Cara Nicoletti
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Articles by Cara Nicoletti
Summer is all about pork ribs - here are 5 seriously delicious recipes
Ever since that Chili's ad campaign debuted in the late 1980's — you know the one I'm talking about, the one that worms its way into your head for days — baby back has been the rib of choice for many meat-loving Americans. This means that they can be hard to get at the market, especially during grilling season, and priced as such. The good news is that there is a tender market of ribs beyond baby back ribs that's waiting to be devoured.
Summer Is All About Pork Ribs
Cara Nicoletti, provided by June 10, 2022 Ever since that Chili’s ad campaign debuted in the late 1980’s—you know the one I’m talking about, the one that worms its way into your head for days—baby back has been the rib of choice for many meat-loving Americans. This means that they can be hard to get at the market, especially during grilling season, and priced as such. The good news is that there is a tender market of ribs beyond baby back ribs that’s waiting to be devoured.
Summer Is All About Pork Ribs
Photo by Rocky Luten Ever since that Chili’s ad campaign debuted in the late 1980’s—you know the one I’m talking about, the one that worms its way into your head for days—baby back has been the rib of choice for many meat-loving Americans. This means that they can be hard to get at the market, especially during grilling season, and priced as such. The good news is that there is a tender market of ribs beyond baby back ribs that’s waiting to be devoured.
Summer Is All About Pork Ribs
Cara Nicoletti, provided by June 10, 2022 Ever since that Chili’s ad campaign debuted in the late 1980’s—you know the one I’m talking about, the one that worms its way into your head for days—baby back has been the rib of choice for many meat-loving Americans. This means that they can be hard to get at the market, especially during grilling season, and priced as such. The good news is that there is a tender market of ribs beyond baby back ribs that’s waiting to be devoured.
Summer Is All About Pork Ribs
Cara Nicoletti, provided by June 10, 2022 Ever since that Chili’s ad campaign debuted in the late 1980’s—you know the one I’m talking about, the one that worms its way into your head for days—baby back has been the rib of choice for many meat-loving Americans. This means that they can be hard to get at the market, especially during grilling season, and priced as such. The good news is that there is a tender market of ribs beyond baby back ribs that’s waiting to be devoured.
The definitive guide to making pulled pork
Each week this summer, Cara Nicoletti of The Meat Hook is helping us get to know our favorite cuts a little bit better — and introducing you to a few new ones, too. Read on, study up, then hightail it to your nearest butcher. Today: We're showing you how to make classic homemade pulled pork, no Southern smokepit required. Pork shoulder is no secret, especially to barbecue fanatics — so let's talk about why you should cook it at home.
The Definitive Guide to Making Pulled Pork
Photo by Ty Mecham Each week this summer, Cara Nicoletti of The Meat Hook is helping us get to know our favorite cuts a little bit better – and introducing you to a few new ones, too. Read on, study up, then hightail it to your nearest butcher. Today: We're showing you how to make classic homemade pulled pork, no Southern smokepit required. Pork shoulder is no secret, especially to barbecue fanatics—so let’s talk about why you should cook it at home.
How to Make Chicharrones (Fried Pork Skin) at Home
Photo by Bobbi Lin Cara Nicoletti of The Meat Hook helps us get to know our favorite cuts of meat a little bit better—and introduces us to a few new ones, too. Read on, study up, then hightail it to your nearest butcher. If former articles in this column are any indication, it's pretty clear that I think crispy skin is the tops. Frankly, we’re all for crispy everything but today we’re here to talk about homemade chicharrones.
Pork recipes and how-tos from Food52
What the Hock Is a Ham Hock? Why you need to start cooking with this part of the pig, stat. 19 Pulled Pork Recipes That Go Beyond Sandwiches But don't worry—we've got the ultimate pulled pork sandwich recipe, too. How to Cook Pork Tenderloin to Perfection Whether you prefer the stove, grill, or slow cooker, we've got options. Why Scrapple Is The Mystery Meat of My Dreams Over 400 years old and still trending, scrapple is rustic, locally grown, and—oh yeah—literally snout-to-tail.
