Category

SEAFOOD

06/11/14 • BRAISED FISH “STEW”

06/11/14 • BRAISED FISH “STEW” From the Feb. 9, 2014 New York Times Magazine  It’s been such a long time since my last appearance here that I don’t really know where to begin. Aside from the general rustiness—and associated writer’s block—that seems to have set in after an absence of so many months, there’s the challenge of condensing into a few readable paragraphs what has undoubtedly been one of the mos
Read More

06/26/13 • SALMON WITH CREME FRAICHE

06/26/13 • SALMON WITH CREME FRAICHE From Fine Cooking, issue 57 Well folks, it’s been nearly two weeks since my Achilles’ surgery and I’m happy to report that I’m pain-free and back in “the boot.” This is an infinitely more appealing option than the splint I left the hospital in as it allows for the possibility of airing your foot out once in a while, and of wearing something other than gym shorts and sweatpants. Re
Read More

08/23/12 • THE HAPPY CLAM SAUCE

08/23/12 • THE HAPPY CLAM SAUCE From the Sept., 2007 Fine Cooking (click here to view the recipe) In the last few weeks I’ve begun to notice a subtle shift in peoples’ attitude towards the summer. Gone is the air of anticipation that was everywhere in May and June. So, too, is the vibe of communal celebration that marked the month of July, when people across the city seemed to be gathering at outdoor cafes until the
Read More

06/21/12 • CRAB CAKES THAT SING

06/21/12 • CRAB CAKES THAT SING From the May/June, 2012 Cook’s Illustrated  (click here to view the recipe) There are certain foods or ingredients I tend to stay away from, not because I don’t love them, but for the simple reason that they rarely if ever live up to expectation. Maybe if I’d grown up on a chicken farm I’d feel that way about eggs, but as a city boy the variety I find at the supermarket tastes much as
Read More

05/24/12 • THE SOFT-SHELL SELL

05/24/12 • THE SOFT-SHELL SELL Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook, Vol. II (1972)  Sometimes a craving demands immediate satisfaction. In the case of a donut, or a piece of chocolate, or even a pastrami sandwich, often the easiest way to resolve this condition is by getting yourself to the nearest quality purveyor, loading up, and moving on—freed, at least temporarily, from that distracting state otherwise known as de
Read More

03/08/12 • FISH DINNER WINNER

03/08/12 • FISH DINNER WINNER From the July, 2007 Gourmet (click here to view the recipe) I don’t know about you, but when I see fish on a menu — any kind of fish — I tend to glaze over. This doesn’t make much sense because I actually like fish; I have no seafood phobias and I often cook fish at home. What’s more, when scanning a restaurant’s options, I’m often looking for an alternative to red meat (which is a
Read More

09/22/11 • COD WITH TOMATO SAUCE

09/22/11 • COD WITH TOMATO SAUCE From the Sept., 2011 Food & Wine Last night I ate an amazing meal at a little restaurant in the West Village called Buvette. It’s a narrow spot and generally pretty crowded at dinner, which means I almost never get to go since the scale of the place and the fact that you typically have to wait for a (tiny) table are two realities of eating there that Alfredo can’t abide. Alf is th
Read More

09/01/11 • PERFECT PAELLA, SIMPLIFIED

09/01/11 • PERFECT PAELLA, SIMPLIFIED From America’s Test Kitchen (click here for the recipe) I’m not one of those people whose appetite goes into hiding when the temperature spikes and the air gets soupy. In fact, when faced with a 90-degree day and near 100 percent humidity, I’ve been known to run to the nearest Cuban restaurant in search of a plate of picadillo and some fried plantains. It was just that impulse th
Read More

08/18/11 • ULTIMATE SHRIMP SCAMPI

08/18/11 • ULTIMATE SHRIMP SCAMPI From the April, 2006 Gourmet (click here for the recipe) I seem to be eating a lot of spaghetti these days, and when I’m not eating it I’m thinking about it. For a long time I only ever thought about it and never ate it, as once upon a time I subscribed to a strict no-carbs policy. I’m glad those days are behind me, but even though I now eat bagels, baguettes, potatoes, muffins, gnoc
Read More

07/14/11 • LULU’S TUNA BURGER

07/14/11 • LULU’S TUNA BURGER From Cook’s Illustrated Summer Entertaining, 2011 (click here to view the recipe) One of the magical things about food is the way it can instantly trigger a memory or a feeling, much the way a piece of music can. Of course, depending on the particular circumstances of the meal in question that can be good, bad, or somewhere in-between — a reality I’ve been grappling with as I’ve tr
Read More