To me, soups are all about the broth. I have yet to find a canned or boxed soup that can come close to a homemade stock or broth. Rather than using a whole bird to make a stock, my preference is using only bones for the broth. Bone broths are much less fatty and supposedly support the production of anti-aging molecules, so I’m all for that.

​This doesn’t have to be just a post-Thanksgiving broth. If you can find turkey backs or turkey necks, they work just as well. In a pinch, you can substitute chicken bones. Since this takes a minimum of eight hours from start to finish, I usually make this on a cold, rainy day when I’m not tempted to go outside. Promise me you won’t leave your house while you make this. You do need to keep an eye on it.

INGREDIENTS (makes about 3 quarts)

1 turkey carcass (or four turkey necks or 2 turkey backs)

8 chicken feet

1 onion, skinned and quartered

2 stalks celery, washed, then rough chopped

2 carrots, skinned and rough chopped

1 parsnip, skinned and rough chopped

1 turnip, skinned and rough chopped

½ bunch parsley

1 tsp red pepper flakes

salt & pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay bones and chicken feet on baking sheet. Generously sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Using hands, make sure olive oil and spices are well distributed. Roast in oven for 45 minutes. (This can be done the night before. Just let cool and place in fridge overnight).

Place roasted bones and chicken feet into a 7-quart pot. Fill pot with water, covering the bones, making sure to leave about one inch below the lid. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Crack the lid so that the steam can escape and the flavors reduce. Leave to simmer for at least seven hours. Every two hours, check water level and add more water if necessary, up to one inch below lid.

After seven hours, add vegetables, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Continue to simmer for 90 minutes. Turn heat off and allow to cool on stove. Place the pot in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, thanks to the gelatin extracted from the bones and chicken feet, the liquid will have probably congealed. Heat the pot on the stove top, just long enough so that the stock becomes liquefied again, about five minutes.

Strain the broth through a chinois or a fine-mesh sieve. Discard bones and vegetables. It should make a minimum of 3 quarts of broth. I store the broth in quart Chinese food containers and freeze them until needed.

Whenever there is a street fair in town, I go on the hunt for Zeppoles. I purposely wear a dark t-shirt just so I can get it covered with sugar dust. I want people to know I am a Zeppole aficionado. But, there just aren’t enough street fairs each year to satisfy my cravings, so I’ve had to resort to making my own. I really like them when they’re hot, just out of the oil. But be forewarned—you can really burn your mouth if you’re not careful.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup whole milk

8 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 large eggs, room temperature

oil for frying, such as peanut oil or vegetable oil

1/4 cup confectioners sugar, to dust

PREPARATION

In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Over medium heat, stir while bringing mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Once incorporated, place the saucepan back over medium heat and stir constantly for another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. It’s important for the flour to cook and the dough to be smooth.

Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 1 minute using an electric mixer. Add 4 eggs, one at a time. Wait until each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Beat dough another minute until it is smooth. It should form a thick ribbon when you pull out the beaters. Transfer dough to a piping bag with a 1/2-inch opening. You could also use a large zip bag and cut a 1/2-inch opening at the tip.

Heat oil to 375˚F in a large pot. The oil will expand when you add the dough, so make sure you only fill the pot halfway with oil. Better yet, use a deep fryer if you have one. Use a thermometer to test the temperature. Once the oil is at temperature, pipe 1-inch lengths into the hot oil, cutting the dough quickly as it enters the oil. Pipe close to the surface of the oil to avoid splashes. Fry 4-5 minutes in total, turning them over after two-minutes. Using a spider, remove the zeppoles and place them on a cookie sheet covered with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.

If you can’t eat them all at once, I’ve found reheating them in an air-fryer almost brings them back to their original yumminess.



My mom is not much of a cook and she’ll be the first to admit it. But, thanks to her sweet tooth, there are a few things she can bake. Her repertoire is small, but the few things she does make are top notch. Although this recipe first came to her through a German friend, she’s adapted it to her liking. It takes a little muscle to beat the cream cheese and butter, so get ready for some upper-arm strength training.

