Dispatches

We've got two easy but superb ways to prepare both lamb and ham. Both are great choices. It just depends on your inclination and what you think your family or friends might prefer. Our already cooked ham is finished off with a chutney glaze and only takes about an hour in the oven. Our leg of lamb is roasted with a classic rosemary, garlic and olive oil rub and takes longer in the oven but you cook it with carrots, potatoes and onions so your entire meal comes out in one fell swoop. I'll...

I’m a pasta lover. It’s become a kind of addiction; I think I’d be eating pasta every day if only my wife shared my dependence. It started right after college when I lived in Rome. I’d go to a certain restaurant for Sunday lunch because it had the best homemade lasagna that day. Or, to another place because they served an unbelievable spaghetti all'amatriciana Thursday night. You get spoiled living like this. But of course you can’t, so I’ve learned how to make wonderful pasta dishes at home. I...

Green, yellow and red peppers are starting to sprout in my garden and show up in farmer's markets. The tomatoes are turning our way as are all the other ingredients for this cool summer refresher. My good friend Silvia Ogilvie served a yellow version as an appetizer the other night, flecked with bits of red tomato. It made a beautiful summer palatte (http://www.facebook.com/ChowGuys). You'll find the redder version in our recipe file and I'd urge you to try it. (http://www.chowguys.com/recipes/...

It was raining in the Berkshires today so I asked my friend Tom Parker to help me sample 3 Bordeaux red wines. All were 2009, one of the best vintages in decades, and all were reasonably priced for every day drinking at about $15/bottle. To whet our appetites I prepared some smoked salmon canapes with minced red onion, capers and dill from the garden. Tom brought a jar of homemade pickles laced with a garlicky brine to see how the reds would stand up. We sampled and compared notes. The winner...