Erica De Mane

Tristar strawberries at the Union Square Greenmarket. Recipes: Strawberry and Watercress Salad with Pine Nuts and Chives Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese, Black Olives, and Basil Frittata with Strawberries and Ricotta I’ve enjoyed many highs, both natural and wine-induced, in Rome, my favorite city in the world. Culinary adventure has for many years been at [...]

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Baby Yukon Gold Potato Salad with Tarragon, White Wine, and Shallots Recipes: Baby Yukon Gold Salad with Tarragon, White Wine, and Shallots Red Bliss Potato Salad with Anchovies and Celery Leaves Creamer Potato Salad with String Beans, Basil, and Pine Nuts Fingerling Potato Salad with Capers, Red Onion, and Rosemary Baby Yukon Gold Potato Salad [...]

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Cold arugula and leek soup with lemon olive oil. Recipes: Zucchini Soup with Basil Oil and Pistachio Asparagus Soup with Tarragon and Whipped Goat Cheese Cold Arugula and Leek Soup with Lemon Olive Oil At the beginning of my cooking career, I went on a kick of making puréed soups in my mother’s old blender [...]

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Sardinian artichokes, spring 2005. Recipes: Spring Minestrone with Lamb, Tarragon, and Quadrucci Artichokes with Squid, Potatoes, and Fennel Seed Chicken with Morels, Coriander, and Nutmeg I recently started a collection of little tagine-like spice jars (see my April photo) in deep, bold enameled colors, which are not spring colors. I’ve picked these pretty little containers [...]

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Aleppo pepper from Syria, Ravida’s Sicilian sea salt, and Maras Biber Turkish pepper, all from Kalustyan’s. Recipes: Veal Stew with Saffron, Basil, and Hedgehog Mushrooms Linguine with Cockles, Saffron, and Rosemary Orange Salad with Vanilla, Orange Flower Water, and Mint Ciambella with Rosemary, Orange, and Vanilla There’s a Middle Eastern and Indian grocery store on [...]

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Florida oranges and me. Recipes: Orange Sorbetto with Vanilla and Rosemary Mussels with Orange, Vanilla, Cream, and Rosemary Lamb Stew with Orange, Rosemary, and Black Olives Several years ago I jotted down a line in the food notebook I keep on my computer. I wrote, “Think about orange salad with vanilla and rosemary.” This was [...]

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Lobster with tomatoes, cognac, and spaghetti. Recipes: Lobster with Tomatoes, Cognac, and Spaghetti Slow-Cooked Duck with Green Olive Sauce In the coldest part of every year I pull from my shelf James Villas’s l992 book The French Country Kitchen. I love this book both for what it is as for what it isn’t. What it [...]

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Pressed panini with fontina and prosciutto. Recipes: Baked Cavatappi with Fennel, Tomato, and Mozzarella Pressed Panini with Fontina, Prosciutto, and Sweet Green Olivata Pressed Mozzarella and Salami Panini with Sweet Vinegar Peppers For years I’ve kept a file on my computer called “Food to Think About.” It’s a running journal of notes on foods or [...]

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