11/26/2009

Restaurants open on Thanksgiving
 Thanksgiving meals offered for the holiday vary from spot to spot. Prices usually do not include taxes or gratuity. Here’s the list of what’s open.

11/25/2009

A family tradition of ‘dining out’
About 15 years ago, John and Camille Dickson’s 7-year-old twins, Jim and Sara, came home from school with a question: If the Pilgrims ate outdoors for the first Thanksgiving, why does their family eat indoors on the holiday?

Thanks for giving us last minute tips, ‘Ciao Italia’
If you are reading this and have company coming for Thanksgiving, you are either very well organized or in really big trouble.

Recipe: Chocolate, Hazelnut, and Banana Tartlets (Tortine di Gianduja e Banana)
Chocolate, Hazelnut, Banana Tartlets (Tortine di Gianduja e Banana)

Recipe: Potato Casserole (Patate in Casseruola)
Potato Casserole (Patate in Casseruola)

Recipe: Cauliflower Salad Insalata di Cavolfiore
Cauliflower Salad (Insalata di Cavolfiore)

Recipe: Mushroom, Spinach, and Cheese Tart (Tortina di Funghi Spinaci e Formaggio)
Mushroom, Spinach, and Cheese Tart (Tortina di Funghi Spinaci e Formaggio)

Recipe: Spicy Soppressata Tartlets (Tortine di Soppressate)
Spicy Soppressata Tartlets (Tortine di Soppressate)

Recipe: Baked Apples with Nuts and Marmalade (Mele al Forno con Le Noci e Marmellata)
Baked Apples with Nuts and Marmalade (Mele al Forno con Le Noci e Marmellata)

Food Notes
This week and weekend

Correction
Last week’s Lifebeat Food story on how to make the perfect pie crust included an incorrect measurement from chef Gary Welling. Start with 12 ounces of flour sifted with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, eight ounces of butter and four ounces of water taken from an iced pitcher. That amount makes three pie crusts. When adjusting for more or fewer pie crusts, follow a parts flour, 2 parts butter and 1 part water formula. Here’s the recipe.

Chef Gary Welling’s Pie Crust (corrected)
Chef Gary Welling’s Pie Crust

Holiday cooking hot lines
Holiday cooking hot lines

Living for the leftovers
Turkey’s neutral flavor makes it adaptable for American, Asian and Latin dishes

Centerpiece improves the ambiance
The food may be the crowning glory of any Thanksgiving table, but an imaginative centerpiece on the holiday table can whet the appetite and make a meal memorable.

Families use ethnic roots to flavor Thanksgiving meal
Mexican clan glazes the turkey with a tequila and chile sauce, while Indian chef uses spicy rub

Toast the holiday with U.S. wine
American vineyards offer top-notch varietals that pair well with traditional Thanksgiving feast

11/19/2009

Restaurant Review: It’s easy to rack up the accolades at Ribs & Company
The dishes are well-prepared and the service is top-notch

11/18/2009

Culinary Primer: How to make a no-fail pie crust
Susan Bucci was so happy making pies with ready-to-use Pillsbury Crust from her grocery store.

Recipe: Cindy’s Walnut Crunch Pumpkin Pie
Cindy’s Walnut Crunch Pumpkin Pie

Food For Thought by Gail Ciampa: Kickoff time for groggy guests
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m already waiting for everyone to leave on Thanksgiving.

Food Notes for Nov. 18
Wine and beer events

Chef’s secret: Flan side dish from Le Central is worthy of the holiday table
Christy Law Blanchard of Barrington wrote:

Recipe: Le Central Butternut and Green Apple Flan
Le Central Butternut and Green Apple Flan

Video game works up an appetite while teaching you to cook
Made for the Nintendo Wii, it’s a lot of fun and gets you prepped to succeed in the real kitchen

Recipe: Stir-Fried Chicken and Broccoli
Stir-Fried Chicken and Broccoli

Freeze hors d’oeuvres ahead for relaxing party day
If we spread out the cooking over several weeks by making and freezing one or two hors d’oeuvres a week, getting ready for any party should be a breeze. Plus, it’s easier to handle the cost of entertaining when you can spread the grocery purchases over several weeks.

Recipe: Crostini With Spanish Bean Puree and Piquillo Peppers
Crostini With Spanish Bean Puree and Piquillo Peppers

Recipe: Olive-Stuffed Cheese Puffs
Olive-Stuffed Cheese Puffs

Recipe: Pecan & Cranberry Cheese Log
Pecan and Cranberry Cheese Log

Recipe: Pork Dumplings
Pork Dumplings

Potato casserole uses reduced-fat ingredients
This Au Gratin Potato Casserole uses reduced-fat dairy products to trim the fat and calories from this creamy, satisfying comfort food that few of us would be willing to banish from the dinner table.

Recipe: Au Gratin Potato Casserole
Au Gratin Potato Casserole

Green bean casserole a must
I’m not allowed to make this grown-up green bean casserole for Thanksgiving. A member of my family will bring the mushroom soup version which is what the crowd demands. But if I were in charge, this would be served at my table.

Recipe for Green Bean and Gruyère Casserole with Spicy Onion Rings
Green Bean and Gruyère Casserole with Spicy Onion Rings

In general, white wines work well with turkey
For turkey, you can’t go wrong with a good pinot noir

Need quick help? Call a hot line
When your holiday dinner looks more disaster than decadent, finding expert help is just a call or click away.

Two pecan pie variations for something new for dessert
Love a pecan pie but want to try something new?

Recipe: Cranberry Pecan Pie
Cranberry Pecan Pie

Recipe: Chocolate Pecan Pie with Sweet Bourbon Whipped Cream
Chocolate Pecan Pie with Sweet Bourbon Whipped Cream

Recipe: Sweet Bourbon Whipped Cream
Sweet Bourbon Whipped Cream

Mashed options: Sweet alternative
These mashed sweet potatoes are delicious — and slightly sweet — without the benefit of marshmallows. But if you must have marshmallows on them, transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to a casserole, top with small marshmallows and broil until just golden.

Recipe: Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Mashed options: Garlic and sage spuds
Take your mashed potatoes to another level with garlic roasted in simmering oil and fried fresh sage. A potato ricer or food mill produces especially smooth potatoes, but if you don’t have those, you can just skip ahead to the mixer step.

Recipe: Roasted Garlic and Sage Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Garlic and Sage Mashed Potatoes

Great mashed potatoes call for plenty of dairy
If your Thanksgiving isn’t complete without the traditional mashed potatoes, this is your recipe. This rich and creamy rustic version calls for leaving the skins on, but feel free to peel if peels don’t appeal.

Recipe: Traditional Mashed Potatoes
Traditional Mashed Potatoes

How to cook a turkey in shorter time
If you want to get your turkey in and out fast, this might be the year you try my friend Rose Mahdesian’s High Heat Turkey.

Simple vegetarian Thanksgiving
Guess who’s coming to dinner? It’s a vegetarian. This is a rather common occurrence these days.

Recipe: Basic Brown Sauce
Basic Brown Sauce

Recipe: One-Dish Thanksgiving Dinner
One-Dish Thanksgiving Dinner

Turn Brussels sprouts into their favorite dish
Brussels sprouts are little vegetables that provoke one of two outsize responses: great affection or great disdain.