Pack all the flavors of chicken Parm onto an easy-to-eat skewer
Chef notes This recipe packs all the flavors of a tasty chicken Parm dinner onto an easy-to-eat skewer. Top grilling tips from Cara Nicoletti, founder of Seemore Meats & Veggies: 1. Always make sure to pre-heat your grill. 2. On a charcoal grill, create different heat zones to properly cook your meat. 3. To save money, choose your cuts of meat wisely, buy better cuts of meat and eat more veggies. 4. Use a cast-iron skillet on your grill when cooking burgers to keep the fat inside the burger. 5.
Passover recipes and how-tos from Food52
18 Best Passover Desserts to Sweeten Your Seder They're extremely tasty—and totally kosher, to boot. Babka's Disputed, Delicious Origin Story How one Jewish dessert became so popular (& what we lost along the way). Brisket It wouldn't be complete without the "browned bits." Spice The sweet and chunky condiment every Seder needs. Big Little Recipes This Big Little Recipe is a family treasure. Except every relative makes it a little differently.
Books for Our Times
In 2020, when truth proved stranger than fiction, two CTA members wrote books designed to help students cope with the strange new world, which includes sheltering in place, social distancing, mask wearing and online learning. These books can be used as a resource to help students cope with today’s challenges — or serve as “memory books” in the future, so students can recall how they bravely lived and learned during unprecedented times.
Balsamic-Braised Lamb Shanks
Photo by James Ransom Test Kitchen-Approved Author Notes This is my favorite way to braise lamb shanks -- there’s warm spice and fresh herbs for comfort, good syrupy balsamic vinegar for depth, and white wine and orange zest for brightness.
Chicken Stock Recipe on Food52
Photo by Alpha Smoot Test Kitchen-Approved Author Notes There is much debate over what makes a stock vs. what makes a broth -- some people say there are no vegetables in stock, just bones and water; Some say that if there are vegetables, they should go in at the very end to avoid stock cloudiness; some say yes to salt and some say definitely no. I’m not here to argue, I’m just here to tell you how I like to make stock when I’ve got a chicken carcass left over.
From the Strategist: The 8 (Handsome) Knives a Butcher Uses in Her Kitchen
As a fourth-generation butcher, I have been around knives my whole life — probably much sooner than I should have been, honestly. The knives my grandpa and his father and brother used were about utility and utility only: How many beef carcasses could they break down before needing to sharpen them? How many times could they sharpen them before they were too toothpick-thin to be useful? If the handle got bloody, could you still grip it? Did the weight make it easy to change position?
The 8 (Handsome) Knives a Fourth-Generation Butcher Uses in Her Kitchen Original
Photo-Illustration: Retailers As a fourth-generation butcher, I have been around knives my whole life — probably much sooner than I should have been, honestly. The knives my grandpa and his father and brother used were about utility and utility only: How many beef carcasses could they break down before needing to sharpen them? How many times could they sharpen them before they were too toothpick-thin to be useful? If the handle got bloody, could you still grip it?
Buffalo Chicken Burgers
Photo by Julia Gartland Test Kitchen-Approved Author Notes These chicken burgers are delicious, but if you're more of a sausage person than a burger person...well, these make great sausages, too. Sausages can either be linked using a sausage stuffer or stuffer attachment, or they can be formed into sausages by hand. If you do link the sausages, poke them all over with a pin or toothpick after linking and let them sit, uncovered, in the fridge overnight before cooking.
This sheet pan breakfast hash is the best way to use whatever's in the fridge
Get the latest from TODAY The humble sheet pan is the hero of weeknight cooking. It's sleek, spacious surface allows the busy home cook to get a balanced dinner — protein! starch! vegetables! — on the table quickly with very little prep or cleanup. Just chop, drop and roast. That’s why every week, we’ll be sharing throw-it-all-on-a-sheet-pan recipes from our favorite chefs and home cooks.
Duck à l'Orange Recipe on Food52
Photo by Bobbi Lin Test Kitchen-Approved Author Notes Here is the dish I *begged* my mom to make as a kid, long before I had ever even tried duck, just because it looked and sounded so dang delicious and fancy: Duck à l’Orange. Today I combined a modified version of the classic Julia Child recipe with the technique I use for making Peking duck -- the result is a super-crispy skin and a beautiful bright orange flavor that helps to break up the richness of the meat.