PASTRY INGREDIENTS

8 ounces Cream cheese, room temp

8 ounces Unsalted butter, room temp

2 cups All-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

FILLING INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup raisins, chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

jam or preserves

PREPARATION

Beat together cream cheese and butter until light and smooth. (NOTE: Butter should be a little harder than the cream cheese. When combined, mixture should be cool to touch.) In a separate bowl combine flour, salt and baking powder. Add to cream cheese/butter mixture and mix well. Divide dough into four portions and shape like large hamburger patties. Wrap individually and chill over night.

The next day, mix together sugar, raisins, walnuts & cinnamon – set aside. Remove one portion of dough at a time. (Let start to come to room temp, but it should still be on the cold side.) On lightly floured surface, roll out each ball to a 10-inch circle. Smear on jam in a thin layer. Using a sharp knife, cut into 12 wedges. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the filling. Roll up each wedge, starting at the wide end, into a crescent.

Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes or until pastry is set or starting to brown.

Makes about 48 pieces.

Profiteroles are one of my favorite desserts. Whenever we’re in a French bistro, I look at the dessert menu first just to make sure they have them. Over the years, I’ve put my own spin on them, reserving the right to make them with any ice cream of my choosing. Feel free to substitute your own favorite.

PROFITEROLES INGREDIENTS (Makes about 2 dozen)

1 cup water

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

Dulce de leche ice cream (Haagen Dazs is best).

CHOCOLATE SAUCE INGREDIENTS

1 cup heavy cream

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon honey

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat and set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil. Stir until butter is melted. Reduce heat to medium, add flour, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. You want to see the mixture pull away from side of pan, forming a ball. This should take about 30 – 45 seconds. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and let cool slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.

With a hand mixer, add eggs, one a time, beating well after each addition. Transfer warm batter to a pastry bag fitted with a ¾-inch plain tip. Pipe mounds (about 1-inch high and 1 1/2-inches in diameter). Place them at least 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden. Remove from oven. Pierce the bottom of each profiterole once with a skewer, to help prevent sogginess. Prop the oven door open an inch or so and return them to the oven to dry for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Using a melon baller or 1-inch ice cream scoop, scoop out balls of ice cream and place on parchment paper. Freeze for 20 minutes.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Simmer water in a pot. Place a medium heatproof bowl on top of the pot and combine the cream and chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted. Add honey and vanilla and stir until smooth. Keep warm, covered.

PLATING

Using a serrated knife, halve profiteroles horizontally and fill with ice cream balls. Serve 3 profiteroles on each plate and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

My mother ruined Brussels sprouts for me. I grew up thinking they were boring, flavorless, little mushy cabbages because she boiled them into submission. It wasn’t until I tried one in a restaurant that I discovered the joy of eating those well-seasoned, slightly charred al dente buds. Once discovered, I’ve tried them in a variety of ways—grilled, grated into a hash, and sautéed. This is one of my favorite ways to prepare them.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6-8)

2 pounds of Brussels sprouts, cleaned, ends cut off and cut in half

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup maple syrup, plus 3 tablespoons

salt and pepper to taste

4 slices bacon

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place Brussels sprouts in a baking dish making sure there’s only one layer of vegetables. Toss with olive oil and ¼ cup maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 45 minutes, turning sprouts half-way through.

In a skillet, render bacon. Remove bacon, crumble and set aside. Sauté onion, carrot and celery in bacon fat for 10 minutes. Add garlic, sauté for one more minute. Add in roasted Brussels sprouts and bacon and toss.

Serve in baking dish. Drizzle remaining 3 tablespoons of maple syrup on top.

I love food markets—the more exotic, the better. Wherever I travel, one of my first trips is always to the local market. Luckily, here in New York, we have a few markets that seem to carry whatever obscure ingredient you can imagine.

One of my favorite places to shop aimlessly is Kalustyan’s on Lexington Avenue. They carry spices and groceries from every corner of the world with an emphasis on Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines. If you need dried galangal from Malaysia or Persian zereshk, they’ve probably got that. Curious about their myriad of rices, I picked up a bag of their smoked basmati rice and played around with it. The smokiness of the rice pairs surprisingly well with the sweetness from the coconut. I usually serve this with a curry or Asian style fish.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

1 ½ cups coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups smoked basmati rice

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ cup currents

¼ cup sweet shredded coconut

zest of one lemon

¼ cup thinly sliced green onion

PREPARATION

In a saucepan, combine coconut milk, broth, rice, salt, currents and shredded coconut. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover, turn down the heat and simmer for about 18 to 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat, then let stand covered for 5 to 10. Fluff the rice with a fork, then gently stir in the lemon zest and green onion.