Recipe: Brussels Sprouts With Cranberry Balsamic Dressing
Brussels Sprouts With Cranberry Balsamic Dressing

Squash as an entrée
Acorn Squash Stuffed With Apple-Almond-Cherry Basmati Pilaf

The word on the bird
The Thanksgiving feast is not a one-cook show.

Recipe: Roasted Turkey
Roasted Turkey

11/15/2009

Thanksgiving meal should cost same or less than last year
Cash-strapped consumers looking to keep a lid on holiday spending in 2009 will catch a break for Thanksgiving because the cost of turkey and the fixings for the traditional meal should be about the same, or less, than in 2008, according to food industry members.

11/12/2009

A tasty ‘second home’ in old mill building
Elegant décor is matched by the dishes coming from the kitchen

11/11/2009

Eclectic new mix: Four eateries serve up antidote to depressed economy
For all the challenges of the locally depressed economy, many more restaurants have opened than closed this year. Chefs, business men and women and even a nonprofit group decided to have a go at it. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at about a dozen them.

Recipe: Mike’s City Diner Stuffing
Mike’s City Diner Stuffing

Recipe: Blue Cornmeal Waffles
Blue Cornmeal Waffles

Bravo’s new ‘Chef Academy’ mixes in laughs
The motley crew introduced make you care if they succeed in the kitchen

Eclectic new mix: Four eateries debut to serve up antidote to depressed economy
For all the challenges of the locally depressed economy, many more restaurants have opened than closed this year. Chefs, business men and women and even a nonprofit group decided to have a go at it. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at about a dozen them.

Recipe: Hob Nob Hill Old-Fashioned Chicken ’n’ Dumplings
Hob Nob Hill Old-Fashioned Chicken ’n’ Dumplings

Guy Fieri offers “More Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives”
Guy Fieri is one of the most charismatic people you’ll ever meet. It is so easy to get sucked in to his “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” every Monday on the Food Network from 10 to 11 p.m. The spiked hair chef travels from town to town visiting the most interesting of restaurants.

Recipe: Spicy Smothered Pork
Spicy Smothered Pork

A can of this, a frozen that, and voila, smothered chops
Faced with a can of stewed tomatoes in the cupboard, some frozen pork chops and not much else, I came up with a dish of spicy smothered pork for dinner one night recently after work.

There’s more to fall pumpkins than jack-o’-lanterns
When cooked right, pumpkin is simple, delicious and nutritious

Recipe: Basmati Rice Pilaf With Apples, Squash and Cranberries
Basmati Rice Pilaf With Apples, Squash and Cranberries

Pairing wine with the right chocolate: Yes, chocolate
When my daughter was small, the moms took the kids trick-or-treating. We fathers stayed home and doled out the candy. That’s when I discovered how well a Dewar’s on the rocks went with some Hershey’s Kisses or a mini-Mr. Goodbar or a bag of peanut M&M’s. The match did get me thinking: If Scotch can go with chocolate, why not wine? And not just the sweet wines such as port, Madeira or orange muscat, but regular, dry wine. You know, that half-bottle of red left when dinner is done.

Recipe: Penne with Smoked Turkey Sausage
Penne with Smoked Turkey Sausage

Recipe: Calabaza (Pumpkin) Mash
Calabaza (Pumpkin) Mash

Rice pilaf side dish could be a whole meal
I love the mix of sweet and savory in this side dish: It’s starch and vegetable in one pot that I could easily make a whole meal of. There’s no added sugar, but it’s sweet.

Whole grain pasta with lower-fat turkey
When my daughter was a toddler I created an edible masterpiece — a throw-it- together-I’m-exhausted-from- work pasta dish featuring refrigerator staples: cubes of ham, frozen peas and crumbles of feta cheese.

Cooking fats aren’t one size fits all
Q: What is the best substance to fry in?

Superb fish chowder fresh from Nantucket
On a delightful recent visit to Massachusetts, I was charmed by the idyllic setting of a fine old hotel on Nantucket. Sitting on the patio looking out over the white, sandy beach towards the blue of Nantucket Bay, I tasted one of the best fish chowders I’ve had in a long time. Fresh fish is paramount along with a hint of smoky ham and of cream.

Recipe: Rocco’s Chocolate Toffee Bread Pudding
Rocco’s Chocolate Toffee Bread Pudding

Rich chocolate from Rocco Italian Osteria
I love chocolate. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t adore its rich sweetness.

Recipe: Toffee
Toffee

Recipe: Chocolate Brioche
Chocolate Brioche

Recipe: Nantucket Fish Chowder
Nantucket Fish Chowder

Recipe: Italian Fries
Italian Fries

‘Table for Ten’ at Gasbarro’s Wines
Gasbarro’s Wines, 361 Atwells Ave., Federal Hill, Providence , (401) 421-4170, has added something new, “Table for Ten.”

Recipe: Flat Roast Chicken
Flat Roast Chicken

‘Iron Chef’ heads to White House
Food Network stars Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse will travel to the White House for a two-hour episode of “Iron Chef America” to air Jan. 3 at 8 p.m.

Mom’s cookbook aims to satisfy hungry men
One mother’s strategies for feeding a husband and three growing sons

Food notes for Nov. 11
This Weekend

Recipe: Cream Cheese Pastry
Cream Cheese Pastry

‘Farm City, City Farm’ at First Unitarian Church in Providence
Slow Food Rhode Island and the Southside Community Land Trust host an event “Farm City, City Farm: An Evening of Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs” on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church of Providence, 1 Benevolent St. Oakland, Calif.’s Novella Carpenter, author of “Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer,” and Rich Pederson, manager of Southside Community Land Trust’s City Farm, will share their urban agricultural experiences. A question-and-answer period follows. Donation is $10 ($5 for college students) to support Southside Community Land Trust and Slow Food Rhode Island.

Recipe: Savory Chicken Pocket Pies
Savory Chicken Pocket Pies

Where to quaff a Narragansett Fest beer
Narragansett Fest, Narragansett Beer’s Oktoberfest selection, will only be available another week or so. So get moving if you want a taste. This seasonal craft brew is only on tap in at a handful of spots including:

Corrected recipe: Butternut Squash and Apple Bread
Butternut Squash and Apple Bread

11/05/2009

Restaurant Review: You’ll be tempted to try it all at Mario’s Risto/Bar in Cranston
In Cranston, chef Mario Santilli brings a unique touch to his savory and hearty entrées

11/04/2009

Food artisans: Teens find sweet way to battle hunger with City Girl Cupcake
It takes a village to make a City Girl Cupcake.

It may be ‘special,’ but restaurants should tell us the price
Restaurants are working so hard these days to stay afloat in a down economy. They are coming up with dinner-for-two specials. There are half-price appetizers during happy hours. All-you-can-eat specials are popping up from brunch to dinner. Multi-course, fixed-price menus on certain days of the week entice diners who want an all-inclusive value-added meal, perhaps with a glass of wine.

Restaurants, coffee shops work hard to lure, keep customers
Dunkin’ Donuts’ culinary czar Stan Frankenthaler is a celebrated Boston chef who changed gears

Recipe: Dunkin’ Donuts Pumpkin Latte and Donut Trifle
Dunkin’ Donuts Pumpkin Latte and Donut Trifle

Recipe: Pan Roasted Chicken Breast
Pan Roasted Chicken Breast

Recipe: Dunkin’ Donuts Low Fat Apple Caramel Muffin Stuffin’
Dunkin’ Donuts Low Fat Apple Caramel Muffin Stuffin’

Food Notes: Nov. 4
News

Pollo Campero opens East Providence location
Pollo Campero restaurant opened last week at 45 Newport Ave. in East Providence. It is the first in Rhode Island and the 55th in the United States.

