Food

Food

Gilded Age Holiday Entertaining: From Soup to Nutmeg

By Francine Segan I love collecting postcards with Berkshire turn-of-the-century winter scenes like horse-drawn carriages dashing through glistening snow and candles glowing on Christmas trees. I also collect the interesting objects they used in daily life back then that are now, for better or worse, obsolete.

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Food

Provence In Pine Plains: Stissing House

By Don Rosendale To see Michel Jean perched at a table in his Pine Plains restaurant, Stissing House, evokes thoughts of a French Impressionist self-portrait. Except that Jean is an artiste of a different sort, his brush a whisk at what many will say is the best French restaurant

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Food

Shu Mai On My Mind

Most of us are so used to frozen or defrosted shrimp that "seasonal shrimp" sounds as oxymoronic as jumbo shrimp. But they do exist. I recently found these Maine babies at the supermarket, where they should be available for another month or so. You can use them whole

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Food

Hidden in Plain Sight: Jivey Places for a Drink and Snack in the Southern Berkshires

By Jamie Larson It’s always nice to be in on a secret, or two, or five. Southern Berkshire County is filled with amazing attractions, shopping, inns and restaurants, all classy places of deserved renown. But just around back, the region is hiding another of its virtues; some awesome classic

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Food

Orange Soy Braised Pork Ribs

Berkshire native Alana Chernila, mother of two, and author of the cookbook, The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making (Clarkson Potter), dispenses change and cooking ideas to readers and friends. She shares her peak-of-the-season recipes with Rural Intelligence to help us make

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Food

How 'Green' Was My Valley Greenhouse: McEnroe Farm Keeps It Growing Au Naturel All Year Round

By Don Rosendale Talking to Ray McEnroe is a little bit like talking to a Burgundy vineyard owner about his latest vintage. The difference perhaps is that, while the French grape grower would enthuse about terroir--the difference a few hundred yards' distance can make in what is grown

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Food

Opera & Food: A Perfect Duo

By Francine Segan On Saturday, November 9, the Mahaiwe will show Puccini’s Tosca at 1 p.m. as part of its Met Live in HD series. Then, at 6 p.m., I will be giving a talk, "Opera Lover's Cookbook," based on my book of

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Food

Love In A Truck: Philmont's Communal Curbside Café

By Jamie Larson You may recall that rare, contented feeling you get when noticing a group of people working towards an altruistic goal, indviduals who not only mean what they say but are actually capable and talented enough to succeed at it. True, this happens often enough in our region,

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Food

Recipe: Halloween Leftovers?

By Francine Segan You are going to love this healthy dessert from Italy. Yes, dessert and healthy can be used in the same sentence! It’s a little like a deconstructed fruit cake--only scrumptious and strikingly pretty. In an air-tight container or Ziploc plastic bag, combine your favorite

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Food

Scary Fall Stew

Berkshire native Alana Chernila, mother of two, and author of the cookbook, The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making (Clarkson Potter), dispenses change and cooking ideas to readers and friends. She shares her peak-of-the-season recipes with Rural Intelligence to help us make

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Food

Serevan: A Taste of Armenia in Amenia

By Elizabeth Goldfarb Richardson Back in the old days (the 80's), the humor magazine Spy had a column called "Not to Be Confused." Amenia and Armenia could have been included in this always amusing section of the magazine. Just to clarify, if need be: The former

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Food

Recipe: Sweet and Savory Ravioli

By Francine Segan To celebrate Italian Heritage Month, Columbus Day, and the wonderful pears and grapes in season right now, try this unusual savory-sweet pasta dish. Fruit and pasta may sound like a modern fad, but the combo has a long history. My passion for pasta with fruit began

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