On a frigid winter afternoon in a subterranean Haymarket grocery, a father with his two young boys is listening to a man in a chef’s apron and a herringbone flat cap speak enthusiastically about his eggplant. It doesn’t take much to persuade the dad to try a plate, despite the fact that the younger son is yanking at his sleeve.
The rules are simple: Your friend, or a friend of a friend, or a friend of a friend of a friend heard about this thing, and all you have to do is bring $50 and a bottle of wine to this apartment, the exact location of which will be revealed to you sometime after your RSVP.
In one scene in the movie “It’s Complicated,” Meryl Streep and her date, played by Steve Martin, go to her bakery and whip up a late-night snack of chocolate croissants. Streep makes it look so easy. In movie time, it seems like one, maybe two, hours have lapsed until the golden crescents emerge from the oven. Of course, if you’re …
Serves 4 These are made at the Portland, Ore. restaurant Mother’s Bistro & Bar, where Lisa Schroeder, chef and owner, prepares comfort food. Her tuna contains chopped pickles, red onion, celery, and mayo. She spreads it on toast, adds tomatoes and cheddar, and broils the sandwiches until the cheese melts into the tuna mixture.
Serves 4 4 russet or other baking potatoes 1 thick pork loin chop on the bone 1 dried red pepper, seeds removed and crumbled into several pieces or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 2 bay leaves 1/3 pound chorizo, cut into 1/2-inch pieces Salt, to taste 3 teaspoons paprika 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
It takes a formidable fish to hold its firm texture and taste after being cut into bite-size pieces, sloshed in herb marinade, sour cream, or mustard sauce and stuffed into a 12-ounce jar. The Blue Hill Bay line of marinated and cream herrings ($4.99 to $5.99) does all that with panache. Blue Hill Bay is a division of family-owned, Brooklyn, …
Serves 4 Finding time to cook a fancy meal for company sometimes seems as likely as a celebrity chef showing up to fill in. If you can find boned and butterflied whole trout, which cook in a very short time, they make a beautiful presentation. Fill the cavities with lemon, thyme, and garlic and bake the fish inside foil packets …
Serves 4 1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice 3 1/4 cups water 1/4 teaspoon salt 1. Rinse the rice in a strainer. In a heavy-based saucepan, combine the rice, water, and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Skim off any scum on the surface.
Some ingredients are best not mentioned. You probably shouldn’t tell your guests that the Scottish haggis they’re about to eat contains lungs and heart, or that the famous Mystery Cake is mixed with canned tomato soup.
Serves 4 with leftovers 1/4 cup olive oil 2 medium red onions, coarsely chopped 5 medium carrots, coarsely chopped 3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped Salt and black pepper, to taste 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 can (14 to 15 ounces) whole plum tomatoes, crushed in a bowl 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried …