Food & Cooking

Mix in a little sweet into your savory picadillo

Mitchell R. Lajoie 14 hours ago

The Washington Post Food staff recently answered questions about all things edible and a new food newsletter – Eat Voraciously. Here are edited excerpts from that chat.

Q: The pandemic blues are really getting to me, and as a food lover living alone, I’ve been having trouble feeling excited about cooking. What are some recipes to help break you out of a cooking rut or that make you feel excited/inspired by food again?

A: I’ve been in the same boat. Cooking feels more like work than fun these days. I’m trying to stay inspired by reading about cuisines I don’t know much about and flipping through new-to-me cookbooks. I’m also writing a free newsletter to help us all get out of our cooking ruts. It’s called Eat Voraciously, and in it I share one easy recipe Monday through Friday. It keeps me going, one meal at a time.

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Elijah Milligan: Today’s Obstacles For Black Chefs, From COVID-19 To Soul Food

Mitchell R. Lajoie 1 day ago

Elijah Milligan is all about baby steps. After more than 15 years in the restaurant business, the chef is happy to note that the changes he’s been fighting for are finally taking hold across the industry. Much of that is due to what he calls his “baby,” Cooking for the Culture, a culinary network devoted to connecting and helping Black chefs all around the country. The project has made headlines through a series of pop-up dinners helmed by minority cooks — but the effort goes much deeper than that. In this Voices in Food story, the professional chef tells Anna Rahmanan about the struggles he’s had to overcome, how COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement have positively affected the gastronomy world and what dining will likely look like in the near future.

On being one of the few Black chefs on the scene

I’ve been a chef now

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5 Reasons Southerners Should Join the Fun on TikTok

Mitchell R. Lajoie 2 days ago
Old Fried on Phone

Old Fried on Phone

Getty Images

1. Creative Home Cooks

On television shows we see talented chefs cooking in professional spaces, but TikTok is all about the home kitchen. From everyday people showing off their culinary interests for the first time to food editors sharing how they cook in their own kitchens, there’s room for everyone to share what they know and love about Southern food. With videos clocking in under a minute, most even shorter, the recipes I see on TikTok often require few ingredients and simple methods to pull together.

Old Man Steve
At 81-years-old, Stephen Austin has garnered more than one million followers on TikTok with his colorful bucket hats and cheerful updates from his kitchen.

Ivy Odom
If you’re a fan of Hey Y’all, don’t miss Ivy Odom’s weekly TikTok videos on our own channel. From deep-fried deviled eggs to dollar store centerpieces, Ivy tries

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Cooking With Clara’s Cookbook Brings Italy to Your Kitchen

Mitchell R. Lajoie 2 days ago
Cooking with Clara
Cooking with Clara

Mangia! Cooking With Clara: Recipes of a Lifetime brings Italy to your kitchen — no passport required.

The cookbook, which comes from Chicago restaurateur Clara Lizio Melchiorre, gives every food lover the chance to be transported to the heart of Italy, through its traditional recipes.

“I really want this collection to be more of a storybook with recipes,” Melchiorre said in the book via Closer. “A blend of the values my brothers and I grew up with, a special heritage instilled in us by our parents.”

Melchiorre opened her namesake restaurant in Chicago more than 30 years ago in 1987, with the goal of treating every guest like family. Her book Cooking With Clara manages to bring the restaurant’s staples into any home, transforming one’s kitchen into a warm Italian eatery.

“In our family, we show love through food,” she said.

The book

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