In Senegal, a Return to Homegrown Rice

We were on our way to the Sahel Center, an outpost of AfricaRice, the Pan-African research organization that began operations in 1971 to help meet the rising consumption of rice in West Africa, with an emphasis on increasing self-sufficiency. It now has 28 member countries across the continent, including Madagascar, who participate in research exchanges…

Recipes for Kids

I don’t know about you, but predicting my children’s culinary tastes from day to day is a nearly impossible task that often ends in tears. (Mine or theirs.) Those granola bars they loved last week that I bought in bulk? They hate them now. The same goes for the Bolognese I made several batches of…

Thanksgiving With Padma

Good morning. Genevieve Ko has a lovely story in The Times this morning about cooking Thanksgiving turkey with Padma Lakshmi, whose second season of “Taste the Nation” is streaming on Hulu. Lakshmi’s turkey (above) offers a riot of delicious savory-sweet flavors and incredibly moist meat: buttermilk-brined, then roasted slowly over seasonal fruits and vegetables. The…

The Secret to a Better Green Salad

The salad leaves used at Gage & Tollner come from local farms and change every week. Sometimes it’s beautiful radicchio, other times it’s frisée; mustard greens are often featured. “Each leaf has its own integrity and flavor and composition,” Kim says, which is why when you’re making a salad, you should taste the leaves as…

Gotham, and Other New York City Restaurant Openings

Home Kitchen 84 Peter Philis, whose great-grandfather founded Lexington Candy Shop in 1925, has teamed up with another restaurant industry veteran, Paul Modica, to open this neighborhood-style spot where easygoing American fare rules. 155 East 84th Street, 646-838-5102, homekitchennyc.com. Sofreh Café A brick-walled tearoom, owned by Ali Saboor and Nasim Alikhani, serves sweets like traditional…