I am a New York based food stylist, cooking instructor, recipe developer and all-around food enthusiast. Food has been the focal point of my life. My work as a food stylist has been featured in numerous cookbooks, magazines, national ads and television commercials. As a cooking instructor I have specialized in Italian cuisine and have taught classes here in the United States and in Italy.
I also have a relentless passion for Italy, Italian food and culture. After many years of travel and exploration throughout the Italian countryside I co-authored a cookbook for Time-Life Custom Publishing, entitled “The Four Seasons of Italian Cooking”. The book focuses on seasonal cooking. I have always taken pleasure in eating foods during their growing season. It just always made sense to me to eat peaches in summer, apples in fall and winter squash during the colder months. Food inherently tastes better in season and locally grown. I’ve also come to realize that the benefits of supporting local, sustainable agriculture are numerous. I am very committed to support locally grown and produced foods and to inspiring others to do the same.
I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for food. My style of cooking is clean and natural. I believe in letting the finest quality ingredients speak for themselves.
A.J. – Green garlic, sometimes known as young garlic or spring garlic, is immature garlic that has not yet formed its familiar large white bulb. At it’s earliest stage it is long and slender, looking very much like a green onion. As it matures a small tender bulb forms at the root end. Except for the root and tough green tops, the entire garlic is edible. Green garlic adds a more delicate garlic flavor than it does when mature. Use it raw or cooked but use it quickly. It’s only around for a short time in early to mid spring.
Serves: Makes 4 Main Course Servings or 6 Appetizers
Braised green garlic really compliments the brininess of these local Long Island mussels. I love a dish like this that takes very little effort to pull together. Serve the mussels with a big spoon to drink up the flavorful broth.
Ingredients
3 pounds mussels
4 green garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup dry white wine
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 – 6 slices crusty bread, toasted
Fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
Soak mussels in cold water to cover and remove beards; drain, then soak one or two more times, or until water is free of sand.
Cut green garlic in half lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch pieces.
Combine garlic and olive oil in a large pot. Cook over medium heat until garlic is limp. Add white wine, fresh thyme, bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 5 minutes. Add mussels, cover pot and simmer until mussels have opened.
Arrange toasted bread in 4 or 6 individual bowls. Spoon mussels and their liquid over the bread, sprinkle with parsley leaves and serve immediately.
A.J. – I love using pancakes for savory preparations. This recipe works well with any smoked fish…….trout, salmon, etc. I was very excited to use the smoked pollock that I found at the Union Square Greenmarket. Occasionally I’ll hot-smoke a piece of salmon using my stove-top smoker. Serve these pancakes as an appetizer but they also work well for lunch or as a light dinner.
Cornmeal Pancakes with Smoked Pollock and Crème Fraiche Sauce
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon brown sugar
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
Sea salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1¾ cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted butter, plus additional for coating griddle
8 ounces crème fraiche
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 teaspoons freshly grated horseradish
1 heaping teaspoon grainy mustard
1 Granny Smith apple
Juice of ½ lemon
8 ounces hot-smoked pollock
Micro greens, for garnish
Watercress, for garnish
Merlot sea salt, to taste
Instructions
To make cornmeal pancakes combine flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk and melted butter. Stir with a whisk until blended. Heat a large griddle or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat hot griddle with butter. Add one heaping tablespoon of cornmeal batter at a time and brown pancakes on both sides. (Pancakes can be kept warm in a 200-degree oven while preparing rest of the recipe.)
Combine crème fraiche, lemon zest, horseradish, mustard and sea salt to taste.
Core, quarter and thinly slice the apple; toss with lemon juice. Flake smoked pollock and divide equal amounts over each pancake. Top with sliced apples, garnish with micro greens and watercress. Drizzle with crème fraiche sauce and sprinkle each pancake with merlot sea salt. Serve immediately.
A.J. – I was enamored with this round cast iron griddle when I saw it at Beth’s studio. It was another great find by Bette. She was about to wrap it up and return it to her studio when I suggested we use it for an OST shoot. I have a small well-used collection of cast iron skillets, griddles, muffin pans, baking pans and covered casseroles. I use them often and for all sorts of frying, braising, bread baking and I occasionally place one directly on a rack over the hot coals of my Weber grill. They are favored by many cooks for their ability to conduct heat evenly. Cast iron is basically indestructible but it’s important to always keep it well seasoned. Keep your eyes open for cast iron pans when browsing through antique shops and fairs. They are usually affordably priced and will last a lifetime.