We’re big Pixar fans in our house, so when the movie Ratatouille came out, I wanted to figure out how to re-create the famous dish Remy makes for that harshest of food critics, Anton Ego. Although ratatouille is actually a very simple comfort dish made with whatever vegetables come from the garden, the addition of certain flavors as well as the presentation can turn this simple dish into a masterpiece.

Traditional ratatouille is made with a tomato base, but I make mine with a cauliflower puree instead, helping to keep the acidity down and my esophagus happy.

CAULIFLOWER PUREE INGREDIENTS

1 head of cauliflower, rough chop

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3 shallots, rough chop

2 gloves of garlic, rough chop

1 cup of chicken broth or bone broth

Salt and pepper to taste

RATATOUILLE INGREDIENTS

2 Japanese Eggplants

6 Roma Tomatoes

2 Yellow Squash

2 Zucchinis

(When buying the vegetables, try to get them as close in size width-wise as possible.)

DRESSING INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

CAULIFLOWER PUREE PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rough chop the head of cauliflower. In a large bowl, add the cauliflower, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and mix to combine. Pour cauliflower onto a baking dish and roast for 45 minutes.

In a large pot, sauté shallots until translucent. Add in garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add in roasted cauliflower and the broth, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool, then using an emersion blender, combine until pureed. Set aside.

RATATOUILLE PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice up eggplant, tomatoes, squash and zucchini into 1/8-inch rounds and set aside.

Pour 2 cups of the puree into the base of a 12” round deep pie pan. Arrange the sliced vegetables on top of the puree in a circular pattern, alternating between them, (one zucchini, followed by one tomato, followed by one yellow squash, followed by one Japanese eggplant, overlapping each). Start from the outer edge, working in. (It’s okay if you don’t use all the vegetables you’ve sliced.) Season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, mix all of the dressing ingredients together and pour over the vegetables.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 35 – 40 minutes. Remove the tin foil and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes. Best served while hot.

Serves 6-8

I try to eat salmon at least once a week to make sure I get some Omega-3 fat in my system. It seems to be the only fat that’s good for you, so my hope is that it will seek out all the other fats and scare them away.

​I’ve broiled salmon, poached it, stir-fried it and baked it. But these grilled burgers are my favorite way to prepare it. It’s also a great dish for a summer barbecue for those non-red meat eating friends we all have.

​INGREDIENTS (makes 4 burgers)

1 pound of fresh salmon

zest of one lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

½ cup of panko

2 scallions, sliced thinly

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sriracha

1 egg

​TO SERVE

4 lightly toasted or grilled brioche buns

Seaweed salad for garnish

Wasabi Aioli for garnish

​PREPARATION

Dice up salmon as finely as possible or gentle pulse in a food processor. Place in bowl with lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, panko, scallions, soy sauce, sriracha and egg. Combine all ingredients.

​With a 4” round cookie cutter, press salmon mixture down to form ¾-inch patties. Mixture should make four burgers. Place all on an oiled plate and let rest in refrigerator for one hour.

​Oil grill grates or grill pan. Heat until oil just starts to smoke. Using an oiled spatula, place burgers on grill for four minutes each side.

​To serve, place each burger on lightly toasted or grilled bun.

​Garnish with seaweed salad. I like to use kuki wakame or hijiki—both Japanese seaweed salads that are often found in Asian markets or seafood stores. If you like heat, drizzle on some wasabi aioli.

Once I’m home for the day, the bra comes off and the fuzzy slippers go on. It takes a lot to motivate me to go out again. So if I haven’t shopped for dinner or I’ve been spending too much money on pizza delivery, we could be left with cereal for dinner. Of course, since that’s not much of a crowd pleaser, I often opt for this easy go-to dish. I usually have the bulk of the ingredients on hand and it’s a quick and comforting dish that will make your family think you actually planned to make it all along.

