This play on Italian puttanesca will inevitably become your easy, one-pot weeknight staple.
Gussy up your weeknight rice bake with some inspiration from Italy. This one-panputtanescaleans heavily on pantry staples, like anchovies, garlic, and capers, for an umami-bomb of flavor, making it an ideal weeknight-friendly dinner that packs a punch.
What Is Puttanesca?
Puttanesca—a sauce built out of tomatoes, olives, garlic, and anchovies—gets its name from the Italian ladies of the night who were said to whip up the sauce in between clients, thanks to how quickly it comes together. These days, puttanesca is still beloved, thanks to its ease and reliance on staple ingredients most people have at home—no trip to the grocery store required!
While the origins ofputtanescasauce are a bit murky, most recipes are in agreement that tomatoes, olives, and capers are non-negotiable. Some regional Italian variations use anchovies, while others add in green bell peppers. For those who are olive-averse, just leave them out and double the capers to ensure the sauce is getting that salty, brininess.
Traditionally, puttanesca is paired with pasta. This riff relies on rice for the base, crowned with crispy chicken thighs for a well-rounded meal.
Alexis deBoschnek
Go with the Grain: Rice Bake
Whether you’re cooking for a crowd or meal prepping for the week, rice bakes are an easy weeknight option that take little effort to execute. While some people are wary of making rice for fear that it’ll burn or won’t cook all the way through, rice bakes tend to be less fickle and more forgiving, thanks to their saucier nature. Some rice bakes are finished off in the oven, but for the sake of ease on a weeknight, this recipe stays stovetop from start to finish. The best part? It’s all done in one pan, making clean-up a breeze.
Pro Tip: If you want to skip the rice, just add the chicken back to the pan after simmering the tomatoes to finish cooking, and serve with pasta or good, crusty bread.
On a cutting board, season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and oregano on both sides.
Heat the oil in a large stainless steel or cast-iron skillet over high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken thighs skin-side down. Cook for 6-8 minutes without moving the chicken, until the skin is golden brown and easily comes loose from the pan. Flip the chicken over and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the fat in the pan.
Add the anchovy and garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until aromatic.
Add the tomatoes, olives, and capers and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the rice and stir to combine. Add the white wine and cook, scraping up any brown bits, for 2 minutes, until the alcohol has burned off and no longer smells.
Add the chicken stock and stir to combine, bringing the mixture to a boil. Nestle the browned chicken thighs, skin-side up, in the rice and reduce heat to simmer. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 20 minutes, until the rice and chicken are cooked through.
Turn off the heat and keep lid on for 5 minutes.
Top with parsley and flaky sea salt before serving.
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What is the difference between almonds and Marcona almonds (besides the price tag?) Read on to find out!
To say that almonds are having a moment would be a bit of an understatement. While people have been munching them for millenia, increased consumption of foods rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids (such as almonds) has completely transformed the global nut industry.
California, the world’s biggest almond producer, shipped a record 2.25 billion tons in 2017-2018. This year alone, The Golden State is forecasted to produce another 2.5 billion tons, yet the most highly prized variety comes from Spain. Often served blanched, roasted, dusted with sea salt, and tossed with enough extra virgin olive oil to give them a seductive sheen, nothing elevates a gourmet meat and cheese platter like a handful of Spanish Marcona almonds. But what makes them such a hot commodity?
Read on to learn more about the difference between Marcona almonds and regular almonds.
The Difference Between Marconas and Regular Almonds
Marconas—also known as the Queen of Almonds—are easy to tell apart from standard California varieties. Besides being rounder and flatter in shape, as an import from Spain, they tend to be significantly more expensive and difficult to find at the grocery store.
David Bishop Inc. / Stockbyte / Getty Images
Aaron Brown, who runs the California Marcona Company and Almondipity with wife Norik Naraghi, explains that Marcona almonds are “a little bit softer and have a much thicker shell and skin” than those commonly grown in the U.S. Their flavor, he says, is more buttery and earthy. They also roast well, which gives them a satisfying crunch. The texture is often likened to a macadamia nut.