Pats’ lineman helping single working mothers
For the past two years, New England Patriots defensive lineman Jarvis Green has held a fundraiser at the Johnson & Wales Inn to raise money for Hurricane Katrina victims in his native Louisiana.

Chef’s Corner: Life is sweet for David Guas
New Orleans dessert expert is known for putting his stamp on each recipe

Recipe: Sweet Potato Tart Tatin
Sweet Potato Tart Tatin

Reaction to eggplant not unusual
Q. What chemical in cooked eggplant causes the top sides of my tongue to feel raw? Is there a way to counteract it?

The warming flavors of fall
Each season has its own flavors. And I’ve found that fall and winter are filled with the warming flavors of cardamom, allspice, ginger and nutmeg. Each of these spices has a distinct and hard-to-describe taste.

Recipe: Butternut Squash and Apple Bread
Butternut Squash and Apple Bread

Adding a glaze to root vegetables
This time of year, farm markets, vegetable stands and community-supported agriculture (CSA) baskets fill up with root vegetables of all descriptions: large rutabagas, white and yellow turnips, golden beets, carrots, parsnips and more.

Recipe: Apple Cider-Glazed Root Vegetables
Apple Cider-Glazed Root Vegetables

Frerichs Farm to be featured in “Glutton for Punishment”
David and Barbara Frerichs of Frerichs Farm in Warren were hosts last week for the crew of the Food Network show “Glutton for Punishment” and its host Bob Blumer.

Cookbook: Seasonal meals from a Johnson & Wales graduate and restaurateur in Birmingham, Ala.
The Hot and Hot Fish Club Restaurant is in Birmingham, Ala. I don’t expect to eat there anytime soon, but it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy what owners Chris and Idie Hastings are doing there thanks to their lovely new cookbook not surprisingly named “Hot and Hot Fish Club Cookbook” (Running Press Books, $35).

Recipe: Cauliflower Gratin with Roasted Chestnuts Parmesan Cream
Cauliflower Gratin with Roasted Chestnuts and Parmesan Cream

Recipe: Pecan Tart
Pecan Tart

Treat yourself and friends to a casually refined get-together
Consider this dessert and drink perfect for brunch.

Recipe: Chilled Banana and Pistachio Rice Pudding
Chilled Banana and Pistachio Rice Pudding

Recipe: “Gin”-Ger Basiltini
“Gin”-Ger Basiltini

What restaurants are open on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is fast approaching and if cooking isn’t part of the plan, here are the restaurants that have reported being open. Call ahead to reserve or risk being sent on your way. Prices usually do not include taxes or gratuity.

Riesling wines are making a comeback
Riesling wine is making a well-deserved comeback

11/02/2009

In R.I.'s South County, 1 million oysters and counting / Video
The goal is to seed every South County salt pond.

Brown students put food in motion
PROVIDENCE — Several dozen students gathered at the snack bar of the engineering building at Brown University on Friday afternoon. They wanted food, of course. And when someone on a bullhorn said they could help themselves, they did.

10/29/2009

Dining Out: Meals taste as good as they look at the Pearl
The meals taste just as good as they look at Pearl Restaurant

10/28/2009

Pumpkin seed passion
Maybe pumpkin seeds don’t star in everyone’s happy childhood memories but they are very much a part of Sennen Conte’s. Today the Barrington native has parlayed his pumpkin passion into a viable snack business with the funny name of Gerbs.

Try making your own brittle
Want to try your own hand at a pumpkin seed brittle? The James Beard Foundation recently shared this recipe adapted from a recipe served at the Bear House by Guy Reuge of Mirabelle in New York.

Recipe: Pumpkin-Seed Brittle
PUMPKIN-SEED BRITTLE

Thanksgiving plans heating up as modern families learn to cope
Thanksgiving is still a month away, but it’s already begun.

Emeril's still full of Bam!
So what’s new with Emeril?

KICKED-UP SHRIMP FRIED RICE
KICKED-UP SHRIMP FRIED RICE

Recipe: Penne with Sausage and Escarole
PENNE WITH SAUSAGE AND ESCAROLE

Food notes for Oct. 28
Farmers’ markets

Five R.I. women in finals of New England Dairy Cook-Off
Five Rhode Island women are among the 30 semifinalists for HP Hood’s New England Dairy Cook-Off to be held in Portland, Maine.

Chef’s Secret: Vanilla-Seared Sea Scallops
Sara Wilkinson of East Greenwich said “I am writing to see if you could provide me with the recipe for the Vanilla-Seared Sea Scallops from Vintage in Woonsocket. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated!”

Recipe: Vintage Vanilla Seared Scallops
VINTAGE VANILLA-SEARED SEA SCALLOPS

Recipe: Citrus Couscous
CITRUS COUSCOUS

Recipe: Summer Vegetables
SUMMER VEGETABLES

Samaritans’ benefit is a culinary showcase
The Samaritans of Rhode Island will host Saving History — Saving Lives, a culinary-showcase fundraiser on Thursday, Nov. 5 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket.

Salt and pepper lore

Luscious lemon squares have just-right balance of tart and sweet
Many lemon bars are either too sweet or much too tangy. Pasadena’s Euro Pane Bakery has just the perfect combination. The base is crumbly yet firm. They also serve really large portions. I always love picking up a couple and putting them in the fridge. They taste so much better cold.

Recipe: Euro Pane’s Lemon Squares
EURO PANE’S LEMON SQUARES

Old Bay is always in season
What would you do if you suddenly found yourself without a can of Old Bay? There are people out there who worry about this.

New ways to use Old Bay
Here are some of the many ways Old Bay Seasoning has inspired culinary creativity:

Adding some zing to fall parties
Fall’s shorter days means longer nights, nights perfect for entertaining. Whether it’s a fancy black-tie bash, an intimate dinner for four or just the guys (or gals) gathering for beer and football, here are tips for pulling that party off right, from some of the nation’s foremost experts.

Recipe: Grilled Zucchini Pasta
GRILLED ZUCCHINI PASTA

What’s for dessert: Ted’s Montana Grill apple crisp
Ted’s Montana Grill, 2 Chapel View Blvd., Cranston, has added a seasonal dessert specialty to the fall menu.

Recipe: Ted’s Montana Grill Nutty Apple Crisp Recipe
TED’S MONTANA GRILL NUTTY APPLE CRISP RECIPE

Recipe: Nutty Apple Crisp Topping
NUTTY APPLE CRISP TOPPING

Newport Restaurant Week begins Nov. 1
Newport Restaurant Week is set for Nov. 1 to 8 with a wide variety of participating restaurants offering diners three-course fixed-priced meals at $16 for lunch and $30 for dinner.

Sweet potato soufflé is light, airy
Sandra Fedder of Arcata, Calif., was looking for a recipe for sweet potato casserole with a pecan crust. Eleonore Severe of Baltimore sent in a recipe for a sweet potato soufflé that she says was published in her church’s cookbook.

