The chiltepin is a tiny, powerfully spicy chile that’s the genetic grandparent of nearly every chile varietal cultivated in the United States. It’s a living emblem of how Indigenous ingredients formed the bedrock of American foodways. But the history of the chiltepin — and that of the Indigenous people in the Southwest who grow it…
The ongoing problem with salt is thoroughly discussed in an excellent book published last year, “Salt Wars, The Battle Over the Biggest Killer in the American Diet,” by Michael F. Jacobson, the former executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. Without waiting for…
The cool nights and crisp days of fall may have reached the Northeast, but that hasn’t lessened the flow of tomatoes and sweet bell peppers at my local farmers’ market, piled up in red and gold profusion. Unlike their peak-summer counterparts, these autumnal specimens can be soft and a bit wrinkly at the edges. While…
The other day, my younger daughter, who is not quite 2, was given a piece of homemade blueberry pie. She screamed in agony. How dare someone offer her pie! As of now, my children are both picky and mercurial about food, a terrible combination. This is very annoying, and very common: One of the questions…
She wasn’t your typical grandmother. Grandma Fern was an Auntie Mame, see-the-world type, the kind of grandmother who would take you to a piano bar or teach you how to play blackjack. Her exuberant personality matched the bustling energy of Pie ’n Burger, the cool restaurant in Pasadena, Calif., where she would take her grandson…
In a sense, she is capitalizing on one of the oldest tricks of wine-lovers, shopping by importer. No wine consumer, not even experts, can hope to know every producer. Instead, over time, they learn which importers’ tastes tend to align with their own. Remembering the names of several importers is a lot easier than memorizing…
It’s always a thrill to feast on cushiony wild morels and chanterelles, frilly hen of the woods, or black smudges of huitlacoche. But I grew up on those cultivated button mushrooms in the plastic-wrapped pints, and I like cooking with them, too! Even buttons carry the flavor of deep earth, of balmy decay, while somehow…
“While the video shows the women talking to our managers and other employees, at no point did the women mention that any of the hosts ever made a racial slur,” he said. “This is because none of our hosts — all of whom are people of color — ever uttered such a slur.” The hostess,…
Maybe you’ve noticed the chill in the air, or that the leaves are starting to turn shades of orange and red. The first pumpkin spice lattes of the season have already been sipped, and perhaps you’ve taken out the sweaters that make you feel like Cameron Diaz courting Jude Law in a cozy cottage in…
Good morning. I’m jazzed for David Tanis’s new recipes for an autumnal dinner (above), which bring us a simple, exquisite romaine salad with anchovy and lemon, a savory butternut squash pie and a dessert of red wine pears. I don’t know if it’s going to be on the docket tonight, but you could get a…