Spaghetti all’amatriciana: Layers of flavor and history
Traditional spaghetti all’amatriciana at La Conca in Amatrice, Italy The Via Salaria — the Salt Road — was one of the earliest roads built by ancient Rome to lash together its far-flung empire. The...
View ArticleWho’s afraid of a little haggis?
Uncooked haggis at Feast Restaurant This is a story about haggis, a dish traditionally associated with the cuisine of Scotland. There are many myths, legends, rumors, and even poems associated with...
View ArticleThe Truth About Neapolitan-style Pizza
Pizza Margherita at Di Matteo in Naples, Italy My waiter, a young man in his twenties wearing a dirty apron that sheathed a prodigious belly usually seen on men some twenty years older, was the model...
View ArticleChinatown Food Exploring: Seafood and Eat it
Steamed Dungeness crab at Hong Kong Food Street I’m always reluctant to order seafood in a restaurant that doesn’t specialize in seafood. I’ve been burned too many times in restaurants where seafood is...
View ArticleTaking a Day Off at Taqueria Taconmadre
Tacos al pastor and suadero tacos at Taqueria Taconmadre As a food writer, I’m often asked, “When you’re not going to restaurants for a writing assignment, where do you go to eat?” Although I have my...
View ArticleBuilding the Perfect Carbonara: A Roman Puzzle
A Roman Puzzle A recipe is a funny thing. Often you’ll follow the instructions exactly and the dish still turns out poorly. It’s like something’s been left out, or gets lost in the translation, and you...
View ArticleBuilding the Perfect Carbonara: The Ingredients Part 1
Guanciale If there’s anything more controversial than the origins of the dish known as pasta alla carbonara, it’s the selection of ingredients that go into it. In the first part of this series, I...
View ArticleBuilding the Perfect Carbonara: The Ingredients Part 2
Fresh pasta In our last post, we considered two of the most important ingredients of pasta alla carbonara: the cheese and the cured meat. A third ingredient, pasta, is one of the world’s most prevalent...
View ArticleBuilding the Perfect Carbonara: The Recipe
Egg, cheese, pepper Spaghetti alla Carbonara by J.C. Reid Serves: 1 main portion (secondi), 2 smaller portions (primi) Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 15 min Ingredients 4 ounces dried spaghetti pasta...
View ArticleMy Texas Barbecue Piece in the New York Times
Hill Country Barbecue – Market in NYC I have an article in the Texas edition of the New York Times this Sunday. It’s available on the New York times website – When You Can Take the Barbecue Out of...
View Article2013 Boudin Cook-Off in Lafayette, Louisiana
2013 Boudin Cook-Off in Lafayette, LA. Click above for larger image, then scroll left-right to see it all. One of the very nicest things about living in Houston is that you can jump in the car, drive a...
View Article2014 UK Barbecue Tour
2014 UK Barbecue Tour – photo rooreynolds I’ll be touring Texas-inspired barbecue joints in the United Kingdom starting January 8th. Here’s some background. The export of Texas barbecue – or more...
View ArticleGranger’s in Sabine Pass
Menu from Granger’s in Sabine Pass ca. 1940s or 50s Reader Bill Gay sent me these great scans of the menu from Granger’s in Sabine Pass after reading my column about barbecue crabs in the Houston...
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