Marjoram

Spring cooking, like the season itself, is light and ephemeral. Tender, green vegetables such as spring garlic and leeks, asparagus and fava beans require just a simple saute, a lick of the grill or a swift plunge into hot water to bring out their...

During the month of December, the food fest that is Christmas dinner becomes an obsession. It's all consuming to plan, shop for and cook a feast of the fishes -- be it seven, nine, or 13 dishes -- or whatever your particular tradition may be. Glorious as...

"Potatoes or rice?" That's one of the most common questions home cooks ask themselves, or their families, when preparing stews or braises, those perfect dinner main courses for delivering warmth and satisfaction on a cold winter's night. With such...

This quick lentil salad from chef and writer Deborah Madison is rich and filling enough to be served on its own (you might never know it's vegetarian) or as a generous side. Lentils are flavored with fragrant bay leaf and garlic, then tossed with a...

Cucina Paradiso 814 North Boulevard Oak Park (708) 848-3434 www.cucinaoakpark.com Chestnut and Butternut Squash Risotto 6 cups vegetable  broth 1/4 cup cream Sherry 1 Tablespoon olive oil 3 Tablespoons butter, divided 1small white onion, finely...

Originally made with chestnut flour, polenta was once the catchall term for any grain boiled to a porridge and flavored with spices and cheese. When corn came from the New World to the Italian Peninsula, polenta was made with cornmeal. Today, polenta is...

Originally made with chestnut flour, polenta was once the catchall term for any grain boiled to a porridge and flavored with spices and cheese. When corn came from the New World to the Italian peninsula, polenta was made with cornmeal. Today, polenta...

"Chefs are a nomadic tribe," Milwaukee chef Dave Swanson says with a laugh as he talks about his traveling culinary school, Braise on the Go. For a few years now he has been hauling his portable kitchen to farms and orchards in counties surrounding...

Fresh fagiolini, or haricots verts as they're known in Italy's neighbor to the northwest, are some of the best indicators that summer has reached its peak. Because green beans are harvested when young, the pods are tender and edible. In Italy, they're...

deca Restaurant and Bar The Ritz-Carlton Chicago 160 E. Pearson Street Chicago www.decarestaurant.com To read more about the restaurant: www.metromix.com Chestnut Risotto with Butternut Squash, Marjoram and Turkey 4 entrée servings or 6 appetizer...

If you're a sausage aficionado, you'll want to get your hands on "Sausage." If you don't have an appetite for sausage, this book might give you one. Written by Nichola Fletcher, the highly visual "Sausage" takes readers on a veritable world tour....

Austrian cuisine gets short shrift around here. But whenever I get to New York, I eat at Kurt Gutenbrunner's Austrian bistro Wallse, which is why I was thrilled that he's got a cookbook out this season. As soon as I got my hands on a copy of "Neue...