The Nonpareil, considered the high-end standard of California-grown almonds, is typically bigger, longer, pointed on one end, and has a lighter-colored skin. And different varieties lend themselves to certain preparations. According to Brown, Nonpareils are “the main go-to for snacking.” Other types, like the Fritz or Butte, work better for roasting, flavoring, and making almond butter, while the Sonora works well for blanching and slicing.
Almondipity Almond Butter, $12.99 on Amazon
This single ingredient nut butter is pure almond goodness.
Another differentiator is how different types of almonds are consumed. “Snacking almonds” are a relatively modern concept; throughout history, nuts have mainly been used for cooking and baking. In Spain, Marconas are one of several local varieties that most often get used to make dessert like marzipan or turrón (a traditional candy nougat), or sprinkled over salads. “In the U.S. it’s turned into a specialty product,” says Brown, “and it’s not that easy to get in serious bulk.”
According to Brown, approximately 85 percent of the world’s almonds are produced in California, while only about 5 percent comes from Spain. “Even if 20 percent of that is Marcona, it’s still miniscule,” he points out. “It’s a rare commodity.” Which is why Marconas typically sell for $16-20 per pound and are twice as expensive as California-grown Nonpareils.
Bridging the Gap Between Spanish and California Almonds
As the name implies, the California Marcona Company sells products made with locally-grown Marcona almonds. “My father- in-law, Wendell, and his father, Hashem, were long-time almond growers,” Brown explains. Once UC Davis deemed Marcona trees safe to plant in local soil, Brown’s father-in-law decided to give them a try. They thrived in the central California climate, but Brown and his family discovered that they’re not without their issues.
Anna and Sarah Marcona Almonds (2 lbs), $24.99 on Amazon
“[Marconas] may look the same,” Brown says, “but you get half the yield per acre because of the thickness of the shell and hull. That’s probably a big reason why there are so few grown in California, and why you need to command a higher price.”
Like a typical monarch, it seems the Queen of Almonds is a truly tough nut to crack.
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Welcome back to another episode of ALDI Finds. For this batch of monthly deals, the beloved supermarket chain is channeling the holiday season, and how can we say no tothat? Whether you’re still prepping for Thanksgiving or already switching your diet from pumpkin to peppermint, ALDI’s got you covered. Stock up on these necessities this November—before they’re gone.
ALDI Finds: November 6
Belmont 12 Slice Sample Cheesecake
ALDI
The only thing better than spooning into a wedge of cheesecake is spooning into12slices: This variety pack comes in a host of flavors, from pumpkin swirl to caramel apple.
Priano Turkey Cranberry or Bourbon Sweet Potato Ravioli
ALDI
It’s Thanksgiving in ravioli form, for when you just can’t wait until turkey day.
Cook N Home Stainless Steel 4-Piece Pasta Cooker, $36.99 on Amazon
Light and easy to handle, this roasting rack will get the job done.
Crofton Mini Ceramic Baking Dishes
ALDI
These cute mini baking dishes—which come in two fall colors—are perfect for roasting vegetables or personal-sized portions of baked mac and cheese.
Ambiano Electric Knife with Storage Case
ALDI
Never struggle to slice into an enormous turkey again. This electric knife will be a game-changer come Thanksgiving.
ALDI Fnds: November 13
Barissimo Assorted Holiday Coffee
ALDI
Get in the holiday spirit with these seasonally forward coffee blends: choose from gingerbread, mocha mint, and white chocolate. Your mornings with begin to taste like the holidays.
Specially Selected Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese Assorted Varieties
ALDI
There’s nothing more nostalgic than a warm bowl of mac and cheese. These versions are a riff on the classic, elevated with a couple of added ingredients (think smoked gouda, truffles, and porcini mushrooms).
Crofton Laguiole-Style Steak Knife Set
ALDI
The handles of these steak knives are wonderfully marbled in black and white.
ALDI finds: November 20
Maynard’s 10-Year-Old Tawny Port
ALDI
Drink this port straight up, or add to large-format drinks, like warm spiced wine.