​I like using the Kirkland 5-cheese Tortelloni with Parmigiano Reggiano from Costco. It’s a great value, freezes well and tastes great. Plus, since it comes in a multi-pack, you know you’ll always have some in your freezer when all else fails.

​INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

1 lb of tortelloni

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, diced

8 cremini mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

4 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled

1 cup grated parmesan cheese (small grate)

2 whole eggs, 2 yolks

Salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

Basil leaves for garnish

​PREPARATION

In a large pot, boil water. Follow the package instructions for cooking the tortelloni. Save at least one cup of the pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté shallots until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Add a splash more oil if too dry. Add in garlic and bacon and cook for one more minute. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.

​In a small bowl, whisk the whole eggs and yolks together until blended. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add in ¾ of the Parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese is well distributed. Set aside.

Remove the tortelloni from the boiling water using a spider or slotted spoon, adding them to the mushroom mixture in the skillet. Keeping the heat on low, gently stir together. Add in the egg mixture and ½ cup of the pasta water. Mix all together. It’s okay if the eggs seem to scramble a bit.

​Taste it and if the pasta seems too dry, continue to add more pasta water a ¼ cup at a time until the sauce comes to a consistency you like, being careful not to make it too watery.

​Plate the pasta in shallow bowls and garnish with basil and the remaining ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Everyone needs a great party dish and one of my favorites is seafood paella. One bite transports me to the Spanish seaside town of Torremolinos where I not only had my first taste of paella, but also one magical evening on the back of a motorcycle with a guy named Enrico. But that’s another story.

​At the base of this dish is sofrito, an aromatic vegetable base used to enhance many Spanish dishes. You can find it pre-made in the supermarket, but I prefer to make my own.

​SOFRITO INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup, plus drizzle, of extra-virgin olive oil

3 large yellow onions, rough chop

6 medium cloves garlic, rough chop

2 large tomatoes, rough chop

Salt and pepper, to taste

​PAELLA INGREDIENTS

Extra virgin olive oil, preferably 


8 large whole shrimp, peeled with heads and tails intact, deveined


8 large clams

8 mussels

1 link of Portuguese sausage or Linguiça*

3 clove garlic, finely chopped


¼ cup Sofrito


1 cup Spanish bomba rice


2 pinches of saffron


3 ½ cups hot seafood stock**

Salt to taste

Chopped parley and chives for garnish

​SOFRITO PREPARATION

Heat large skillet and add ½-cup olive oil. Once oil is shimmering, add in onions and sauté for 8-10 minutes until translucent. Add in tomatoes and garlic, allowing some of the liquid from the tomatoes to evaporate, another 8-10 minutes. Lower the temperature to a simmer and continue to cook until the sofrito is a deep redish color, about 30 minutes longer. Allow to cool for ten minutes. Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until chunks are small, but the same size. Do not pulverize into a liquid.

​This should make about 2 cups. You can refrigerate the sofrito in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I usually split it into four portions and freeze it for easy use. It’s not just for paella. It makes a great base for pasta sauces and stews too.

PAELLA PREPARATION

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12-inch paella pan over high heat. Add the shrimp and sausage, searing for about 1 minute each side and set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil and stir in the garlic, cooking for 1 minute. Add the sofrito and rice and cook for 1 minute more, stirring to coat the rice. Add the hot stock and increase heat to high.

​Once the stock is boiling, crush the saffron between your fingers and add to stock. Add salt to stock.

Stir the rice during the first 5-minutes while boiling, then lower the heat to a simmer. The rice should take about 20-25 minutes to cook. DO NOT STIR THE RICE AGAIN.

​After the first 8 minutes, place the clams and sausage on top, pushing them into the rice. Cover the pan with aluminum foil to help the clams steam. 4 minutes later add the mussels, pushing them into the rice. Cover with foil again. 3 minutes after that add the shrimp, pushing them into the rice. Cover with foil until the full 20-25 minutes are done.

​The paella is finished when the rice has absorbed all of the liquid. Garnish with parsley and chives. Serve 4-5 people.

​*I prefer Portuguese sausages to the Spanish chorizo. I find the Spanish chorizo often overwhelms the delicate flavor of the saffron. But if you love Spanish Chorizo, go for it.

**For an extra special depth of flavor, use homemade lobster stock.