Category Archives: food & cooking

Jamon

Posted on April 24, 2009 by David

I’m posting from London, where we’re on vacation during Miles’s spring school break. Yesterday we visited Harrods department store, where I automatically gravitated to the legendary Food Hall. At the charcuterie counter I had convinced myself to buy a bit … Continue reading →

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Behold the Awesome Power of Bacon!

Posted on April 16, 2009 by David

Harold McGhee’s On Food and Cooking is the most exhaustive reference on the chemistry and physics involved in food preparation, but nothing beats a few flashy demonstrations. I still have a vivid memory of Mr. Wizard, the great American science … Continue reading →

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“Pork Dinner for Four in Half an Hour”

Posted on April 13, 2009 by David

In “How I Learned to Cook” I mentioned that one of the two cookbooks I owned was Julia Child’s The French Chef Cookbook. As I read through the book looking for recipes that I could prepare in a tiny kitchen … Continue reading →

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Easter Dinner for 25

Posted on April 7, 2009 by David

My mother’s parents hosted dinners for our entire extended Italian family on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Xmas. When my grandmother died, her three children — my mom, her brother, and her sister — each took on the responsibility of hosting one … Continue reading →

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Tortillitas with Shrimp

Posted on April 2, 2009 by David

I often learn about the latest installment of Mark Bittman’s “The Minimalist” column in The New York Times when the videocast shows up on my TiVo queue. I watched this video last night and decided to make it for dinner … Continue reading →

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Five

Posted on April 1, 2009 by David

Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food is summarized by the author as “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” In the chapter “Eat Food: Food Defined,” he offers a rule of thumb: Avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) … Continue reading →

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How I Learned to Cook

Posted on March 31, 2009 by David

Blame it on the MIT Food Service. For my first two undergraduate years I ate my meals in the dining room in my dorm, MacGregor House. I had a book of “points” — tickets I turned in for breakfast, lunch, … Continue reading →

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Truffles!

Posted on March 26, 2009 by David

I’ve had truffles with a a few meals, usually added as an extra garnish. The last time I ate them I paid an extra $10 to have white Italian Alba truffles shaved on top of an appetizer. What was the … Continue reading →

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Reverse Engineering a Memory

Posted on March 19, 2009 by David

Twenty eight years ago I “discovered” The Daily Catch, a restaurant in Boston’s North End. I usually didn’t bother with Italian restaurants — I cooked my own pasta & sauce, and anything more exotic could be supplied by Mon when … Continue reading →

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Braised Short Ribs

Posted on March 17, 2009 by David

I love cooking short ribs. They’re inexpensive, full of flavor, and the standard cooking method — braising — couldn’t be simpler. The last time I made these I tried Mark Bittman’s recipe for short ribs with coffee and chiles, but … Continue reading →

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