I realize now things have gotten out of control. What started as a simple pursuit to find the ultimate method to roast a chicken has taken up way too much of my time. I like to roast a chicken at least once a week. But this is less a ritual than a weekly torture session. Rather than repeat the same well-worn recipe that has been time-tested and approved, I try something new every singl...
The other night, when everyone was hunkered down in their apartments waiting for the snowstorm to envelop us, I made hot chocolate. Cold weather and snow are among the best excuses to indulge in this gastronomic excess (I'm talking about the stuff made from scratch). It is sometimes acceptable in the instance of rainy weather, or thunderstorms. Otherwise, it's simply gluttony.
There are...
We all grew up on tuna fish sandwiches, whether we liked it or not. Sally pulls out her bag of carrots and a PB & J, Frankie his bologna with Kraft slices, and I pull out a soggy, fishy, tuna sandwich, and everyone stares. And holds their nose. But it turns out my mom was on the right track: James Beard famously said that tuna is the "only food better canned than fresh." He was entirely w...
By Elin Raun
Lasagna , on the contrary, is British. Or so they claim . In a feud finding its origins in the first cookery book believed to be published in Britain (during the reign of Richard II in the 14 th Century), British researchers declare the dish, widely believed to be Italian, as their own. After much jockeying between cooks and diplomats, no one can be sure. Perhaps the Rom...
_ Check out Day 1 to figure out why Nick is spending so much time on lunch spots in Manhattan . _
Of all the foods I could nosh on in NYC for a quick, cheap lunch, nothing was as obvious as pizza. The capital of that tasty dish, New York should have had interesting pizza places pouring out of its alleyways, with enough springy crusts, milky cheeses, and bright sauces to keep me filled...
_ Check out Day 1 to figure out why Nick is spending so much time on lunch spots in Manhattan . _
After a few months, even the finds of Flatiron become slightly boring for no other reason than repitition. I began looking farther afield for something tasty. With the subway less than a block away, I dreampt of being able to zoom up to any restaurant I pleased. The whole of Manhattan...
_ Check out Day 1 to figure out why Nick is spending so much time on lunch spots in Manhattan . _
While the $5 limit I usually impose on lunch might seem low by some standards, there are times when even that is a little too high. Whether it's close to payday or after a long expensive weekend, sometimes you need to go lower. That's when you have to dive deep into the belly of the city t...
_ Check out Day 1 to figure out why Nick is spending so much time on lunch spots in Manhattan . _
Good, cheap Indian food should be a relatively easy find. Some 10 minute walk away is Murray Hill, a neighborhood that is also affectionately known as Curry Hill. During lunch, a stretch along Lexington Avenue becomes packed with yellow taxis attempting to find a parking spot. The idli...
It didn't start off as a quest. I had a job in the Flatiron section of Manhattan and I needed to eat cheaply. I'm not much of a brown bagger, and soups don't always interest me, so I began to search for the best places to find a meal for around $5. It became an obsession. See, Flatiron and the eastern part of Chelsea have some of the finest restaurants in the world, but they are far fr...
It was a terrifying moment: The bottom of my pan was lined with raw pig skin, on top of which were alternating layers of beans, the meat from pig knuckles, duck confit, sausages, a paste made of blended onions and more boiled pig skin--and I was rapidly reaching the top rim. In fact, I'd already reached it. I still had a bowl of beans, not to mention 4 cups of gelatinous bean and pork water...
Blake and Nick live in Chicago and have written for The Paupered Chef and other publications since 2006.