SWEET POTATO SOUFFLÉ
SWEET POTATO SOUFFLÉ

Chefs SmackDown pits Newport against Providence
The Rhode Island Chef SmackDown, with teams from Providence and Newport competing in a 10-course tasting dinner, is set for Monday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m. at the Hotel Viking.

Iconic Necco wafers go all-natural
BOSTON — All-natural may be all the rage in the food world, but will candy lovers have a sweet tooth for beet juice and purple cabbage?

10/22/2009

Dining Out: Pinelli’s turns 21 (and don’t forget your wine)
WEST WARWICK — I hadn’t been to Pinelli’s Café at Night in several years, though certainly not because of the food or service, which were always top notch. It’s just that I wasn’t in that little corner of busy Route 2 much. So a revisit seemed long overdue.

10/21/2009

Local farmer, chefs, find fresh connection
Everybody talks a good game about bringing local food to market, but it’s nothing short of amazing what Farm Fresh Rhode Island is doing to make it happen here.

Market Mobile cultivating new food products
The Market Mobile program didn’t just get local food on the table, it created some new opportunities.

Farm Fresh participants
FARM FRESH PARTICIPANTS

Making local restaurants appetizing
The uniquely Rhode Island attitude of “I can’t eat there! I’ve never been there!” is what encouraged Joe Zito and Armand DeLuise to create TV Maitre d’, a monthly restaurant show now in its sixth year on local television.

Food Notes, Oct. 21
This Week

Kenyon’s Harvest Festival Oct. 24-25
Kenyon’s Grist Mill Harvest Festival will be held Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24 and 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the mill, 21 Glen Rock Rd., West Kingston, (800) 7-KENYON, kenyonsgristmill.com. The event will feature free admission, parking, mill tours and food samples, including kettle corn popcorn and jonnycakes as well as locally roasted coffee, oysters, sausage and cheese, local bread, biscotti, ice cream and more. There will be wine tasting on Saturday with Langworthy Farm Winery.

Easy to top this pizza crust for fresh-grilled flavor
What makes a pizza?

Recipe: Authentic Pizza
AUTHENTIC PIZZA

Recipe: Mediterranean Pizza
MEDITERRANEAN PIZZA

Warming up to Chile Chardonnay
I consider myself part of the “Anything but Chardonnay” crowd, at least until I taste a really great Chardonnay. And I have tasted some fine ones recently that might persuade me to give up my skepticism toward this grape.

Giving broccoli a fruity twist
I am uncomfortably in the George H.W. Bush camp when it comes to broccoli, and that is why this recipe title was intriguing. “Sweetened” means a cup of seedless-green-grape puree goes into the pot. It’s more fruity than sweet, and it made a world of difference.

Recipe: Maccheroni with Sweetened Broccoli
MACCHERONI WITH SWEETENED BROCCOLI

Pairing pork with plums
Pork is often paired with apples in the fall, but I like what plums and a bit of vinegar can do for simply prepared pork chops.

Recipe: Pork and Plums
PORK AND PLUMS

Experimenting with mashed potatoes
I recently experimented with alternatives to plain mashed potatoes, and I came up with a couple of really flavorful combinations.

Recipe: Cauliflower Potato Mash
CAULIFLOWER POTATO MASH

The long and short of rice varieties
Once upon a time, in a land called USA, there was rice. It was called Uncle Ben’s or Riceland. It was white or brown, converted or instant.

Apple cake with crunch
Here’s a recipe for apple cake from Dishing Up Vermont, by Tracey Medeiros. It’s easy to make with kids if you like.

Recipe: Flip-Over Apple Cake
FLIP-OVER APPLE CAKE

Couscous goes beyond plain
Need more flavor fast?

Recipe: Moroccan-Style Skillet Chicken
MOROCCAN-STYLE SKILLET CHICKEN

10/17/2009

Despite economy, R.I. consumers still find means to dine out
PROVIDENCE

10/15/2009

Urban culinary elegance in the suburbs
SMITHFIELD — It was a last-minute decision to head out to review a restaurant that led me to the remarkable Rocco Italian Osteria. For months I’d been looking at the restaurant’s business card, handed to me by a fan of the restaurant that opened just a year ago.

Newport welcomes seafood lovers
Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival welcomes fall to Newport on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17 and 18, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. There is free admission with food and beverages available for purchase. Fifteen neighboring restaurants and fisherman’s associations serve up lobster dinners, clam chowder, stuffed quahogs, clam cakes, shrimp, scallops, raw oysters and clams and landlubber fare for kids. Live music will include blues, r & b, folk, jazz and sea shanties. Café-style seating is set up along the wharf. For more information, go to bowenswharf.com.

10/14/2009

Dorm living doesn’t have to mean pizza and Twinkies every day
There’s more to the college experience than fascinating lectures, frat parties and pricey textbooks. There’s all that ramen, for one thing.

Recipe: Breakfast in a Mug
BREAKFAST IN A MUG

Recipe: College Kidz’ Homemade Microwave Biscuits
COLLEGE KIDZ’ HOMEMADE MICROWAVE BISCUITS

Recipe: Greek Lemon Soup (Avgolemono)
GREEK LEMON SOUP (AVGOLEMONO)

Recipe: Greek Salad
GREEK SALAD

Asian-Inspired Chicken and Vegetable Noodle Salad
ASIAN-INSPIRED CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE NOODLE SALAD

Recipe: Sesame Dressing
SESAME DRESSING

Recipe: Bang Bang Dressing
BANG BANG DRESSING

Pioneer Woman rustles up recipes from the ranch
Ree Drummond likes to call herself an accidental country girl and she considers herself something of an accidental cook. But there’s nothing accidental about the success she’s built combining those two.

Recipe: Oatmeal Crispies
OATMEAL CRISPIES

Recipe: Tabbouleh
TABBOULEH

Wine tasting for what ails you
The next East Side Prescription Center wine tasting will be on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. Wines to be tasted include: a 2005 Tangley Oaks Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($17.99), 2006 Alma Negra from Argentina ($17.99), 2006 Pergliamici IGT Toscana from Fattoria Casa Sola ($8.99), and 2007 Simonnet-Febvre Sauvignon Blanc from France ($8.99).

East Side drug store offers fine wine selection
In Rhode Island, it’s not unusual to buy wine at a drugstore. But still there is something surprising about all the wine choices jammed into the aisles of the tiny East Side Prescription Center on Providence’s East Side. And it’s downright amazing to think they have wine tastings there and an e-mail wine club that boasts 750 members.

Food Notes
This week and weekend

Re-create Indian naan in your home oven
For families in India, making naan at home doesn’t make a lot of sense. Every neighborhood has a great naan bakery.

Tabbouleh shows parsley isn’t just for garnish
While you can only dry so much for future use, don’t limit your use of parsley to garnishes and sauces.

Apple bread pudding you can feel good about
Do your eyes deceive you?

Individual Apple Bread Pudding with Vanilla Cream Sauce
INDIVIDUAL APPLE BREAD PUDDING WITH VANILLA CREAM SAUCE

Cookbooks: Two journeys toward better eating
I have two cookbooks to recommend this week. One transports a reader to Venice, one of the most romantic cities in the world. The other encourages us to cook wonderful dishes with ingredients gathered or purchased close to the source. One is full of beautiful photography; the other all business with not one picture.