Stone & Bean Stemless Wine Glasses, $28.66 on Amazon
Choceur Belgian Chocolate Waves Assorted Varieties
ALDI
The shape of this treat maylooklike a Pringle, but they are, in fact, made out of chocolate (but equally snackable). Each box comes in a different flavor, from mint to caramel.
Specially Selected Indulgent Popcorn Tins
ALDI
Crack open this tin of popcorn for a movie night—we guarantee you’ll be scraping at the bottom within 20 minutes.
Shocker: Canned pumpkin is not actually pumpkin—it’s squash. But they’re so much alike it doesn’t really matter…right?
Pumpkins are a beloved symbol of fall, the decoration of choice on Halloween, the star of countless Thanksgiving pies—actually, that last one is a lie, unless you make your own pumpkin puree and use that in your dessert. If you’re buying a can of pumpkin off the shelf, you should know that it’s not made from the same orange jack-o’-lantern pumpkins you carve, or even their daintier, sweeter cousins, sugar pumpkins (also known as pie pumpkins).
In fact, canned pumpkin is actually squash.
So, What Is the Difference Between Pumpkins and Squash?
Well, all pumpkins are squash, but not all squash are pumpkins.
The FDA declines to draw a hard line between the terms for labeling purposes, but compared to other members of the gourd family, pumpkins—by which we mean the standard sort we tend to picture at the very mention of the word—have a lot more water in their flesh, more stringy fibers, and less natural sweetness, making them sadly inferior for baking. The smaller sugar pumpkins have denser, meatier, more colorful, and sweeter flesh, so if you do want to make your pie or other pumpkin recipes completely from scratch, use those.
If you’re buying the canned stuff, though, you’re probably getting something like Dickinson squash (a strain closely resembling butternut, and specially developed for Libby’s, which accounts for 85 percent of all canned pumpkin sold in the United States). With other brands, regardless if the label says “100% pumpkin”—and even if the ingredients list only mentions the p-word—you could be getting any of a number of winter squashes, or a blend of multiple varieties. It’s not a bad thing, although it is perhaps a little tricky.
Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value Pumpkin Puree, $0.99 on Amazon
Or rather, let’s move backwards. How did pumpkin even become such a beloved fall stalwart, and when did gourds show up in pies (let alone in cans) in the first place? Let’s begin with a little botanical background.
When and Where Were Pumpkins First Grown as a Crop?
Shutterstock
Ancient Origins
Pumpkins and squash are believed to be native to Central America, based on seeds discovered at archaeological sites in Mexico dating back thousands of years. The very first wild pumpkins were probably extremely bitter and small, but once they began to be cultivated for their flesh, they grew sweeter and more palatable. Native North Americans often grew them as part of the “Three Sisters” (maize, beans, and squash), as you may vaguely recall from elementary school history lessons, and they were an important staple food for surviving the winters.
The Whole FamilyUnder-the-Radar Squashes & PumpkinsEuropean explorers as far back as the 1530s brought pumpkin seeds home with them, which explains why French and English cookbooks circa the 1600s contain some pumpkin recipes. (Side note: The original English term was pumpion, from the French pompom, which derived from the Greek pepon, meaning “large melon”—to which pumpkins and squash are botanically related.)
Once European colonists came to America, they began growing pumpkins as a staple food crop too.
As is the case now, these heirloom pumpkins and squash were of various shapes, sizes, and colors, but they all tasted pretty much the same: mildly sweet, starchy, and a little earthy. In the 19th century, the pumpkin’s importance as a human food crop waned dramatically, and it took a while for their ornamental value to become what it is today.
Modern Tastes
Since the 1970s in particular, American farmers have prioritized bigger, sturdier pumpkins better suited for carving than cooking, and so the standard pumpkin has become the large, smooth, orange one that comes automatically to mind when we think pumpkin patch. However, they’re also eminently recognizable in this earlier illustration from 1937, depicting city dwellers bringing pumpkins back home from the farm, so it’s been a fun fall activity for a long while:
Glaser, William C.C., Lithographer. In Florence Bourgeois, “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Grower” (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc., 1937.) Source: Edge Effects.
