Irish Lamb Stew and Irish Soda Bread
by John Havel

Ask someone, especially a North American, who hasn't lived or visited Ireland about what Irish food is like, and nine times out of ten, as they grope for answers, they'll mention corned beef and cabbage. However, investigation shows that, while corned beef and cabbage is sometimes eaten there, it's probably eaten a lot less than most people imagine: and it's definitely not the Irish national dish.



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Ponzu Sauce

By MARK BITTMAN

Ponzu, an all-purpose sauce from Japan, is the rough equivalent of vinaigrette. But bottled ponzu, which is what you will find in Japanese markets, is to real ponzu as a supermarket brand is to real vinaigrette: a pale shadow.

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Bogle Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Here's a stellar example of how a really good Cabernet can be made without gouging the consumer. This is a dry, elegant and rich wine, with firm tannins housing flavors of blackberries, currants, herbs, spices and smoky cedar wood. It's a terrific value.

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Snoqualmie Merlot 2006 Price: $11

Serve With:

Rigatoni with Steak Sauce
green salad
garlic bread
Brownie Petit Fours


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Parmesan Cream Crackers
by Mark Bittman

If you think of crackers as little bits of pie crust, or fast-cooking bread, you quickly comprehend why they're so easy to make. Which only makes it more befuddling that no one does, since packaged crackers are universally overpriced and often contain ingredients with which you'd never cook, starting with artificial ones and continuing with dough "conditioners" and preservatives.


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Old-Fashioned Marinated Rib-Eye

by Mark Bittman

It's dead easy. Start with a relatively thin rib-eye. Marinate for one to three days. (We tried one of these steaks after a 30-minute marinade; it was good, but different. Try longer first.)




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West Lake Fish Soup

By Mark Bittman

Too few soups are both hearty and quick to make, but West Lake soup is a stunning exception. Named after its area of origin, in Hangzhou, China, it is sometimes called a variation on egg drop soup. This is a bit like calling a cream-enriched lobster bisque a variation on creamy potato soup.




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Keeping tips like these in mind will save you time.


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Swiss Steak

By John Havel

If the term makes you think of a cheap TV dinner, you'll be pleasantly surprised to know
that this can be a fabulous meal.


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Creamy Chicken Liver Pâté

By Mark Bittman

Those of us who grew up eating chopped liver made with schmaltz (chicken fat) had a particular group of sensations almost completely unlike that associated with liver pâté made in the French style.



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Braised Lamb With Garlic and Cinnamon

By Mark Bittman

The key to braising lamb, or any meat, really, lies not so much in your cooking technique as in your shopping technique.



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It's cookie season, and we all want our cookies to be perfect for our families and friends. Below are some of the rules of 'kitchen chemistry' to explain why things happen in the cookie baker's kitchen. If you like to play with recipes, or even create your own, these guides will help you adjust your ingredients to get the desired results.


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Turkey Braised With Cranberries

By MARK BITTMAN

Those who believe the best part of the Thanksgiving turkey is the day-after sandwiches with leftover cranberry sauce will welcome this recipe. It teams the relatively unappreciated drumsticks with the rarely used fresh cranberries to produce a dish of uncommon complexity.



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Holiday Fruit Cake

By Mark Bittman

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Chestnut History
Chestnut Selection
Chestnut Storage
Chestnut Measures, Equivalents and Substitutions
Beware Raw Chestnuts

The Recipes

Roast Chestnuts
Wolfgang Puck's Braised Chestnuts
Buttered Chestnuts - Castagne al Burro
Braised Pork with Chestnuts
Peeling Chestnuts



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