For the Busy Chef: Asian Watercress Pesto Features Recipe Farm Fresh Nicole Straight June 22, 2009 Local chef Nicole Straight, of Time to Eat, is dedicated to good, healthy food and the techniques that make it easy for parents and busy people to enjoy cooking and eating 15-minute meals. Here is her recipe for Asian Watercress Pesto inspired by a trip to the local Farmer's Market. It freezes beautifully if you happen to have a run on watercress. It's delicious tossed in with udon noodles, smeared on salmon then roasted or even used as a thinned out sauce for steak. Read More
Colossally Delicious Salad @ Jordan's in Norwalk Restaurant Greek Norwalk Pizza Italian Sarah Green June 21, 2009 It’s not always Greek to me, but in the case of Jordan’s Kitsa Pella Salad, just call me Zorba! Jordan’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, located near Stew Leonard's in Norwalk offers an enormous variety of Greek and Italian fare. It's kid-friendly, reasonably priced, and all good, especially the pizza. But the Pella salad topped with grilled chicken is to die for. Read More
Village Gourmet-Chinese Food Done Right Restaurant Chinese Norwalk Pauline Rhoads June 21, 2009 Photo Pauline RhoadsI’ve been going to Village Gourmet in Norwalk for years for what is hands down, the best Chinese food in the Westport/Norwalk area. Loyal customers have seen this local treasure tucked away in the Cranbury Shopping Center grow from a take-out place with a few small tables to a larger, full service restaurant that now serves wine and beer. I’ve tried it all, and it’s all exceptionally good. Here’s what to order: Read More
Chef Watch: Maria Marchetti...The Real Thing Features Pauline Rhoads June 19, 2009 Maria Marchetti, chef/owner of Columbus Park Trattoria in Stamford, who is known for her restaurant’s homemade pasta, had just prepared fresh tagliatelle for our lunch, which she had just made a few minutes earlier. Maria makes all of the pasta for Columbus Park Trattoria, along with the family’s two other restaurants, Osteria Applausi in Greenwich and Tarantino's in Westport. In addition to making all the pasta by hand for the family’s three restaurants, Maria does private parties in people’s homes and teaches cooking classes in the upstairs dining room of Columbus Park Trattoria, which has its own kitchen. Read More
Homemade Pasta – You'll Never Go Back Features Pauline Rhoads June 19, 2009 Years ago, a friend gave me an Imperia hand-cranked pasta machine as a housewarming gift. It sat in my kitchen cabinet gathering dust because, truth be told, I was afraid of it. Flipping through food magazines one day while in line at the grocery store checkout, I came across a “how to make your own pasta” article in Cooking Light. Instead of skipping over the subject as usual, or telling myself dry pasta will do just fine thank you, I paid attention to the easy to follow photographs and simple ingredients and wondered, could it be this simple? I felt especially daring and decided to make fresh ravioli with ricotta and spinach. Read More
The Robeks Tart-gasm Restaurant Cos Cob Darien Fairfield Stamford healthy Dessert Sarah Green June 18, 2009 Photo: Stephanie WebsterFairfield County women have a little secret… and it isn’t sweet. Don’t tell, but hordes of us find time in our day to sneak into Robeks to experience our daily rapture. Simply, it’s Tart - paradise in a Styrofoam bowl. Plain, unadulterated ecstasy, this frozen treat at only 112 calories for a small (157 for a medium) is hardly sinful. It is delicious on its own but can be smothered in coconut, dappled with raspberry, sprinkled with chocolate chips, textured with granola, the choices are endless. But the slightly sour, wonderfully light, frozen indulgence is best on its wicked own. Read More
Musings on Cannoli: Tutti Invitati, Westport Restaurant Westport Italian Dessert Jenny Vynerib June 16, 2009 Photo: Stephanie WebsterHands down, my favorite dessert is the cannoli. It always has been. As a young child, my family used to drive downtown in New York City to Ferrara’s Bakery on Grand Street, or Veniero’s Pastry Shop on East 11th Street for their dreamy, creamy creations. Read More
