I am one of those people who never travels more than five minutes from my house without packing some kind of snack. Just in case. I go through heavy rotations of granola bars, trail mix, and most recently, these dark chocolate bites. They’re the perfect little nosh to help me power through a train delay or restaurant wait list without turning into a hungry zombie.
If you’d told me as a spaghett-and-meatballs loving kid that in Italy, these two things are never served together, I wouldn’t have believed you. What’s next, no pepperoni pizza, fettucine alfredo or rainbow cookies? No Italian dressing? At least we know those jars of Italian seasoning are the real deal (phew).
Don’t worry, however, I am not here to chasten you, myself or my spaghetti-and-meatballs loving kid for eating food you/we/he exactly the way you like it. Smitten Kitchen is a sanctimony-free zone. I only mentioned this because when, as an adult, I began to consider the meatball as something apart from the flavor-anchors of spaghetti and a busy marinara sauce, I realized I wanted much more out of my meatballs. I wanted them to be good enough to fly solo as a dish, whether or not there was bread, or roasted potatoes, polenta or, yes, even spaghetti on the table. And I couldn’t stop fiddling with them.
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Edamame may be your warm-up before a sushi dinner, but its best role is as a snack-time superstar. On its own, edamame doesn’t pack a whole lot of flavor, but when you think of it as a total blank canvas, the possibilities of turning it into a punchy snack are endless.
Not so long ago, food companies treated snacks like eaters treated snacks — as afterthoughts, guilty pleasures, and check-out line impulse buys. Today, there’s a big, and growing, snack market. And it’s not sugary sweets driving that growth.
There is a time and a place for desserts to be fussy and time consuming. I like to reserve those desserts for special occasions and birthdays. However, if I’m making regular weekday treats, I want them to be fast, easy, and completely delicious.
Enter these vegan pudding cups. I made these in a blender with a short list of ingredients that pack it full of good fats, and make it a healthy take on a classic.
Thanks to non-dairy geniuses, we already know that puréed nuts are a great substitute in recipes that call for creamy cheese sauces. But if you’re craving something less runny, a little firmer, and more ricotta-esque, then here’s a new trick.
We bet you’d be hard-pressed to find a kitchen where there isn’t at least one kind of rice in the pantry. It’s inexpensive and easy to make, although more often than not it plays a supporting role.
Try it tonight as the star of the show. We have ideas for everything from brown and wild to basmati and Arborio. All you need to do is pick one and get cooking.
Given the passion with which Dale Talde, the two-time Filipino-American Top Chef contender behind four restaurants in Brooklyn, Jersey City, and Miami, talks about bodegas, you’d never guess he didn’t grow up ordering egg, bacon, and cheese on a roll or going on late-night Gatorade runs. His first experience was just over a decade ago when he moved to New York to open Morimoto; now he’s lived around the corner or down the block from many a bodega — all of which he, inevitably, ends up calling “my bodega” — and he has strong opinions. We asked him to share his bodega intel, including a few “dope finds.”
Mid-century canned soup concoctions were but a mere moment in the casserole cooking timeline. Now, the deep-dish wide-pan homespun wonders are finding their way into our kitchens again — especially when cold weather begs for big flavors and the comfort of sharing a meal from a single dish.
Whether used in tea and marinades or to stir-fries and desserts, ginger plays the role of spice and warmth in a huge variety of dishes. This knobby root brings a bright and fiery kick with pungent flavor that carries just a hint of sweetness. Here are a few things you should know to make the most of this kitchen standby.
