This brilliant stew has quickly become a regular weeknight staple for me.

A tip: Sometimes a can of tomatoes doesn't quite do it. I bolster mine with a dollop of tomato paste (into the pot just before the tomatoes).

A swap: I prefer kale here to spinach. The flavor's better and it doesn't disintegrate in the leftovers.

A chorizo note: Your flavor mileage will obviously vary with the product, so adding more or different kinds of sausage can be a great idea. A lamb link or two (cook it beforehand) adds a meaty note to the whole stew.

By lmarcus1 | 

March 23, 2009

This chickpea salad is healthy, delicious, inexpensive and fast. To make it even cheaper and tastier, start with dried chickpeas (soak overnight; simmer till soft).

By lmarcus1 | 

March 3, 2009

Can't find buckwheat pasta? This is still a pleasing pasta with a terrific (and FAST) sauce.

A variation: If you don't have mascarpone lying around, but you do have a cup of chicken stock, reduce it heavily and toss it in before the cream (increase this to maybe 1/2 cup). You can thicken it with an egg yolk at this point, but it's hardly necessary.

By lmarcus1 | 

February 17, 2009

New to deep-frying? Perfect. Grab a candy thermometer and a big bottle of oil, then assemble this simple dough (you probably have the ingredients in your pantry already). There are few foods better than just-fried doughnuts, particularly when they're this easy to make.

By lmarcus1 | 

December 8, 2008

I can think of a few (thousand) things more fun than prepping celery root and leeks,  but this is a spectacularly delicious lasagna.

By lmarcus1 | 

December 2, 2008

This is radical.

By lmarcus1 | 

November 12, 2008