The Best Way to Make a Tender Brisket, According to a Butcher
There are a handful of cooking firsts that stand out clearly in my brain amongst the daily fog of cold cereal and potato chip sandwiches. One is the first meal I ever made for my family: buttered spaghetti with boiled potatoes. There's also the first time I ever perfectly poached an egg: I was in college working in a restaurant kitchen under the tutelage of a crush, and I was cooking on an induction burner.
The Best Way to Make a Tender Brisket, According to a Butcher
Whether you're celebrating Passover or Rosh Hashanah, having a backyard BBQ or just gathering with friends on a Sunday, a simple beef brisket recipe can be the perfect way to feed a crowd. With a side of mashed potatoes or a lightly dressed green salad, a wine-braised brisket in the oven, cooked until fork tender, can be the ultimate comfort food. Here's how to make the best beef brisket—with a few tips and tricks to get you there with flying colors.
Goat Cheese Pumpkin Pie
Photo: StephanieFrey / iStock / Thinkstock “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether” Goat Cheese Pumpkin Pie Almond-Rosemary Crust 2 (5.25‑ounce) packages Anna’s Almond Thins (or any similarly thin almond cookie) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon kosher salt 10 tablespoons (1.
Matzo Ball Soup Recipe
Makes 8 (1-cup) servings Prep: 20 minutes Total: 2 ½ hours Ingredients for the soup: 1 (3-4) pound chicken 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks 2 small yellow onions (about 1 pound), unpeeled and halved 1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally 4 ribs celery, quartered 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, plus cracked black pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste 3 quarts cold water 1 bunch dill juice of 2 lemons (optional, will cloud broth but is worth it...
What Did Paleo Actually Look Like for Our Ancestors?
In the late 1930s, an anthropologically-minded dentist named Weston A. Price observed that native people around the world had great teeth. From Australia to North America, indigenous people did not suffer from tooth decay—one of the most common diseases of modernity—and Price began to wonder why.
Why You Shouldn't Bother with Fancy Burger Mixes
In all my years (nearly 20) spent working in butcher shops, there are few food trends that have made my heart sink quite as much as the “custom burger blend” trend. I’ve seen burgers made from wagyu strip loins and tenderloin mixed with tri tip, whole beautiful rib loins aged 100 days and pushed through industrial grinders. I shudder. Have you ever seen a sausage made of pork tenderloin?
Memorize These Cost-Effective Cuts for Chicken, Pork, and Beef
Save and organize all of the stuff you love in one place. There are two ways to approach budget-minded cooking: as a burden or as a challenge. The latter is a lot more fun. Burdens weigh on your shoulders, squish you down. Challenges are hurdles to hop over, riddles to solve, accomplishments to feel proud about, even shout from the rooftops. When it comes to cooking with meat—often the most costly ingredient in a meal—a few tricks can go a long way.
Garlicky Roast Pork Makes the Best Sandwiches
Click the heart, it's called favoriting. Favorite the stuff you like. Save and organize all of the stuff you love in one place. As Food52 gets older (and wiser), and our archive of recipes grows, we’re making the effort to revisit some gold recipes from our community. Sdebrango’s Portable Pork Sandwich caught our attention years ago when it inspired a Food52 Community Potluck in Brooklyn.
Ultimate Vegetarian Burger
1. Heat oven to 425°F|220°C. Rub beets with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and place in a small baking dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast until fork tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool. When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel the skin and cut into pieces. 2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, about 12 minutes.
Avocado Toast Pizza
1 watermelon radish 1 large leftover pizza, cold 1/3 cup crumbled feta 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds 1 tablespoon nigella seeds 1 tablespoon toasted sunflower seeds 3 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced 1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and thinly sliced poached eggs, to serve kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste herb leaves, to garnish (such as mint, parsley, and micro herbs) 1. Trim and thinly slice your watermelon radish.
Daunted by Duck? Here's Where to Start
Save and organize all of the stuff you love in one place. Duck feels so fancy to me. Maybe that’s because I’m 23 and the thought of eating a bird that isn’t chicken makes me feel like Henry XIII seated at a 40-foot oak table drinking from a chalice. But maybe it doesn’t have to be that way. Right? Right. Enter the Food52 recipe search bar. I work here, so, naturally, I spend a lot of time on our site, wandering through that portal. Have you met it? It’s lovely.