Recipe: Warm Greens with Citrus Dressing and Pomegranate
WARM GREENS WITH CITRUS DRESSING AND POMEGRANATE

Spaghetti Alla Busara (Spaghetti with Tomato and Scampi)
SPAGHETTI ALLA BUSARA (SPAGHETTI WITH TOMATO AND SCAMPI)

Recipe: Autumn Harvest Soup
AUTUMN HARVEST SOUP

Roasted Kabocha Squash and Creminis with Fresh Herbs
ROASTED KABOCHA SQUASH AND CREMINIS WITH FRESH HERBS

Focaccia Veneziana (Venetian Focaccia)
FOCACCIA VENEZIANA (VENETIAN FOCACCIA)

Recipe: Fennel Pasta
FENNEL PASTA

Recipe: Tofu Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust
TOFU PUMPKIN PIE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST

Recipe: Zaletti (Polenta Cookies)
ZALETTI (POLENTA COOKIES)

Recipe: Branzino Marinato (Marinated Bass)
BRANZINO MARINATO (MARINATED BASS)

Cranston cook will compete in Ocean Spray contest
Ocean Spray Patriot Place Bog festivities at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro get under way Thursday, Oct. 15, from 8 a.m. to noon, with the cook-off and judging of the Ocean Spray Tailgating Recipe Contest. Three finalists (including Robin Haas from Cranston, who shares the recipe here) compete for the title, Unofficial Official Tailgate Recipe of the New England Patriots. Chef Ming Tsai, host of PBS’ Simply Ming, judges the entries. The winner will be announced at 11:30 a.m. after a cooking demonstration by Tsai, who prepares grilled chicken wings in a cranberry-sweet chili sauce with tzatziki, Greek yogurt.

Robin Haas’s Tangy Cranberry Wiener Topping
ROBIN HAAS’S TANGY CRANBERRY WIENER TOPPING

Quick chicken and pasta dish brings a taste of Naples
This Pizzaioli Sauce was originally used to disguise poor-quality meat, and the chicken had to be simmered a long time until it was tender. For this recipe boneless, skinless chicken breast cooks in no time flat and the sauce is a delicious complement.

Recipe: Chicken Pizzaioli
CHICKEN PIZZAIOLI

10/08/2009

Restaurant Review: Cranston’s Basta! is something special
CRANSTON — If you’re looking for a place to take a date or for a special occasion — quiet, subdued, just a touch formal (some diners were in jackets and ties), and with a deft hand at regional Italian dishes — Basta! Restaurant and Café has been satisfying those needs for more than a decade in the quaint area of Pawtuxet Village.

10/07/2009

Home canning gets new life
What a difference a recession makes.

Recipe: Aunt Thelma’s Bread-and-Bbutter Pickles
AUNT THELMA’S BREAD-AND-BUTTER PICKLES

Recipe: Spiced Peach Jam
SPICED PEACH JAM

Recipe: Tomatoes — Whole, Halved or Quartered, Hot Packed in Water
TOMATOES: WHOLE, HALVED OR QUARTERED, HOT PACKED IN WATER

Recipe: Cranberry Sauce, Whole Berry
CRANBERRY SAUCE, WHOLE BERRY

Restaurants and malls are joining forces
BOSTON Are restaurants important to the retail mix at malls? Do restaurateurs want to be there? What about diners? And what effect is the economy having on these questions?

Nell Newman promotes organic food — and coffee at McDonald’s
Nell Newman’s eyes are clear blue and her commitment to excellence strong.

Food Notes for the week of Oct. 7
This week and long weekend

Wine and dine at Taste of Bristol Oct. 18
Linden Place Mansion hosts A Taste of Bristol and Beyond on Sunday, Oct. 18. from 4 to 7 p.m.

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies: The spice is so nice
There’s so very much to love about the fall, including the warm spices of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. They flavor many of the season’s best dishes.

Recipe: Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies
PUMPKIN SANDWICH COOKIES

Pumpkin beers crop up all over — to hurrays and boos
Jed Weeks follows the rhythms of the beer calendar. The 24-year-old who lives in Mount Vernon, Md., knows that as the seasons change, so do the offerings of craft brewers.

Quick veggie meals based on flatbread
When you are looking for a quick meal, flat bread is perfect. You can find it in supermarkets and restaurants where it’s used to make sandwiches. You can put anything on a flat bread including sauteed greens, canned or cooked dried beans, cheese or grains. Then bake it. One of my favorites is Indian naan bread, which I often see in plain, whole-wheat and flavored varieties including garlic and cilantro.

Recipe: Sesame-seared tofu and edamame
SESAME-SEARED TOFU AND EDAMAME

Scallops in a subtle tarragon cream sauce
The key to preparing a dish with scallops is to pair them with subtle flavors that don’t mask their taste.

Recipe: Herb-crusted scallops with tarragon cream
HERB-CRUSTED SCALLOPS WITH TARRAGON CREAM

Don’t throw out that old wine, cook with it!
If the dregs of a nearly empty bottle of wine have been kicking around your kitchen a little too long, chances are it will be better appreciated in a dish rather than a glass.

What can you do with leek greens
Q. When a recipe calls for a leek, should I use the entire leek, including the tougher, dark green portion of the stalk?

Crafting sweeter cranberries
It’s not a raw cranberry, it’s not a sweetened dried cranberry. It’s, well, a whole new kind of cranberry.

Nutritious, tasty meal is kids’ stuff
Television and peers can trump parents when it comes to influencing what children eat, but that doesn’t mean families can’t fight back.

Recipe: Parmesan-crusted Chicken Fingers
PARMESAN-CRUSTED CHICKEN FINGERS

Pan sauce takes chops from simple to savory
I favor Sunday suppers prepared on the cooktop, rather than in a hot oven. And if I wish to elevate my meal to another level, I will make a pan sauce — a technique that turns simple pan-fried steaks, chicken cutlets, fish fillets or pork chops into mouth-watering dishes.

Recipe: Boneless Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Zucchini
BONELESS PORK CHOPS WITH MUSHROOMS AND ZUCCHINI

Gift cards redeemable at several restaurants
Restaurant gift certificates are a lovely thing to give or receive. But what happens when a restaurant goes out of business and you have a piece of paper worth nothing?

Tomato sauce to make and freeze
End of summer means tomatoes. If you have a garden or frequent area farmers’ markets, you no doubt have ripe summer tomatoes at hand. What follows is a flavorful sauce to make and freeze in batches to preserve those tomatoes of summer.

Recipe: Red Bell Pepper Tomato Sauce
RED BELL PEPPER TOMATO SAUCE

Starchy fried foods could contain cancer risk
America’s most popular vegetables — golden brown French fries and crispy potato chips — aren’t just loaded with fat and sodium. Starchy fried foods also can contain a chemical called acrylamide that is quietly raising concern as a potential human carcinogen.

Tips to minimize acrylamide risk
•Eat a balanced and varied diet. You’ve heard it before: Eat foods that are low in trans fat and saturated fat and rich in fiber grains, fruits and vegetables.

10/01/2009

Taste of Rhode Island competition on Saturday and Sunday in Newport
The Taste of Rhode Island is set for Saturday, Oct. 3 (11 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and Sunday, Oct. 4 (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) at the Newport Yachting Center, 4 Commercial Wharf, with food items from local restaurants, cooking and wine demonstrations, and live music. The $10 admission price ($8 in advance) makes this a great deal.

