Winter Shiitake Stew with Polenta

Here in New England where it’s been gray or white, white white, my breezy old kitchen seems to shake in the winter wind, and the supply of local fare is dwindling. So it’s time to winter forage, throw a log on the fire, crank up the Billie Holiday, and cook up a warming mushroom stew. […]

Kim Chi

Wake up winter! Now’s the time for fermented foods with their heady smell and stand-up-and-shout flavor. Good for the gut and dense with accessible nutrients, foods like sauerkraut and the kim chi here, extend the season when the ground is unyielding. Preparing fermented vegetables is easy, and you can invent your own variations over time. […]

Tropical Butternut Bisque

On a snowy day, this soup reflects my locavore’s craving for the Caribbean — coconut with a touch of fiery ginger and cayenne pepper party with butternut’s sweet silky texture. The Berkshires produces fabulous butternut squash, and happily the local stuff is still around. Roasting it whole makes it effortless to peel. Use local onions […]

Whole Wheat French Toast with Apples, Maple Syrup and Cranberries

My challenge? With guests arriving and meals planned, forage the house for local bounty for a simple but festive breakfast. This French toast, using nutty whole wheat bread, and other household staples — local eggs, maple syrup, apples, cider, milk and regional cranberries — makes it easy. 2-3 servings, easily doubled 1 large egg 1 […]

Crispy Wrap with Warm Cheese and Apple Chutney

Some of the best recipes are born out of desperation. This is one, created when I had to come up with yet another wrap for my book, Wrap it Up, now out of print. But here it is — a warm wrap reborn with melty local cheese, apples, shallots and regional cranberries. Serve as a unique […]

Backlash against the local food movement?

As America jumps on the local food bandwagon, and farmers markets, farmers coops and buying clubs pop up everywhere, there seems to be a backlash against the local food movement. Or, at least I hear a hint of it in some of the radio interview questions I’ve been asked about my new book, The Locavore […]

Our Crazy Locavore Thanksgiving

A belated happy Thanksgiving to all of you, and to our farmers for bringing us the best food imaginable. This year, our Thanksgiving came from a number of farms as I made my way south from the Berkshires to New York City. Fresh Turkey from DiPaola’s through Ruth Steinberg Amy’s Bread Stuffing with Berkshire Chestnuts […]

Simple Savory Sweet Potato Soup

Sweet potatoes create a smooth orange soup that is quick to prepare. The fire of cayenne pepper cuts their natural sweetness. The first version is inspired by Southern cooking, with its roasted peanut and scallion garnish. The second is seasoned with the Mexican flavors of lime and cilantro. This is a simple recipe, but feel […]

Tangy Double Cranberry-Orange Sauce

You don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to enjoy regional cranberries, but they sure are swell with turkey, especially in those day-after sandwiches. Here, I paired dried and fresh cranberrries for a varied texture and extra oomph. If you prefer an alternative to the neutral sweetener of sugar, try adding local maple syrup or honey […]

Two Kale Recipes for Fall

Garlicky Bean Soup with Kale I admire soup’s simple needs — a few ingredients, a little time and a bowl to contain it. But then I come from a family of soup lovers. My father says he’s never met a soup he doesn’t like. And my great grandmother, a Polish Jew, made such tasty soup […]