Pepperoni Pizza Pockets
1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Unwrap the puff pastry and, following the fold lines, cut each sheet into 6 rectangles, then cut each rectangle in half. You should have 24 rectangles of puff pastry dough. 2. In a large bowl, mix the pepperoni, cheese, marinara, and cornstarch. 3. Roll each rectangle out slightly to allow more room for filling. Top 12 of the rectangles with about 1 tablespoon of filling, making sure to leave a small border at the edges.
Cheeseburger Fried Rice
4 ounces streaky bacon, thinly sliced 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced 1/2 cup yellow mustard, plus more to serve 6 ounces ground beef kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 cups cooked white rice 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1 head iceberg lettuce 1 cup sliced gherkins toasted sesame seeds, to garnish 1. Heat a wok over medium-high. Add the bacon and cook until crispy, about 4 minutes. Add in the onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes more.
Everything Bagel Latke Sandwich
for the everything bagel spice mix: 1/4 cup dried garlic flakes 1/4 cup dried onion flakes 1/4 cup poppy seeds 1/4 cup sesame seeds 3 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional) 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt for the latkes: 4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled 2 small yellow onions, peeled 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup everything bagel spice mix, plus more for sprinkling 4 eggs, lightly beaten peanut oil for frying for the sandwich: 1/2 pound plain cream cheese 3-4 vine-ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced 1...
Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Wontons
4 ounces streaky bacon 6 large eggs, lightly beaten kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese 25 square wonton wrappers canola oil, for frying ketchup, for serving 1. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium. Add the bacon and cook, flipping once, until crispy, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. 2. Add the eggs to the same skillet and season with salt and pepper.
How to Turn One Chicken Into A Week of Meals
Save and organize all of the stuff you love in one place. Let me break this down for you: buying (and taking apart) a whole chicken is well worth the extra time and effort. By divvying up a chicken into thighs, wings, and breasts (and putting those wonderful leftover bones and skin to use) you will be rewarded with a week of abundant dinners. Use the breasts for creamy curries, turn drumsticks into speedy sheet-pan meals, or braise the thighs in cast iron for a perfect, crispy sear.
Lard Biscuits Recipe
"These biscuits freeze really well, egg-wash them right before sticking them in the oven if you freeze them." Servings: 4 Prep: 25 minutes Total: 85 minutes Ingredients 1 stick unsalted butter 1/4 cup rendered leaf lard 1 cup pastry flour 2 tablespoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt 3 cups ap flour (plus a little bit extra for rolling out dough) 1 ½ cups buttermilk (give or take) 1 each egg a splash of heavy cream Directions 1.
Low and Slow: Warm & Cozy Dinners Perfect for Winter Weekends
On gloomy, grey winter weekends, where the sun hides behind blankets of clouds, I let myself hide under cloud-like blankets. I leisurely sip my coffee and open a million tabs (give or take) while catching up on my growing list of newsletters. At some point, I meander to the kitchen to make a pot of oatmeal or stock. If I haven’t left my apartment by sunset, so be it. Winter weekends are meant to be spent indoors. The best stay-at-home recipes are soups and stews and roasts and beans.
Low and Slow: Warm & Cozy Dinners Perfect for Winter Weekends
On gloomy, grey winter weekends, where the sun hides behind blankets of clouds, I let myself hide under cloud-like blankets. I leisurely sip my coffee and open a million tabs (give or take) while catching up on my growing list of newsletters. At some point, I meander to the kitchen to make a pot of oatmeal or stock. If I haven’t left my apartment by sunset, so be it. Winter weekends are meant to be spent indoors. The best stay-at-home recipes are soups and stews and roasts and beans.
Goat Cheese Pumpkin Pie
Servings: 8 Prep: 6 hours 30 minutes Ingredients for the almond-rosemary crust: 2 (5.25‑ounce) packages Anna's Almond Thins (or any similarly thin almond cookie) 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped 1 teaspoon kosher salt 10 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled a bit for the goat cheese–pumpkin filling: 1 (15‑ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling) 8 ounces soft goat cheese, at room temperature 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 5 tablespoons unsalted...
Get Your Gravy on with These 10 Recipes
Nestled between heaping plates of vegetables, mountains of meat, buttered rolls and bread baskets, is a small but powerful Thanksgiving table accoutrement: gravy. The flavorful sauce is privy to many iterations, yet its essential formula remains steadfast. Gravy, in its most basic form, is made from the rich juices that run off of meat combined with a binding agent like flour or cornstarch.
