Lidia Bastianich has long been one of my favorite chefs. This may seem strange, given my ardent vegetarianism (and gradual shift toward veganism) and her propensity for meat dishes, but I believe that a good chef is more than just the dishes they create. Presence, skills, and love of food are what separate a good chef from a great one.
Bastianich has the presence and authority of an accomplished chef, while still managing to maintain that grandmotherly charm. She's a strong woman (mother, breast-cancer survivor) who has taught people of the likes of Mario Batali, yet she is never boastful or arrogant - just confident and knowledgeable.
My favorite of her tv episodes are the ones where she makes her own pasta, expertly making little nests with the dough, dropping the egg into the center, and kneading until she winds up with a fresh, doughy ball of goodness. Watching her make gnocchi is great fun - she gently twists tiny pieces of dough into the perfect shapes, all while chatting to the camera.
So, obviously, I was thrilled to find Epicurious's "Easter with Ease" section, featuring what Bastianich does best: traditional Italian food with a fresh twist. From braised artichokes with pecorino for the veggies to braised lamb shoulder for the carnivores (and a decadent-sounding Limoncello tiramisu for dessert with a whopping pound of mascarpone cheese), she's got it all covered.
But you don't have to celebrate Easter to enjoy this food - make these recipes anytime!
Sheer wanton excess is the name of the game for some restaurants, as New York Times food critic Frank Bruni found upon his visit to Le Cirque.
In the article, Bruni outlines some of the decadent, near-sinful entrees that lined the table, including fois gras-stuffed ravioli, white truffles, and immense cuts of beef and lamb. Bruni expertly sums up the scene, noting that while the food is enjoyable and the staff, inviting, "[they are] probably...contributing to what is a yeti-sized carbon footprint."
Excessive eating and drinking at restaurants is nothing new. In most cases, it's encouraged. In fact, some might say, what's the point of going out to eat if you don't self-indulge?
We saw this lifestyle secondhand in Bill Buford's "Heat," which depicted the author's experience as a chef alongside chef and Food Network star Mario Batali. Buford unabashedly detailed Batali's oft-hedonistic outings, nights filled with lavish food and drink, and plenty of it.
But then, who are we to judge? If we were privy to such a lifestyle, would we not imbibe in what is probably considered more than our fair share? Perhaps. But Bruni makes a good point in that these lifestyles are being - (and should be) - looked at under an increasingly sharp microscope. In a world that has, in the past few years, become less self-absorbed and more self-aware, is it possible that excessive eating and imbibing will become not only passé, but looked down upon?
I've had the olive oil gelato at Mario Batali's Otto and found it quite good. And I've sampled the lox ice cream at Max & Mina's in my stamping grounds of Flushing, Queens, and found it to be interesting at best. Until the other day, though, I'd never heard of a frozen dessert quite as strange as nicotine and peppermint gelato.
The bizarre flavor created by East Hollywood gelato guru Tai Kim of Scoops isn't a smoking cessation device, although it is made with crushed Nicorette gum. Nicotine and peppermint gelato is part of a lineup of flavors created for a rock-and-roll tour of the Sunset Strip and "other places of subcultural importance, " hosted by Esotouric Tours.
Other flavors include Hemp Oil and Honey, Vanilla and Jack Daniels, Pomegranate and Poppy Seeds, Mint and Jim Beam, Nicotine and Avocado and Beer Sorbet. I've always thought that Ben & Jerry's should make a slightly more countercultural version of Wavy Gravy called Owsley's Orange Sunshine. But enough of my acidic wit. Here's what I'd like to know dear reader, what's the strangest flavor of frozen confection you've ever encountered?
If you are a Mario Batali fan who is starting to twitch and suffer from signs of withdrawal due to the fact that your favorite orange-shod chef won't be around to inspire and entertain you on the Food Network, fear not! He is now writing a regular column over at that bastion of online food writing, Serious Eats. It actually seems like a terrific way to get your regular dose of Mario, as his writing is punchy, appealing and natural-sounding. In his current entry, he offers up a recipe for Pasta Pomodoro that sounds absolutely delectable.
According to a little tidbit of info over at the New York Post, chef Mario "Orange Clogs" Batali won't be back at the Food Network.
"Sources" say that executives at the Food Network did not renew any of chef Batali's contracts, which include his own show "Molto Mario," and a spot as an Iron Chef on "Iron Chef America."
Guess that means we'll only be able to catch the Italian chef on his new show touring Spain with Gwyneth Paltrow on PBS this fall.
Either that, or in person at one of his bazillion Italian-themed restaurants in New York, Los Angeles (Mozza!), and Las Vegas.
Remember that show on the FoodNetwork in which Mario Batali and a sidekick toured Italy? Well, this October and November, Mario is taking his orange clogs for a culinary tour of Spain. His sidekick this time, though, is actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
According to an interview with Gwyneth in W magazine (the one with the cover shot where she most definitely doesn't look like herself), she offered to go with the Iron Chef, who asked if she was joking. She wasn't. Gwyneth spent many a childhood summer in Spain, and apparently, will "eat all that stuff. The crazy fish things, the eels." The only things she won't eat are beef and pork products, which is such a shame. How do you go to Spain and not eat Jamon Iberico?