This Sweet Potato Hash is a perfect side dish with chicken or pork, but I enjoy it most with a fried or poached egg for Sunday brunch. The sweet potatoes can be boiled, peeled and diced the night before. It then takes only minutes to finish it off in the morning.
Ingredients
1¾ pounds sweet potatoes (3 medium)
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ounces pancetta, diced
1½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 scallions, chopped
Instructions
Scrub sweet potatoes and place them in a large pot. Add water to cover by 2 inches. Boil until sweet potatoes are tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and let cool. When cool enough to handle, peel and dice.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until tender. Add pancetta and thyme. Cook until pancetta is golden. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the sweet potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté, stirring frequently, until potatoes are heated through and lightly browned. Add parsley and cook 2 minutes more. Serve hot sprinkled with chopped scallions.
Bette – This bowl is a Christiane Perrochon bowl. Every tabletop stylist uses her beautiful and very special pieces. I love this one because of the subtleties in the glaze, as one sees in most of her work. It’s always very delicate and very beautiful but never too precious.
I used the antique homespun cloth in beautiful condition and juxtaposed it with the brand new pale wood board. The textures and color, the new and the old, work to maintain that the “hero” of the shot is always the food, in this case the beautiful colored root vegetable soup.
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Heat butter and olive oil in a medium-sized pot. Add leeks and sage and cook until leeks are limp. Add carrots, turnip, potato, rutabaga and broth. Bring to a boil and simmer 25 – 30 minutes or until vegetables are very tender. Remove sage sprig. Let soup cool for 15 minutes, then puree in a blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer 5 minutes more.
A.J. – Did you realize we are merely days away from the official end of winter? We, therefore, wanted to offer you one more comforting winter dessert before our food thoughts lean towards the bright, herbal and grassy flavor notes of spring. This recipe embodies many of my favorite winter flavors and fragrances…….roasted butternut squash, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, warm rum and toasted walnuts.…..pure comfort. Why not light one last fire and enjoy this buttery pound cake with a hot mug of coffee.
I always buy Grade B maple syrup. I love its’ concentrated maple flavor and it’s thickness and dark rich color. Grade B is most often used for cooking and baking, but I prefer it for all my maple syrup needs. I’ve added some maple sugar to the pound cake batter, just another way of sneaking in more maple goodness. If you’ve never used maple sugar, this is a great place to start. Maple sugar is made by cooking down maple sap until no moisture remains. It results in solid crystallized sugar blocks. The blocks are then ground into a granular product. I like to sprinkle maple sugar over scones just before baking and often use it as a topping for my oatmeal. I always buy locally produced maple products at my farmer’s market or at local farm stands.
Winter Squash Poundcake with Toasted Walnuts and a Warm Maple Glaze
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
One large butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
8 tablespoons butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup maple sugar
2 large eggs
½ vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
⅓ cup walnuts
¾ cup maple syrup
¼ cup dark rum
Instructions
The squash must be roasted and drained the day before you plan to bake the cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash in a roasting pan cut side up. Add ¼-inch of water to bottom of pan. Place a piece of parchment paper over squash. Tightly cover roasting pan with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until squash is tender. Let cool, then scoop flesh into a bowl and discard the skin. Mash squash using a fork or potato masher; transfer to a strainer resting over a bowl. Allow squash to drain overnight in the refrigerator.
The next day preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper or coat with butter and flour. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk until blended. Combine butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Add light brown sugar and maple sugar; beat until blended. Add 1 cup of mashed squash and blend (remaining squash can be set aside for another use). Switch to the whisk attachment of the electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time while beating on medium speed. (The mixture may look curdled but will come together as you continue.) Scrape seeds from the vanilla pod and beat into mixture. Lower speed to medium-low and add flour mixture. Beat until fully blended. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven 70-80 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean.
While cake is baking, toast walnuts in a small skillet over medium heat until lightly browned. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Combine maple syrup and dark rum in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat just until warm.
Cool cake on a cooling rack 10 – 15 minutes. Unmold cake. Place a shallow pan or plate under cooling rack and return cake to rack. Use a wooden pick to poke holes into top of cake. Slowly drizzle half of the maple glaze over the cake allowing it to be absorbed. Combine remaining glaze with the toasted walnuts.
Serve each slice of pound cake with a spoonful of maple glaze and walnuts.