Dining Out: Square meals and square deals at Mike’s Kitchen in Cranston
CRANSTON –– Over the years Mike’s Kitchen has gained the well-earned reputation of serving the kind of family food that has pleased generations. If you want to rekindle memories of what Sunday dinner was at Mama’s house where portions were huge, then Mike’s is the place to do it.

09/30/2009

Meringue 101 from Johnson & Wales expert Gary Welling
East Greenwich’s Lisa Conlon called with a problem. She had a weepy meringue on her favorite key lime pie. She always has a weepy meringue, no matter what she does. Help me, she pleaded.

Recipe: Lisa’s Key Lime Pie
LISA’S KEY LIME PIE

On the Internet, there are never too many cooks
Crowd-sourcing recipes — corralling a group of strangers on the Internet to create and edit a bank of recipes — is gaining popularity and investors.

Recipe: SMOKY PORK BURGERS WITH CABBAGE AND FENNEL SLAW
SMOKY PORK BURGERS WITH CABBAGE AND FENNEL SLAW

Artisan liqueurs you can make at home
The jar of dark brown liquid seemed impossibly mysterious. Every few days, my mother would pull it from its dank corner under the kitchen sink, swirl it a few times, then tuck it back in among the Brillo pads and dish soap.

Recipe: Mexican Coffee Liqueur
MEXICAN COFFEE LIQUEUR

Recipe: Nassau Vanilla Liqueur
NASSAU VANILLA LIQUEUR

Recipe: Scottish Highland Liqueur
SCOTTISH HIGHLAND LIQUEUR

Recipe: Raspberry Liqueur
RASPBERRY LIQUEUR

Recipe: Very Cherry
VERY CHERRY

Taste of Rhode Island competition on Saturday and Sunday in Newport
The Taste of Rhode Island is set for Saturday, Oct. 3 (11 a.m. to p.m.) and Sunday, Oct. 4 (11 a.m. to p.m.) at the Newport Yachting Center, 4 Commercial Wharf, with food items from local restaurants, cooking and wine demonstrations and live music.

Food Notes for the week of Sept. 30
This week and weekend

Culinary battles loom as 10 vie for Next Iron Chef
The Next Iron Chef opens its second season Sunday, Oct. 4, at 9 p.m. on the Food Network with fearless challenges and a trio of judges sure to entertain.

Cooking for Number One can be a pleasure
Cookbook: The Pleasures of Cooking for One, by Judith Jones (Alfred A. Knopf, $27.50)

Recipe: Apple Maple Bread Pudding
APPLE MAPLE BREAD PUDDING

Recipe: Stir-fried Vegetables
STIR-FRIED VEGETABLES

Recipe: Linguine with Smoked Salmon Sauce
LINGUINE WITH SMOKED SALMON SAUCE

Beervana Fest is brewing at Roger Williams Park
It looks like a great lineup of beers when Beervana Fest opens the doors at the Roger Williams Park Botanical Garden, 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence, on Friday, Oct. 2, from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Taqueria Pacifica closing at AS220 in Providence
Taqueria Pacifica at AS220 in Providence is out of business as of Wednesday, Sept. 30. Allison Kyner, chef proprietor along with Tyler Long, are leaving the 115 Empire St. location to make way for a new restaurant to be run by AS220.

09/24/2009

Dining Out: So many wonderful aspects to new Japanese eatery
After having a feast of fresh, wonderfully prepared and presented food at Ebisu Restaurant, a new Japanese eatery in Providence, I had a dizzying bunch of thoughts to share.

09/23/2009

Cooking with the Carcieris
NORTH KINGSTOWN When I first inquired about joining Governor Carcieri and his wife, Suzanne, in their kitchen for a conversation and sharing of recipes, I didn’t imagine a lively Friday night dinner at their Saunderstown home with their three daughters and 11 grandchildren.

Recipe: Mrs. Carcieri’s Spaghetti and Meatballs
MRS. CARCIERI ’S SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Recipe: Mrs. Carcieri’s Meatballs
MRS. CARCIERI’S MEATBALLS

Pépin sees world of change for chefs
When culinary icon Jacques Pépin is honored at a gala Friday by the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival, it acknowledges a career that mirrors so many of the changes in the food world.

Head to head battle of inexpensive brews
A colleague tells me about a recent, unfortunate beverage decision.

Food notes for Sept. 23
This week and weekend

Food tours highlight immigrant cuisines
There’s something new on the local landscape — Rhody Food Tours featuring the Immigrant Cuisines of Providence.

Chef’s Secret: Use fresh produce to make polenta with summer vegetables
Ann Morrissey of Wakefield wrote: “I was wondering if you could acquire a recipe for my friends and me. My four women friends and I had a fabulous dinner last night at New Rivers. Two of us had the polenta with summer vegetables. It was out of this world.”

How to make polenta
POLENTA

Recipe: New Rivers Polenta with Summer Veggies
NEW RIVERS POLENTA WITH SUMMER VEGETABLES

Grilled eggplant makes for a light and savory salad
Eggplant is like a sponge.

How to make a grilled eggplant salad
GRILLED EGGPLANT SALAD WITH HERB AND CAPER VINAIGRETTE

With herbs, a little goes a long way
They’ve been indispensable in the kitchen since ancient times, those grassy little green bits we call herbs. Fact is, it’s nearly impossible to find a culture from long, long ago that didn’t have strict rules about when and how to pick ’em. Old tomes even prescribe the planetary considerations for herbal plucking. Pick when in full bloom, insists one ancient code. In the morn, declares another. Only at night. When Leo, Capricorn or Cancer are high in the heavens.

Classic dessert becomes more waist friendly
Apples crunch, but pears melt.

Recipe: Caramelized Pears with Dark Chocolate Sauce
CARAMELIZED PEARS WITH DARK CHOCOLATE SAUCE

3 new burger recipes
Grilling season isn’t over yet.

How to make a cheddar burger
CHEDDAR BURGER WITH BALSAMIC-CARAMELIZED ONION

How to make a Moroccan turkey burger
MOROCCAN TURKEY BURGERS

How to make a pesto burger
PESTO BURGER

Vegan baking comes into its own
MIAMI — When Becca Medvin went vegan at the age of 14, she had no trouble giving up meat. Or milk or cheese or eggs. What she missed was dessert.

How to make scones a vegan would love
SUBLIME SCONES

CRANBERRY ORANGE NUT MUFFINS
CRANBERRY ORANGE NUT MUFFINS

How to make vegan chocolate-chip cookies
VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Recipes that feature leftovers and memories
Want to stretch your skills? Two new books will bring you in different, yet interesting directions.

How to make lemon pudding cake
LEMON PUDDING CAKE

STUFFED CRISPY RAVIOLI SNACKS
STUFFED CRISPY RAVIOLI SNACKS

How to make stewed peppers
PEPERONATA POVERA E PIGRA POOR AND LAZY STEWED PEPPERS

How to make spaghetti pizza
PIZZA DI SPAGHETTI

How to make chicken and rice
MOM’S CHICKEN AND RICE DISH

Frozen peaches last about 6 months
Q. What kind of peach desserts can be frozen? I have already made some pies and wondered if there were other peach recipes I could freeze.

Eat dinner with the kids
Monday, Sept. 28 is the ninth annual A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children, a national movement that encourages parents to frequently eat dinner with their kids and be involved in their children’s lives. Launched by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, research consistently finds that the more kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.

