
WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. The country’s best-selling cookbook right now is for people who don’t really cook, written by a hyperkinetic 43-year-old former TV producer named Lisa Lillien, who once upon a time hated the fact that she couldn’t fit into her skinny jeans. “I was that person who would sit at the computer and eat an entire bag of fat-free pretzels and think I was doing a good thing,” Lillien says. “I wasn’t.”

Recipe: Freakishly Fantastic Faux-Fried Zucchini
FREAKISHLY FANTASTIC FAUX-FRIED ZUCCHINI

Recipe: H-O-T Hot Boneless Buffalo Wings
H-O-T HOT BONELESS BUFFALO WINGS

Recipe: Key Lime Mousse Pie
KEY LIME MOUSSE PIE

Stuffed lamb, vegetables an elegant spring menu
Time to dust off the good dishes to celebrate the arrival of spring. For cooks this welcome change of season is cause to replenish their dinner staples.

Recipe: Stuffed Leg of Lamb with Spinach and Goat Cheese
STUFFED LEG OF LAMB WITH SPINACH AND GOAT CHEESE

Recipe: Fresh Strawberry Tartlets
FRESH STRAWBERRY TARTLETS

Recipe: New Potatoes with Parsley
NEW POTATOES WITH PARSLEY

Recipe: Asparagus Salad and Mustard-Tarragon Vinaigrette
ASPARAGUS SALAD AND MUSTARD-TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE

Recipe: Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon
SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH LEMON

Tips for better cupcakes
TACOMA, Wash. — Today’s popular confections in the colorful paper cups are not your mother’s cupcakes.

Recipe: Krissie Bowman’s Cupcakes
KRISSIE BOWMAN’S CUPCAKES

Recipe: Buttercream Frosting
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Buttery madeleines will drive ’em nutty
These madeleines are light in texture and delicately flavored, the subtle nuttiness of the pistachios perfectly balanced by the clarified butter. The recipe is adapted from a recipe by Keswick Hall hotel, near Charlottesville, Va., and originally ran in 1999.

PISTACHIO MADELEINES
PISTACHIO MADELEINES

Tasty, healthful, better-than-fried chicken
This chicken recipe is a favorite of mine from several years ago, when I reviewed the American Dietetic Association cookbook Cooking Healthy Across America. This recipe has a much better nutritional profile than real fried chicken, because it’s soaked in buttermilk, coated in wheat germ with Parmesan cheese and spices, and baked. It’s not a super-crispy coating in the end, but the treatment makes for a tender piece of chicken.

OVEN “FRIED” CHICKEN
OVEN “FRIED” CHICKEN

05/06/2009

Rhode Island’s Glee Gum part of sustainable-harvest effort
When I read that Bon Appetit’s May issue picked its Best Eats in all 50 states, I was a bit taken aback by its choice of Glee Gum in the Triple Berry flavor for What to Buy in Rhode Island.

Two more picks from Ocean State’s menu by the folks at Bon Appetit magazine
Chewing gum isn’t the only story to be found in the Bon Appétit selections.

Recipe: La Laiterie’s Bitter Rhubarb and Strawberry Punch
LA LAITERIE’S BITTER RHUBARB AND STRAWBERRY PUNCH

Food: TV’s Lidia Bastianich and son Joe prove charming in person, too
TV chef Lidia Bastianich and her son, restaurateur and vineyard owner Joe Bastianich, blew through Providence last week with the speed of a blustery spring wind. Still they found time to charm everyone in their wake with their passion for food, wine and family.

Recipe: Penne with Cherry Tomatoes, Basil and Mozzarella
PENNE WITH CHERRY TOMATOES, BASIL AND MOZZARELLA — PENNE ALLA CAPRESE IN CRUDO

Cranston burger lover wins trip to Montana
Cranston’s Stephen Aiello won an all-expense-paid trip to Montana from Ted’s Montana Grill in a national contest. He took second place in the Ted’s Montana Grill Burger FANatics contest for his original song and performance video You Can Find Me At Ted’s. The contest was held in March and drew more than 6,500 entries.

Food Notes
Coming up

Cheese takes center stage at Vermont festival
The first Vermont Cheesemakers Festival is set for Sunday, Aug. 23, in Shelburne, Vt. The one-day event will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Coach Barn at Shelburne Farms. Guests can sample more than 100 types of cheese from 40 different cheesemakers, a variety of locally produced wines and beers, and other artisan foods, including maple syrup, honey, chocolates, baked goods and more.

Surprise Mom with an almost no-bake cheesecake
Perfect for Mother’s Day, this almost no-bake strawberry cheesecake won’t leave Mom feeling guilty for indulging on her special day. It’s also easy enough that the kids can lend a hand.

