Until I began working on this book, I did what most cooks do: I bought beautiful radishes with bushy green tops and lopped off and discarded the tops. Never again. Radish tops are both edible and absolutely delicious, fresh or cooked. This recipe, based on a classic French potage, takes full advantage of the radish… Read More

Start today to develop a very smart habit: Store necks, tails, wing tips, gizzards, hearts, backs, rib (breast) bones-anything except livers-in a gallon-size lock-top freezer bag in your freezer. When the bag is really full, you have enough chicken parts to make a small pot of homemade stock. Squeeze excess air out of the bag… Read More

This is the simplest way I know to make a rich turkey stock, utilizing the turkey neck, tail, gizzard, and heart found inside of the neck cavity of the turkey. (I never use the liver, also found in the packet of giblets, for making stock, because it gives the stock a bitter flavor. Sometimes, I… Read More

Here’s one vegetable dish that doesn’t need any last minute attention from the busy Christmas cook—and I consider that a gift. Tossed roasted carrots and parsnips flavored with fresh dill are a colorful addition to the holiday buffet and complement beef, turkey, goose, lamb, and even ham. Parsnips are such an underused winter root vegetable,… Read More