How to make chicken chili
CHICKEN CHILI FROM INA GARTEN, THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA

How to make old-fashioned apple crisp
OLD-FASHIONED APPLE CRISP FROM INA GARTEN, THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA

How to make cornbread
KENYON’S SIMPLE CORNBREAD

09/17/2009

Warwick company meets school-treat challenge
WARWICK — It looks like ice cream. It tastes like ice cream. It even has the smoothness of ice cream.

Dining Out: China Buffet in East Greenwich
All-you-can-eat buffets are a boon to diners who want to go out for a restaurant meal, but don’t want to pay a hefty price.

09/16/2009

Breakfast Buddies fill up on friendship
The Breakfast Buddies are committed to God, country and family. But one morning a week the six friends are devoted to the search for a hot cup of coffee and a good breakfast at a reasonable price.

Woman reaps rewards of sustainable agriculture
CUMBERLAND

Where to find the apple orchards
Apple Orchards

Chinese Laundry folds; owner plans new concept
Chinese Laundry, one of Providence’s tiniest restaurants, has closed. Owned by the Chow Fun Food Group, headed by Cheryl and Rick Bready and John Elkhay, it opened at 121 North Main St. amid controversy in March 2008 and never emerged as the popular, edgy cocktail lounge/restaurant Elkhay envisioned.

Food notes for Sept. 16
This week and weekend

Chef Kelly on Chapel View project
Chef Tim Kelly, most recently of Café Nuovo, reports he has taken a position at Carpionato Properties. He’ll be working on a restaurant concept and development of the chapel building at Carpionato’s Chapel View project in Cranston.

As summer closes, wines to fit backyard meals
Still grilling dinner outside? Let’s raise a glass of wine in a salute to lengthening the season.

New government site on recalls, food safety
A new consumer Web site, Foodsafety.gov, will provide the latest information on food safety and life-saving food-recall alerts in one place.

Chef Gaudreau to be honored at Newport event
Kevin Gaudreau, set to be honored by the March of Dimes at the annual Signature Chefs Auction at Castle Hill Inn & Resort, has a new position at a new Providence restaurant. A longtime fixture on the Rhode Island dining scene, Gaudreau is director of operations for Ardeo, a taverna at 1 Union Station.

Honey Orange Salmon delightful dish for holiday table
With the Jewish holidays around the corner, The Orthodox Union has sent along recipes from Eileen Goltz for entrées, side dishes and desserts. This Honey Orange Salmon sounds especially delicious and offers an alternative to chicken and honey dishes. Goltz says it’s terrific for a first course or the main meal.

Recipe: Honey Orange Salmon
HONEY ORANGE SALMON

Recipe: Orange Honey Sauce
ORANGE HONEY SAUCE

Sure, they’re French, but crêpes are easy to make
In my years as a food editor, I’d never made crêpes.

Recipe: Savory Goat-Cheese Crepes
SAVORY GOAT-CHEESE CRÊPES

Glaze gives great flavor to healthful fish
Salmon is quick to prepare, works well with many flavors and it’s good for you. The fish ranks high in omega-3 fatty acids, the good fats that nutritionists say we should eat more of. It’s filling, too: A 4-ounce portion — which is about the size of a deck of cards — will satisfy most appetites.

Recipe: Bourbon And Maple-Glazed Salmon Fillets
BOURBON AND MAPLE-GLAZED SALMON FILLETS

Turn bean salad into Southwestern meal
Toss chicken strips in cumin and add chipotle peppers and their sauce to vinaigrette for a quick, Southwestern salad dinner. Toasted baguette with Parmesan cheese complements this unconventional chicken and three bean salad.

Recipe: Smoky Chicken and Three-Bean Salad
SMOKY CHICKEN AND THREE-BEAN SALAD

Handle raw egg recipe carefully
Q. I have an old recipe that calls for topping canned pear halves with a mixture of confectioner’s sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, one egg, vanilla and rum several hours before serving. Would you serve this, since it contains raw egg?

Apple season means kitchen fun
Having fresh apples around always sends me to the kitchen. But I rarely go back to old recipes. I love to try something new. Blame the fresh air of a pre-fall day.

Recipe: Saucy Apple Dumplings
SAUCY APPLE DUMPLINGS

Recipe: 10-Minute Applesauce
10-MINUTE APPLESAUCE

Recipe: Baked Apples
BAKED APPLES

Recipe: Walnut-Applesauce Coffee Cake
WALNUT-APPLESAUCE COFFEE CAKE

Recipe: Upside-Down One-Bowl Apple Cake
UPSIDE-DOWN ONE-BOWL APPLE CAKE

Recipe: Apple Pie Squares with Cheddar Crust
APPLE PIE SQUARES WITH CHEDDAR CRUST

09/13/2009

New R.I. mandates aim to make school lunches more healthful
Among the new requirements: An increase in the amount of fruits or vegetables offered at every school meal; fruit drinks must be 100-percent juice.

09/10/2009

Cranston’s Café Luna is a cozy bistro
CRANSTON —Café Luna is a charming little bistro that has been delighting customers in the Garden City shopping center for more than 19 years. Although it’s a popular spot in the afternoon because of its extensive lunch menu, Café Luna also serves until late evening with fare that shows a flair for imagination and fine ingredients.

09/09/2009

Food for thought by Gail Ciampa
What happens when fine dining meets bigtime football?

Oatmeal stout is new brew for Gillette Stadium
David Rosenbaum is a beer lover. But he couldn’t find an oatmeal stout that he could love. So he did what most of us wouldn’t think to do — he started homebrewing his own beer.

Food Notes
This weekend

Soup to nuts: Almonds can be used in just about anything
Sweet, mild almonds are nutritional superheroes. An ounce (about 24 nuts) contains 6 protein grams (the same as an egg) and 3 grams fiber, and is way up there in essential magnesium and vitamin E.

Recipe: Orzo Salad with Spinach, Mango and Almonds
ORZO SALAD WITH SPINACH, MANGO AND ALMONDS

At fall fairs, no end of calories
Fair season is here, which can mean only one thing: fatty foods. On a stick, no less! Take a quiz on the nutrition content (or lack thereof) of the most popular carnival food attractions culled from the book The CalorieKing 2009 Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter.

Answers to fall fair quiz
1: b.

Plan school lunchbox meals with help from the kids
The night before my son started first grade, his foodie mother stayed up to lovingly prepare a sandwich of free-range turkey on homemade organic bread with a crisp organic apple, a homemade granola bar and a cold box of organic milk.

Recipe: Egg-cellent Curry Salad Sandwich
EGG-CELLENT CURRY SALAD SANDWICH

Recipe: Jicama Sticks
JICAMA STICKS

Recipe: Broccoli Slaw Wraps
BROCCOLI SLAW WRAPS

Noble carmenere grape makes a fine, inexpensive wine
An outstanding and well-priced Chilean wine made from the noble carmenere grape is the 2006 Santa Alicia Reserva Carmenere (about $8).

Fruit for all seasons
Yes, we have bananas, but do we really appreciate them?

Whole grain has Spanish accent
It would be hard to exaggerate the importance cornmeal has taken in my life. If you want to eat more whole grains, there is no better place to start.