Recipe: Almost No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Tart
ALMOST NO-BAKE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE TART

Try chocolate-coated chips for sweet and salty crunch
For a blast of sweet and salty, try making these chocolate-dipped potato chips as a snack or light dessert.

Recipe: Chocolate-Dipped Kettle Chips
CHOCOLATE-DIPPED KETTLE CHIPS

Storing eggs differs in Europe, America
Q. I’m confused about egg storage differences between America and other countries. I lived in Europe, England and Australia, where eggs are always stocked unrefrigerated. I’ve never gotten sick. Can you enlighten me?

04/30/2009

Restaurant Review: Providence’s Euro Bistro is smart and cozy
PROVIDENCE — Living up to its name, Euro Bistro is a smart little restaurant with a cozy bar and good food served in a casual atmosphere.

04/29/2009

Tours reveal culinary and historical charms of Bristol
Savoring Bristol, a culinary and historical tour of Bristol with Cindy Salvato, will take place May 9 and June 6, from 9 a.m. to noon. The cost is $50.

Historic Bristol offers old and new delights
BRISTOL Culinary tourism is all the rage, with cooking vacations abroad and visits to wine-making regions all around the world.

Food for Thought by Gail Ciampa: New Yankee Stadium spoils fun of ballgame food
The new Yankee Stadium sparkles and is a great place to see a baseball game. It’s spacious and welcoming to all baseball fans (even to a Red Sox one) and has copious food choices. But there’s something that makes one hesitate to eat there.

Challenger from Coventry hopes to cook up winning dishes on TV
Coventry’s Donna Ranucci cried tears of joy when she answered her phone and celebrity chef/television host Rachael Ray was on the other end.

Farmers’ markets are back, starting May 1
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has announced that four farmers’ markets in state parks will open on a weekly basis. For the first few weeks, the markets primarily will offer bedding plants, hanging plants, cut flowers, early vegetable crops, honey and maple syrup. As traditional local summer crops become available, more vendors will participate. Goddard Memorial State Park Farmers’ Market, Warwick, will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Colt State Park Farmers’ Market, Bristol, from 2 to 6 p.m., on Fridays beginning May 1. Fishermen’s Memorial State Park Farmers’ Market, Narragansett, will be open Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning May 3, and the Haines Memorial State Park Farmers’ Market, Route 103, East Providence/Barrington line, Wednesdays, 2 to 6 p.m., beginning May 6.

One-pot chicken dishes are fast and easy
Here are three simple one-pot chicken meals.

Food Notes: April 29
Benefits

Chef’s Secret: Veal and Peas at Blue Grotto
Matt Cariglio wrote:

Recipe: Chicken Succotash Stew
CHICKEN SUCCOTASH STEW

Recipe: Chicken Pasta Fagioli
CHICKEN PASTA FAGIOLI

Recipe: Lemon-Artichoke Chicken Stew
LEMON-ARTICHOKE CHICKEN STEW

Tour private kitchens of Portsmouth
The Portsmouth Public Education Foundation will present its third annual Hidden Kitchens of Portsmouth Tour Friday, May 1, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with proceeds to benefit the Portsmouth Public Education Foundation. The tour includes seven private Portsmouth kitchens that were selected for their unique features. They are in the following Portsmouth neighborhoods: Wapping Road, Eastover, Hamilton Drive, Peggy Lane, and Carnegie Abbey’s Harbor Drive, including the Tower.

Stock versus broth: Does it really matter?
Q. What is the difference between chicken broth and chicken stock from the grocery store? Can they be used interchangeably?

04/22/2009

Ling Liu’s market is a slice of China in Westerly
WESTERLY -- On Thursday afternoons at Ling Liu’s Chinese Grocery on Route 1, a truck from New York City’s Chinatown arrives loaded with fresh produce. There are boxes of Asian pears, Chinese eggplant, lotus root, fresh water chestnuts, bitter melons, Chinese broccoli, baby bok choy and more greens and root vegetables than most of us can name. They are lined up all over the store like a farmers’ market.

04/23/2009

Dining Out: Mel’s Diner serves delicious dishes at prices from the past
EAST PROVIDENCE — Mel’s Diner is neither run by a man named Mel nor does it have a waitress named Flo. It’s not in an authentic dining car but a building renovated to quite closely resemble one.

04/22/2009

Eco-smart tips and recipes help reduce your ‘cookprint’
Earth Day can be celebrated in the kitchen.

