Crusted Monkfish

When Artichoke Hart went into Young Oppenheimer’s Grocery Store, (New York Fried, Sunao Publishing) he was surprised to see the wide array of fish available. For such a town so close to water (Lake Ontario), it still seemed odd to find fish that were common to the Atlantic. This monkfish was sitting on ice and…

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Sausage in Red Wine

Once again, Artichoke Hart found himself with an excess of non-drinkable red wine. And so, searching for recipes that utilized other excess-purchased products–like sausage–he came across this simple dish that was perfect for a late afternoon barbeque on the terrace at the Complex in Oswego. (New York Fried, Sunao Publishing). Though simple, if patient with…

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Drunken Pasta

I can’t think of a better dish during self-isolation (Covid-19). With all that extra wine sitting around, and not wanting to drink all day, I came up with a plan for dinner: drunken pasta. Now, despite using 2 cups of wine, don’t be alarmed. You won’t get drunk off this dish. It is, however, decadent,…

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Orange Chicken

During the COVID crisis, takeout became the main source of income for the Artichoke Hart restaurant in Baltimore (other than Hart’s CIA income, of course).  Simple dishes were both popular, easy and quick to make, and were low cost: perfect for the situation where gourmet-style dishes were required but needed to be simple enough to…

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Cherry Tomato Pasta

Even though we’re all supposed to stay home during the COVID crisis, a quick drive out to the country seemed feasible when the sun first came out. I found a responsible farm not far from home that was selling their produce, plants and flowers. I picked up some flowers to freshen up the dining room…

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Comfort Italian in time of Crisis

Sausage and Grapes with Mashed This is my first post since the COVID-19 crisis began and we’re all inundated with news and opinion. So this is a comfort dish from–of all places–Italy, where they know how to create great flavour blends from the most unlikely combinations. I’ve posted the recipe before but during these difficult…

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