Recipe: Arepas With Cheese and Corn
AREPAS WITH CHEESE AND CORN

Start the week off with healthy Meatless Monday
Have you joined the Monday Movement?

Recipe: Whole-wheat Noodle Salad With Peanut Sauce
WHOLE-WHEAT NOODLE SALAD WITH PEANUT SAUCE

Tips for trip to farmers’ market
MILWAUKEE — Attention, green market shoppers: Has this ever happened to you?

Green bean salad and feta a natural pair
Many summers ago, I was at a barbecue where one guest accused another of having stolen a recipe for green bean salad. I was quick to put an end to the conversation. Few recipes are 100 percent original, and the pairing of green beans and feta is hardly unusual. The match is a natural, so naturally there are many versions of this salad. I’ve tried to perfect mine by using only the zest of the lemon, so the beans don’t discolor; by adding chopped sweet onions to keep that ingredient from biting; and by choosing dill, which goes nicely with the feta.

Recipe: Green Bean Salad with Feta and Lemon
GREEN BEAN SALAD WITH FETA AND LEMON

Easy sauce gives tang to steak
This is a quick steak recipe with an easy sauce made from chili sauce and Worcestershire sauce, which make a surprisingly good combination. It is one of the few recipes that my kitchen-challenged mother is able to prepare. And it was perfect for us picky eaters.

Recipe: Saucy Pepper Steak
SAUCY PEPPER STEAK

Bacon showing up after dinner
The latest sizzling-hot foodie fad has dessert-lovers feeling positively porkasmic.

Recipe: Maple French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes
MAPLE FRENCH TOAST AND BACON CUPCAKES

Recipe: Maple Bacon Ice Cream
MAPLE BACON ICE CREAM

Recipe: Candied Bacon
CANDIED BACON

Recipe: Bacon Pecan Caramel Ice Cream Balls
BACON PECAN CARAMEL ICE CREAM BALLS

Recipe: Bacon Baklava
BACON BAKLAVA

If the food is bad, take courage and send it back
Sending food back to the kitchen is something I do only in extreme cases.

Can bacon get any better? Yes, when you cure your own
We are a people obsessed with bacon.

Recipe: Fresh Bacon
FRESH BACON

Corn isn’t the bugaboo some say it is
There’s hardly anything so sublime as a perfectly steamed ear of fresh summer corn.

09/08/2009

A call for ‘Frankenfood’
Before Alice Waters and Michael Pollan, the ethical question about food was how to keep people from starving.

09/06/2009

It’s au revoir to great, cheap French food
It was a puzzlement. We were in Paris. It had been years, but now, ensconced in a cozy corner brasserie, my husband and I were looking forward to one of the great delights we remembered from our previous travels in France: wonderful, cheap food, everywhere you went.

09/02/2009

Local ingredients inspired Chef’s Secret
Each Monday night, Chez Pascal features a special Market Menu with the best in local and regional produce, meat, cheese and breads. A recent dinner included ingredients from Ledge Ends Farm, Arcadian Fields, Narragansett Creamery, Olga’s Cup and Saucer, Stoney Hill Cattle Co., Ward’s Berry Farm, Hill Orchards, and Blackbird Farm.

09/03/2009

Dining Out: Something special happens at Café Longo
PROVIDENCE — There was a definite buzz in the air about Café Longo on Federal Hill over the past several weeks. Suddenly a lot of people seemed to be talking about it in highly favorable terms … and chef-owner Jerry Longo had opened it just five months earlier!

09/02/2009

Number of Rhode Island farms is growing
With consumers anxious to know where their food comes from, local produce is in greater demand.

Chez Pascal takes it to the street
Providence’s Chez Pascal does so many things tasty and right. It starts with the local ingredient choices and goes on to the wonderful dishes artfully prepared to the ever accommodating service, and beyond.

Recipe: Chez Pascal’s Corn Bisque
CHEZ PASCAL’S CORN BISQUE

Fresh fruit desserts are almost endlessly adaptable
There’s nothing simpler than turning good fruit into a great dessert. So, for all of you frustrated non-cooks out there, here are a couple of desserts you can put together with no advanced techniques and no specialized equipment other than a food processor.

Recipe: Peach and Blackberry Crisp
PEACH AND BLACKBERRY CRISP

Recipe: Fig Frangipane Tart
FIG FRANGIPANE TART

Food Notes for Sept. 2
This week and weekend

Raw egg a serious danger to certain people
Q. I have an old recipe that calls for topping canned pear halves with a mixture of confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, one egg, vanilla and rum several hours before serving. Would you serve this, since it contains raw egg?

Easy, versatile pesto a classic sauce
In summer, basil grows almost as fast as the spinning blades of a blender on full speed. And when you have a garden full of basil, it’s time to make pesto.

Recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO

Recipe: Toasted Nut and Parsley Pesto
TOASTED NUT AND PARSLEY PESTO

Recipe: Olive Pesto and Pasta
OLIVE PESTO AND PASTA

Recipe: Cilantro Pesto
CILANTRO PESTO

Absolut embraces the Green Monster as a Boston icon
Back in the late 1980s, Absolut vodka sponsored events during the big New York fashion shows. Ads in the glossy magazines heralded the latest designers with Absolut this and Absolut that.

ABSOLUT BOSTON TEA PARTY MARTINI
ABSOLUT BOSTON TEA PARTY MARTINI

ABSOLUT BOSTON HOMERUN
ABSOLUT BOSTON HOMERUN

ABSOLUT BOSTON MOJITO
ABSOLUT BOSTON MOJITO

Popular Gregg’s Pickles
This is the time of year when we start getting requests for the recipe for Gregg’s Pickles.

TASTE LIKE GREGG’S PICKLES
TASTE LIKE GREGG’S PICKLES

A sweet idea for grilled tenderloin
If you’re one of those people who eat sweet potatoes only when they’re ringed with marshmallows and paired with turkey, Grilled Tenderloin and Sweet Potatoes With Spicy Cherry Sauce should be a revelation.

Recipe: Grilled Tenderloin and Sweet Potatoes with Spicy Cherry Sauce
GRILLED TENDERLOIN AND SWEET POTATOES WITH SPICY CHERRY SAUCE

Tomatoes are ripe with elegant ideas
The Washington Post held a Top Tomato contest and the top recipes are worth sharing here.

Recipe: Tomato Stack Salad
TOMATO STACK SALAD

Recipe: Tricolor Tomato Salad with Lime Sour Cream and Pesto

TERRINE OF TOMATOES WITH TARRAGON
TERRINE OF TOMATOES WITH TARRAGON

Tomato cupcakes, pure and simple
I love to play with unusual ingredients and can’t resist a novelty. After exploring avocado in my chocolate cupcakes, I have turned my attention to summer’s round red fruit as the next cupcake ingredient.

TOMATO-SPICE CUPCAKES
TOMATO-SPICE CUPCAKES

Savory tomato pie is simply divine
Several years ago, a reader suggested a recipe for tomato pie after a story about tomatoes appeared in the Food section. The recipe never appeared in print — even though requests for the recipe poured in.

SUMMER TOMATO PIE
SUMMER TOMATO PIE

How to order wine like an expert
OK, so you don’t know a box wine from a baby brunello, and that big dinner with colleagues/clients/current object of obsession is just a day away. You want to be dining and wining but will likely be dining and whining … especially if all you can say to the waiter is, “Got any wine coolers?”