Recipe: Watercress Salad with White French Salad Dressing
WATERCRESS SALAD WITH WHITE FRENCH SALAD DRESSING

Recipe: Cold-Oven Clove and Crystallized Ginger Cake
COLD-OVEN CLOVE AND CRYSTALLIZED GINGER CAKE

Recipe: Happy Planet Cookies
HAPPY PLANET COOKIES

Recipe: Nutty Blue Napoleons
NUTTY BLUE NAPOLEONS

Recipe: Pan-Seared Organic Poultry Breast Paillard with Fresh Blueberry Sauce
PAN-SEARED ORGANIC POULTRY BREAST PAILLARD WITH FRESH BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Recipe: Feta Pesto and 2-Minute Pasta
FETA PESTO AND 2-MINUTE PASTA

Recipe: Asparagus With Lemon, Garlic And Soy
ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON, GARLIC AND SOY

Recipe: Oven Rare Roast Beef
OVEN RARE ROAST BEEF

Food Notes: April 22
This week and weekend

Food: Crispy baked chicken with pecans
This recipe delivers the crunch of fried chicken with a fraction of the oil and mess. Chicken breasts are breaded, browned on one side and then popped in the oven.

Recipe: Pecan-Crusted Chicken Breasts
PECAN-CRUSTED CHICKEN BREASTS

Which comes first: Sifting or measuring flour?
Q. When a recipe calls for a cup of sifted flour, do you sift before measuring or measure after sifting?

Café Nuovo’s top chef leaving after 15 years
Café Nuovo executive chef Tim Kelly is taking a sabbatical and leaving the Providence restaurant after 15 years. His last day is May 2. A new chef will be named to the post next month.

Food: Seared sea scallops a special delight
For a semi-fancy meal at a moment’s notice, you can’t beat sea scallops.

Recipe: Seared Scallops with Shallots & Grapefruit Sauce
SEARED SCALLOPS WITH SHALLOTS & GRAPEFRUIT SAUCE

Food: Not sure when to throw it out? Some advice
Most of us have ancient packages of food stowed away in our kitchen cabinets that we just won’t eat — or throw out. Either we’ve forgotten these relics exist or we can’t reach the top shelf without a stool.

04/21/2009

HEALTH: Halving your cake and eating it, too
HEALTH

04/16/2009

Dining Out: Steaks, stuffies and $1 wine at North Side Grille
NORTH PROVIDENCE — A reader wrote to recommend the North Side Grille, where she and a friend had a delightful meal in which “everything was freshly made and cooked to order” and “very affordable with a $1 drink special.”

04/15/2009

For disease-fighting foods, think purple
Purple is not simply a color of royalty, dubbed the “new black” by fashionistas. It is also the new black in food.

Recipe: Purple Kale and White Bean Soup
PURPLE KALE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

Pinching pennies: Two kitchen rules will go a long way
Dianne Silva of Attleboro watches every food penny.

Recipe: Dianne’s Cole Slaw
DIANNE’S COLE SLAW

Pinching pennies: Divide your plate into quarters
Lynne Harper of Providence offered her money-, health- and planet-saving idea to our Penny Pinching series.

Food Notes
Classes

TV’s dynamic Lidia and son will guest at Italian dinner and wine pairing
Lidia Mattichhio Bastianich, television chef and cookbook author, and Joseph Bastianich, restaurateur and vineyard owner, will be coming to Providence on Monday, April 27, for a wine dinner at Bacaro and a book signing earlier at Farmstead, the Wayland Square cheese shop.

Chef’s Secret: Yesterday’s Apple Cake a winner for decades
Barbara P. wrote: “I was wondering if you could try to get the hot Apple Cake with warm sauce recipe from Yesterday’s in Newport. It’s been on their menu for about 25 years, and I know many people have tried to get it (yours truly included) without success. So I’m sure there would be many interested readers if you succeed in this Mission Impossible. Take care. I want my apple cake!”

Recipe: Yesterday’s Apple Cake
YESTERDAY’S APPLE CAKE

Betty Crocker recipe gets most brownie points
Brownies are big this season, and there also seems to be no shortage of new baking cookbooks, ever. So we thought we would combine these two ever-trendy classics for a different kind of tasting. We grabbed four recently published baking books and made a brownie recipe from each, comparing the clarity and accuracy of the authors’ recipes, as well as the flavor and results of each finished batch. Though some recipes included optional frosting, we chose not to gild the lily and sampled them au naturel.

Recipe: Chocolate Brownies
CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Braised spinach is an eco-friendly side dish
British eco-food columnist Richard Ehrlich is a fan of “lidded cooking.”

Recipe: Italian-Style Braised Spinach with Shallots and Garlic
ITALIAN-STYLE BRAISED SPINACH WITH SHALLOTS AND GARLIC

La Laiterie chef is Prince of Pork
On April 5, Matt Jennings was crowned The Prince of Pork and took home a bronze piggy trophy from Cochon 555, a Boston pig fest benefit and cooking competition that pitted him against some of Boston’s and Cambridge’s biggest name chefs.

08/14/2008

Shore bets for summer dining