Ari Levaux
Posted inFood & Drink

Marinara Fit for a Don

Pasta Clemenza gives you a destination for all those tomatoes going off right now
by Ari Levaux

Leave the Gun. Take the Cannoli. — Pete Clemenza In “The Godfather,” by Mario Puzo, is a scene where Pete Clemenza shows Michael Corleone how to make spaghetti and meatballs. Clemenza was the smoothest character in the story, after the Godfather himself, of course, and quite possibly a better cook. That scene, especially in the […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Creamy, Leafy Summer

It’s the answer to all your salad dreams. You’re welcome.
by Ari Levaux

It’s a noun. It’s a verb. It’s a way of life.”Creamy,” said my friend Luci Brieger, when I asked how her summer was going. Creamy has many meanings at her farm—all of them good, all of them rooted in Brieger’s creamy salad dressing, aka “Creamy,” which tastes like what might happen if Caesar dressing had […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Inserting Zucchini

Behold! The season dubbed “the one where we get rid of zucchinis” is upon us
by Ari Levaux

If you’ve been here long enough, you know the routine. Winter gives way to spring, finally, which is followed gently by summer, which glides gently into the season of getting rid of zucchinis. During those tense few weeks, neighbors and even strangers are afraid to make eye contact, lest a zucchini gets tossed, like some […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Lettuce, Before and After Solstice

Now’s your last chance to sow quick-growing, heat-tolerant plants, as well as cold-loving crops
by Ari Levaux

The summer solstice is in the rear-view mirror. Even though the hottest days are before us, the longest days are past. If you haven’t planted your tomatoes or melons yet, you might not bother. The plants will grow like steroid abusers, but there isn’t time for the fruit to ripen. Or maybe you’ll get one […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Put the Ravish in the Radish

Lightly roasting those radishes offers a new take on a prolific spring veggie
by Ari Levaux

This time of year, the radishes stand out like bright bunches of candy. Sometimes at the farmers market I ask the vendors what to do with their pretty orbs, because I am chronically at a loss for ideas. The most common guidance, by far, is to use radishes in salads and stir-fries. In other words, the […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Thrill of the Grill

Why heat up the oven on a hot day, when grilling pizza outdoors will do?
by Ari Levaux

Grilled pizza does not sound like the highest use of a grill or a pizza. Wouldn’t the bottom of the crust burn into a blackened crisp long before the cheese melts? Luckily, nobody told Johanne Killeen and George Germon, two art students from Providence, Rhode Island. They met while working for Dewey Dufresne, a young […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Boba Blockage

A key ingredient in bubble tea is in short supply. We know it’s tough—but here’s what to try instead
by Ari Levaux

“Sometimes you are out of boba before you finish the actual drink. It’s the worst feeling.” —Feed Meimei, on Youtube Drinkers of bubble tea are bracing for the worst. Boba balls, the tapioca-based spheres that collect at the bottom of a cup of this wildly popular Taiwanese beverage are reportedly in short supply. Bubble tea […]

Posted inFood & Drink

The First Garden Shoots

Peas—and their pods—offer something fresh early in the season
by Ari Levaux

Gardening is a conversation with the earth. The gardener does something, and the earth responds via the outcome. If you plant a tomato seedling upside down, for example, the earth will happily swallow it, thereby ending the discussion. A new dialog starts every time the gardener sows a seed or does anything to disrupt the status […]

Posted inFood & Drink

The Wonders of Chickens, for Easter or Any Other Time

Tea-dyed eggs make beautiful hues
by Ari Levaux

The egg came first. Let’s just get that out of the way. For millions of years before humans domesticated the feathered lizards known today as “chickens,” countless generations of amphibia and reptiles, including dinosaurs, were laying eggs. The egg is an amazing system for nurturing young beings that’s just plain awe-inspiring when you think about […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Celeriac Vichyssoise

Action-packed celeriac
by Ari Levaux

It’s a farmers market cliche that celeriac is good in soup. I hear it when folks inquire as to how to use this fragrant root. But I’ve never quite known what to do with that guidance. Add celeriac to my Campbell’s tomato soup? To a batch of clam chowder? To my ramen? All I’ve ever […]

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