Today, pumpkins are grown everywhere in the world except Antarctica, with India and China being some of the top producers. In the U.S., when it comes to the kind of pumpkins (or squash) we purchase in cans, the Midwest claims the highest number of crops—specifically, an area within 50 miles of Morton, Ill. produces most all of the pumpkins that are consumed in North America.
Farmer's Market Foods Canned Organic Pumpkin Puree, 12 cans for $27.48 on Amazon
Native Americans ate pumpkins roasted, boiled, and dried into jerky, and consumed their seeds and flowers as well. The shells could be dried and used as bowls to store and serve food and water; no part went to waste.
Early American colonists began to use pumpkins in much the same ways: in stews, soups, and baked into pseudo-puddings. This poem or folk song from the 1630s gives a good idea of their importance:
Stead of pottage and puddings and custards and pies Our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies, We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon, If it were not for pumpkins we should be undoon.
They made pumpkin beer or ale, too, even if it was initially out of desperation for anything alcoholic necessity. Ingenuity, by any other name…
Pumpkins were also used as livestock feed, and are still fed to animals, from chickens to dogs, as a nutritional supplement today.
So What Was the Origin of Pumpkin Pie?
Chowhound
Pumpkin Pudding
As we know it, pumpkin pie is a fairly recent invention, the most important distinguishing factor being the crust. There was definitely no such thing at the first Thanksgiving in 1621, since there were no ovens suitable for baking in America at the time, let alone the wheat or enough sugar required to make a proper pie. However, there may have been another sweet dish made with pumpkin at that celebration: milk, honey, and spices poured into hollowed-out pumpkin shells, which were roasted whole in hot ashes until blackened, soft, and steamy, whereupon the mixture inside was scooped out with the flesh, like a kind of custard.
It appears that some Native Americans also made pumpkin porridge; a Swedish botanist in 1749 recorded that “[s]ome mix flour with the pumpkins when making porridge…They often make pudding or even pie or a kind of tart out of them.” And well before that, a very pie-like “pumpkin tourte” appeared in “Le Vrai Cuisiner Francois” in 1651.
Pumpkin Pie
But it’s not until 1796, in the first official American cookbook, that we see something more akin to what we eat today, creamier and with familiar spices: the two pumpkin pudding recipes in “American Cookery” call for the pumpkin to be stewed until soft, then combined with eggs, sugar, mace, nutmeg, ginger, and cream, and baked for about an hour in a crust (or “paste”).
Chowhound
Pumpkin pie was political, too; New England abolitionists sometimes mentioned the dessert in anti-slavery novels and poems, and when Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, some Confederates mocked pumpkin pie along with the people who enjoyed it. (Incidentally, this does not have anything to do with the enduring notion that the thoroughly Southern pecan pie is the diametrically opposed “other” choice on Thanksgiving, although that dessert has an interesting history too. Sweet potato pie, on the other hand, does have a race-related American history well worth reading about.)
Once the Civil War ended and Thanksgiving became more widely celebrated across America, pumpkin pie’s popularity spread too, helped in part by its inclusion in ever more cookbooks, newspapers, and women’s magazines. These early recipes simply called for stewing and straining your own pumpkin, before canned convenience was commonplace.
When Was Pumpkin First Canned?
In the 19th century, industrialization made almost everything easier, including dessert. Small, regional companies canned local pumpkin (and some still do, or at least some older, lesser-known brands like One-Pie endure), but it should come as no surprise that Libby’s—which had been operating as a meat-canning company in Chicago since the 1800s—was the first mass-marketer of canned pumpkin.
Gallery Of Graphic Design
They may have begun selling pumpkin puree as far back as 1929, when they acquired Morton’s vegetable processing plant (and the reason Morton, Ill. is now the top grower of canned pumpkin/squash is because they’re owned by Libby’s/Nestle), but it was a sure thing by 1940, which is when their famous pumpkin pie recipe first began appearing on their cans.
Of course, there’s alsocanned pumpkin pie filling (sometimes labeled “pumpkin pie mix”), which differs in that pumpkin pie spices, sugar, salt, and water are added to the pure pumpkin (or squash, if you still want to split hairs).