I don't know about you, but I'm excited for the show to air on PBS. Gwyneth's voice is a little annoying to me, but I adore Chef Batali.
But don't feel left out, he probably hates you too! If you run a food blog, that is.
Yeah, the chef doesn't like food blogs. He says he doesn't usually hate anything, but food blogs "live by different rules," as he explains. He's ticked that food bloggers are too snarky and hide behind an anonymous name or alias. That's not true with most of the food blogs that I happen to read, but whatever. Batali does indeed have some good points about blogging though, not just food blogs but blogging and journalism in general. He even gets in a dig at the people who published the essay.
I know, I know, you're hating me already, right? How can I defend Sandra Lee when she seems to have more people that dislike her than Rachael Ray? Read on.
I've never understood why people dislike Lee. Is it the fact that she's beautiful and looks like one of Charlie's Angels cooking up a meal in the kitchen? Is it the fact that she doesn't do everything from scratch, and instead dares to use packaged foods from the supermarket? Is it something else that I'm not aware of?
It seems like it's been more than a year that Los Angeles has been waiting for the first -time arrival of Food Network Iron Chef and New York City restaurateur Mario Batali. Batali teamed up with LA local celebrity chef Nancy Silverton in a new dual restaurant concept, MozzaBar/Osteria Del Latte and teased us with opening dates, then pushing them back. Rumour has it that the restaurant will open in West Hollywood in September, but food blog Eater took a peek and thinks that construction on the place is not far along enough to be ready for opening next month!
Mario Batali will cook for you and 11 of your closest friends, if you are the highest bidder at a charity auction in Michigan next month. The "Sunday afternoon lunch in the true style of Rome", to be held on August 27th, includes a cooking lesson with as much participation as you want to have in preparing the food, wine tasting and (of course) a 10-course lunch. He auctioned a similar lunch for the group, The Conservancy, last year, which sold for $25,000. Batali says that he offers 6 to 10 such functions for charitable events every year and that most of them sell for around $50,000.
The silent auction closes on August 1st and bids can be placed online. The bidding starts at $5,000.
I suppose that there is a certain point at which you become well-known enough to warrant your own action figure. Celebrity chefs have now reached that status. Mario Batali has a little action figure - 5.25-in. high - called Food Flippin' Mario. He's even wearing little crocs! Toy Mario is made of tin and winds up to flip the spaghetti and meatballs in his little pan, while shaking a bottle of his secret sauce. The toy will be released in July, but in the meantime, you can view a live demo at the site that sells him.
Who else would make a good action figure? Giada de Laurentiis? Rachael Ray? Anthony Bourdain?
When I first saw Mario Batali's new paperback Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style on Jessica's Biscuit, I thought it was a joke. I got my
hands on a copy at a local bookstore today and, indeed, it's real. Apparently Mario likes NASCAR. At least, that's what
the introduction lead me to believe, as he speaks of NASCAR fans in the first person plural. The recipes are a
combination of American "cookout" food and some recycled items from Mario's previous books. Ham and cheese
biscuits and "Mario's Kick Ass Barbecue Sauce" mingle with pork braciolona and grilled lobster with
Limoncello. I just don't know about the logistics of stuffing, trussing and braising a pork shoulder in a tailgait
environment. Still, I have to give the man credit for continuing to broaden the palate of the average joe. But with
Mario's well-known penchant for using unusual meats, I'm a little surprised that I didn't see any roadkill cookery in
here. Maybe I just didn't look hard enough.
It's a popular week for the release of new cookbooks and cooking-relating
memoirs. A quick look at Amazon's
list of pre-ordered books notes that the Food Network's
Giada De Laurentiis has a new book out today, while there's also a new memoir from Julia Child, edited by
her grandnephew. Additionally, Amazon's list of summer 2006 books includes a book by Bill Buford, the former
fiction editor of the New Yorker. In the very well-reviewed Heat,
Buford befriends Mario Batali, and offers a insidery look at the cooking world.
I've had the olive oil gelato at Mario Batali's Otto and found it quite good. And I've sampled the lox ice cream at Max & Mina's in my stamping grounds of Flushing, Queens, and found it to be interesting at best. Until the other day, though, I'd never heard of a frozen dessert quite as strange as nicotine and peppermint gelato.
According to a little tidbit of info over at the New York Post, chef Mario "Orange Clogs" Batali won't be back at the Food Network. 
But don't feel left out, he probably hates you too! If you run a food blog, that is.
I know, I know, you're hating me already, right? How can I defend Sandra Lee when she seems to have more people that dislike her than Rachael Ray? Read on.
Brooklyn has become America's 
It seems like it's been more than a year that Los Angeles has been waiting for the first -time arrival of 
Mario Batali 
I suppose that there is a certain point at which you become well-known enough to warrant your own action figure. Celebrity chefs have now reached that status. Mario Batali has a little action figure - 5.25-in. high - called 
When I first saw Mario Batali's new paperback Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style on 
It's a popular week for the release of new cookbooks and cooking-relating
memoirs. A quick look at 
DIY Foods: Making homemade sausage
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