FOOD 101: Empanadas, History & National Empanada Day

[1] Latin American empanadas are made in individual portions (photo © Fairway | NYC). [2] Chicken empanadas (photo © Good Eggs). [3] Galician and Portuguese empanadas are made as a whole pie and served in slices (photo © Maria Lunarillos)   April 8th is National Empanada Day. Most Americans know empanadas as fried Latin American…
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Have a Taco Party For Cinco De Mayo Or National Taco Day

At this time of year, we receive nonstop recipes for tequila cocktails in anticipation of Cinco de Mayo, May 5th. Personally, we love Margaritas—plain and flavored with fruit purée. We prefer to focus on other celebratory ideas—like a Taco Party. The renowned master of Mexican cuisine, Chef Rick Bayless tells us that the name for…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Celtuce, Stem Lettuce

It’s a happy day when we discover a new food. We discovered celtuce [photo #1] in our local Chinatown. There are a number of fruits and vegetables in Chinese cuisine that are unfamiliar to non-Chinese Americans. They move slowly into the hands of mainstream American chefs, and then trickle down to home cooks. One of…
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RESTAURANT: Fogo de Chao, Brazilian Churrascaria

Have you been to a churrascaria? Churrascaria (chew-rah-SCAR-ee-ya) is a Portuguese word for barbecue. It’s not the kind of ‘cue cooked in a pit with sauce, but a technique where meat is cooked on a spit over fire. Churrascaria means “fire in the ground” (i.e., campfire), and describes the traditional cooking method used by gauchos…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Potstickers For Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year holiday begins today. It’s also called Lunar New Year, since the date is based on the lunar calendar*; and other Asian countries in addition to China celebrate it. The celebration lasts for 15 days, and an estimated 1.4 billion people around the world participate. It’s the Year Of The Dog, one…
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