Buffalo Foodie

When organizing my loose recipes a couple weeks ago, I came across a few I haven’t made in years. One of them had tagine in the name, which immediately caught my eye because I love any opportunity to use my tagine. A sweet Moroccan dish, this one pot meal sends a rich aroma through your kitchen while it cooks. Here’s the recipe as I made it:

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Chickpeas or garbanzo beans — or, as I call them, ceci — are among my favorite foods. Some might think it an odd food to call a favorite, but since I was a kid, I would pop these nutty little guys like candy. Family members who were less enthusiastic about them would shove them to the side of their salad plates and pass them my way at dinner. I regularly enjoy chickpeas in pasta, soup and Indian dishes, and I will eat good  hummus every day without getting sick of it, but I’m always looking for new recipes featuring them. When I saw this recipe from Food & Wine Magazine, I had to try it. This is my third time making the dish and I love it more each time. Here’s the recipe as I made it:

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Cooking with Nina: Chicken pot pies

Originally published in Buffalo Spree Magazine, January 2012

When the busy holiday season fades into January, many of us make promises to ourselves. Lose weight. Eat better. Spend more time with family and friends. Few vow to embrace the values of the Slow Food movement, yet gathering loved ones around the table once a week to share a home-cooked meal might be the very answer these resolution-makers seek.

Italy’s Carlo Petrini founded Slow Food in 1986 as a response to “the rise of fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions, and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes, and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.”

Now an international organization represented in 150 countries, Slow Food champions making real, nutritious food accessible to consumers, while being mindful of those who produce it, as well as the earth. Read the rest of this entry »

Follow the aroma to Taste of Thai

Originally published in Buffalo Spree Magazine, December 2011

Being fervent fans of Thai cuisine, my husband and I are always interested in trying a new Thai restaurant, whether at home or on vacation. Diners in cities and cultures around the world embrace Thai fare, and from New York City to Sydney, there are as many genuinely delicious restaurants as there are imposters. We are fortunate to have several arguably authentic options in Buffalo, with more right past the Canadian border in Toronto.

This was my first time dining at Taste of Thai and it smells delicious before you even enter the restaurant. Red, yellow, and green curry, spicy chilies, turmeric, cilantro, and Thai basil waft down Hertel to usher you into the restaurant. It’s a lovely bonus that it smells welcoming because you will notice how dark and uninspired the physical space is, especially in the evening. The black ceiling and red walls are unpleasant, but the aromatic ingredients in the kitchen and your server’s demeanor will make the dining room more inviting. Read the rest of this entry »

A couple weeks ago, while browsing some recipe blogs and cookbooks, I felt the urge to make something sweet. In the mood to try a new technique, and feeling rather festive, baking mini pies seemed perfectly appropriate. As some of you may know, 3.14 was Pi Day.

Click here to see the post I saw via Twitter that inspired this project. Check out the recipe as I made it, homemade pie crust and all: Read the rest of this entry »

For several years, when people asked what is missing from the Elmwood Village area, I have said the following: a cheese shop, a deli and/or butcher, somewhere that sells kitchen and pantry gems. I’m thrilled to report that several of those desires will be satisfied with Nickel City Cheese & Mercantile. Nickel City Cheese & Mercantile is a full service, European inspired, neighborhood cheese and specialty food store on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo.

Before visiting on their opening day, Tuesday, March 6, I had the pleasure of eating Nickel City Cheese’s offerings twice — at a Yelp Buffalo event last week at City Wine Merchant and at a farm fundraiser by Feed Your Soul, called “A Big Fuss,” about a month back. Both times, every bite I enjoyed was memorable. The creamy brie, paired with Marcona almonds and dried cranberries, was my favorite. The goat cheese filled truffles made my mouth water. At the Yelp event, smearing the brie on Five Points Bakery bread and sipping some Arrowhead Spring Vineyards Chardonnay was incredible. The cheese was the centerpiece of a beautiful Buffalo-based gastronomic experience. Read the rest of this entry »

Word is getting around about a plethora of macaroni and cheese on the menus of Western New York restaurants. Twenty area eateries are offering specials of everyone’s favorite comfort food thanks to Buffalo’s Best Mac & Cheese Challenge, sponsored by Lactalis Foodservice. The promotion officially kicks off today, March 1, and runs through March 31. For program details and a complete list of participating restaurants, click here.

The list of participating restaurants is diverse, as are the specials. Chefs must include at least one of Lactilis’ artisan brands of cheeses, and those receiving the highest percentage of “like” votes will win. The winning restaurant’s Chef and wait staff will win prizes, as well as customers. Here’s the list of where you can dine and what they’re serving: Read the rest of this entry »