A.J. - I prefer to buy dried beans directly from a grower. Supermarket beans could be as old as 10 years and tend to fall apart in cooking. I stock up whenever I see them at local farmers’ markets and store them in mason jars in a dark pantry. For more variety, I place an order once a year with a farm in California.
This is a great go-to soup for frigid days like today. I used a smokey Spanish chorizo that I purchased from Dickson’s Farmstand Meats at Chelsea Market. It has a lovely coarse texture that works so well with this very hearty soup. I always buy more chorizo than I plan to use, as it freezes well and is readily available to brown in a skillet and serve with eggs or to add lots of flavor to an Arroz con Pollo.
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Soak beans the night before making the soup. Place them in a large bowl and fill with enough cold water to cover by 2 inches.
The next day, drain the beans and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large heavy pot. Add chorizo and brown on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a small bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pot. Stir in the onion and leek; cook until tender. Add garlic, parsley, thyme and bay leaf; cook until garlic becomes fragrant. Add chicken broth, chorizo and the pre-soaked beans. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer one hour, or until the beans are almost tender. Add kale; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add potatoes and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes more. Remove the bay leaf and using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, mash some of the beans and potatoes to thicken the soup. Taste for additional seasoning and serve hot.
Farmer’s markets are never at a loss for root vegetables, regardless of the time of year. Whether they’ve been freshly dug or kept in storage, any combination of shredded root vegetable can be used to prepare these Root Vegetable Pancakes. Serve them as an appetizer or a light meal with a side salad or make them bite-size as an hors d’oeuvre.
2 ¼ cups shredded root vegetables, such as turnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, carrots, or beets
1 large yellow onion, peeled and shredded
3 eggs, lightly beaten
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 – 8 tablespoons vegetable oil
Snipped fresh herbs, for serving, such as chives, dill, parsley, tarragon or chervil
Crème fraiche, for serving
Instructions
Combine shredded root vegetables, onion and eggs in a large bowl. Add flour, salt and pepper; blend thoroughly.
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ¼ cup of batter; flatten slightly. Cook 4 or 5 pancakes at a time until golden on each side, turning once. Transfer pancakes to a platter lined with paper towels. Continue making pancakes in the same way, adding oil to skillet as needed.
Transfer pancakes to a serving platter; sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve with crème fraiche.
We thought you might enjoy this Apple and Fig Chutney for the start of the New Year. Served with a big wedge of aged clothbound Cheddar it makes a great condiment for sandwiches or serve it with roasted pork or duck. I also enjoy stirring a spoonful into yogurt with a pinch or two of curry powder and tossing it with shredded cold chicken.
3 large Granny Smith apples (about 1½ pounds), peeled, cored and diced
½ cup dried diced figs
1 large shallot, finely chopped
⅔ cup light brown sugar
⅓ cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
¾ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat. Simmer 35 minutes, stirring often, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the apples are tender. Let cool and store in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
A.J. - There isn’t anything I enjoy more during the holiday season than to get together with family and friends, cozy around the dining table and enjoy good food, wine and conversation. Steaming hot polenta served on a wooden board is the perfect way to start a winter dinner. The polenta can be very simply served with just a drizzle of olive oil and cracked black pepper or topped with sweet gorgonzola cheese. A favorite of mine is to top the polenta with mushrooms that have been sautéed with fresh herbs and white wine. The polenta is then served Italian style; the board is placed in the middle of the table and everyone is given a fork.
Preparing a proper polenta takes time and patience. It’s just something that can’t be rushed. If a recipe calls foranything less than 30 – 40 minutes of simmering, you can be assured the polentawill be gritty and undercooked. When ready, the polenta should be very smooth and creamy. Don’t be put off by the long slow cooking. I like to get my guests involved in stirring while I prepare the topping. Their involvement adds to the whole experience.
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ teaspoon each finely chopped fresh rosemary, sage and parsley
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Instructions
Combine cornmeal with 6 cups water and a pinch of salt in a large saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and stir with a whisk until mixture comes to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon 35–40 minutes, or until polenta is smooth and creamy.
While polenta cooks, make the mushroom topping. Slice large mushrooms, cut medium-sized mushrooms in half and leave small ones whole. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring frequently, until liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Add garlic, herbs and salt and pepper to taste; stir for 1 minute or until garlic becomes fragrant. Add white wine and cook until most of the wine has evaporated.
When polenta is ready, remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour hot polenta onto a wooden board or platter. Top with mushrooms, drizzle with additional olive oil and serve immediately.
