For Shakshuka or What Have You

With their ever-increasing line of products bearing the New York Shuk label, Ron and Leetal Arazi are putting the Middle East, with an emphasis on Jewish and Moroccan flavors, on the table. Their latest is a thick, all-purpose tomato-based condiment called matbucha, a homemade staple of North African origin that is ubiquitous in Israeli households.…

Spooky Pasta and Ghastly Cookies

In the run-up to Halloween, the Brooklyn Kitchen, which just started giving cooking classes in the Essex Market on the Lower East Side, has scheduled hands-on lessons for savories and sweets for the holiday. Halloween pasta — black squid ink with a lemon-herb sauce and pumpkin gnocchi with a brown butter and sage sauce —…

Where Citrus Is the Star

The colder months feature citrus. This year, Evan Obsatz, an owner of the Butterfield Markets on the Upper East Side, and his produce specialist, John Weintraub, have gathered offbeat varieties of the fruit in the Madison Avenue store. Yuzu, a green- or yellow-skinned fruit with a flavor that’s increasingly popular thanks to Japanese chefs but…

A Domestic Prosciutto From the Ozarks

There’s a new domestic prosciutto from True Story Foods with a personality all its own. It’s a mellow, silky ham, less robust and salty than some, but lovely on a charcuterie board or in a sandwich. Russ Kremer, a Missouri hog farmer and partner based in the foothills of the Ozarks, has established a network…

Come for the Focaccia, Stay for the History

The province of Liguria on the northwest Italian coast has a diverse cuisine that varies greatly from the coast to the inland regions. Along the sea, the necklace of Italian Riviera resorts and the cosmopolitan city of Genoa serve elegant fare like stuffed veal rolls, decorative corzetti pasta, zucchini flowers and specialties also typical of…

The Emotional Toll of Adult Acne

No matter how much we claim to value people’s inner worth over their outward appearance, what we see upon meeting someone for the first time can color our assessment of the person’s value. At least, that’s what many adults with acne fear, prompting them to shun social or professional encounters lest their facial blemishes result…