16 Chili Dishes for Those Chilly Nights
With beans, or without. Tomatoes or no. Meat or vegetarian. Like barbecue, tacos, or how to dress a hotdog, chili inspires many heated debates—there are as many recipes as there are cooks who make them. But variety (of chili) is the spice of life. And as temperatures dip, there's no better time to warm up with spicy stew. So no matter how you build your bowl (or even if you like chili as nacho or mac and cheese topper!), we have just the recipes to keep you warm and cozy.
Everything You Want to Eat At a Tailgate Party
Everything You Want to Eat At a Tailgate Party Football (and tailgating) season kicked off with a bevy of NCAA games last Saturday, August 26th. At Louisiana State University (my alma mater) and schools across the country, this means jumping from tailgate to tailgate, saying hello over beers and grabbing boudin from a friend’s dad’s neighbor. No matter if you even like football or not, tailgating at LSU is just as high stakes as the game that brings everyone there.
The Secrets to Grilling a Better Burger
In the annals of simple yet contentious foods, the burger sits close to the top. What was once an economical way for butchers to sell less desirable cuts has, in recent years, become a complicated luxury item. The average price of a burger in NYC these days is around $15, with some reaching as high as $120, or, uh, $666.
How to Make Homemade Sausage + A Family Recipe for Stuffing
Save and organize all of the stuff you love in one place. Each week, Cara Nicoletti of The Meat Hook is helping us get to know our favorite cuts a little bit better – and introducing you to a few new ones, too. Read on, study up, then hightail it to your nearest butcher. Today: A family recipe for stuffing that calls for homemade sausage and the squishiest white sandwich bread you can find.
This Recipe Will Make You Rethink the Way You Sear Steak
Save and organize all of the stuff you love in one place. Brown the meat on high heat first, then cook it longer on slow heat. That is the way that many chefs in America, who are trained in the French ways of cooking, learn to prepare steak. But I've often watched Italians cook their meat following the opposite—and, for many of us, the counterintuitive—method: low and slow rather than hard and quick.
Our Every Question On Freezing (and Fridging) Steaks, Burgers & More, Answered
Our Every Question On Freezing (and Fridging) Steaks, Burgers & More, Answered We partnered with the Beef Checkoff to share butcher Cara Nicoletti's best tips for storing beef in the fridge or freezer. When you're parsing through all the tips, tricks, and instruction for what to do with your steaks, burgers, and other cuts of meat, the last thing you're probably thinking of is how just to properly save it (especially when all you want to do is eat it).
12 Safe Ways to Make Juicy Burgers
Cooking is an act of love, so let’s protect the ones we love by making sure our food is safe. Unfortunately, the all-American hamburger can be among the riskiest foods due to E-coli. Because meat is dense, the bacteria really can’t get beyond the surface unless the surface is cut. In the course of cooking, pathogens on the surface are killed almost instantly.
Beef Cuts to Know-and How to Ask for and Cook Them
Beef Cuts to Know—and How to Ask for and Cook Them A butcher's case of beef is made up of more than just a few recognizable cuts, so we teamed up with the Beef Checkoff to chart every section, identify cuts, and share how to use them in everyday cooking. What's the first cut of beef that you usually go for on a visit to the butcher? Is it Skirt or Flank Steak, to put on the grill and have dinner in minutes, or is it a big, swaggering, wow-factor T-bone?
Alone with a bowl of gnocchi - WPSD Local 6: Your news, weather, and sports authority
I was eighteen when I moved to New York, and I missed my family every time I sat down to eat: in dining halls with people I wasn’t sure I liked yet, in my apartment with the roommates I slept inches away from but barely knew. At home, eating was always communal. Even if we were eating pop tarts in the morning, we were eating them together, and at night we always gathered as a family for dinner.
Alone with a bowl of gnocchi - KAUZ-TV: Newschannel 6 Now | Wichita Falls, TX
I was eighteen when I moved to New York, and I missed my family every time I sat down to eat: in dining halls with people I wasn’t sure I liked yet, in my apartment with the roommates I slept inches away from but barely knew. At home, eating was always communal. Even if we were eating pop tarts in the morning, we were eating them together, and at night we always gathered as a family for dinner.
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