Unless a recipe specifically calls for pumpkin pie filling, always grab the plain canned pumpkin, or “100 percent pure” pumpkin puree, instead. And feel free to give it a knowing look when you do.
Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin, 12 29-ounce cans for $45.48 on Amazon
More likely Dickinson squash puree, but still tasty.
When thinking about beer, there are really two overarching styles to consider: ale and lager. While the process for brewing both is similar, slight variations in the ingredients, time, and temperature produce significantly different results. So what exactly is the difference between an ale and a lager?
For our latest Chow-To episode, senior video producer Guillermo Riveros visited Boomtown Brewery in Los Angeles, where Benjamin Turkel (Production Manager and beer expert) explained the similarities and differences between the two types of beer.
Show Ponies vs Workhorses
Ales are the undisputed darling of the craft beer world and encompass a multitude of sub-varieties. As a rule, the process for making an ale offers nearly unlimited opportunity for radical styles and complex flavor profiles. Ales can be anything from creamy stouts to sweet porters, hoppy and floral IPAs or dry and bitter sours.
Lagers, by comparison, are the workhorses of the beer world. These smooth, light, and easy-drinking brews are ones you’re likely to find at a ballgame or being clinked in oversized mugs in German beer halls. Within the category, there are fewer styles, but popular ones include pilsner, amber, bock and Marzen while Budweiser, Narragansett, Heineken, and Pilsner Urquell are a few well-known versions consumed worldwide.
PicoBrew C Beer Brewing System, $379
A super cool (and money-saving) gift for the beer drinker on your list.
Defining something as an ale or lager comes from two main qualifiers. Most distinguishing is the variety of yeast used in making the beer. As you might know, yeast is a fungus which, when heated to certain temperatures, eats the sugar contained in beer’s other ingredients (malt, barley, and hops) and turns it into alcohol. The other part of the puzzle is the temperature at which fermentation occurs and that is directly related to the type of yeast used.
Ale yeast, by nature, ferments at a warmer temperature than lager yeast and so is typically kept in tanks heated to a minimum of 60 degrees Fahrenheit during that all-important fermentation. Lager yeast, on the other hand, demands a much cooler environment, between 35 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of this difference in temperature, a cold-fermenting lager can take as much as twice the time it would take its ale counterpart to produce similar amounts of alcohol.
So what exactly do these differences in ingredients and processes mean for the final product? I asked Jesse Ferguson, owner and head brewer at Brooklyn’s Interboro Spirits and Ales, a burgeoning indie brewery churning out some of the most in-demand ales and lagers at a time when craft beer popularity has reached critical mass.
“Any time yeast gets a hold of sugar, compounds called esters and phenolics are created and released. These byproducts of the fermentation product give a beer vibrant fruit and spice notes” he tells me, “and when yeast is fermented at a higher temperature, as with most ales, the phenolics and esters are spit out at a higher rate.” This is why ale yeast typically produces more complex and robust beers with punchier profiles and a wider array of notes. The compounds can be accelerated and altered both by method and ingredients into the many hundreds of sub-varieties that live under the ale umbrella.
Pexels
Lagers, on the other hand, which ferment at colder temperatures, produce a slightly muted profile, generally speaking. A typical lager is clean, crisp, and smooth on the palate with an underlying sweetness, or, as Ferguson explains,“when you think of beer, just regular straightforward uncomplicated beer, the smell, the taste and the color, you’re probably thinking of a lager. The real star of any lager is the malt and, when brewed well, will shine through with a bright and balanced sweetness.” Lagers are also usually a bit lower in alcohol percentage too, but as with most rules, there are always exceptions. Check the can or bottle if it’s a concern.
When asked about the level of difficulty in brewing lagers versus ales, Ferguson tells me that lagers can definitely be trickier and have significantly less margins for error. “If a lager ferments too fast, you often end up with diacetyl, an unwanted compound that leaves your lager tasting like buttery movie popcorn, and not in the good way. Ales allows more room to play around and even if things go slightly off plan, you’re likely to end up with something interesting and drinkable.”
Ian Ljungquist, bar Manager at The Well—a popular, 260-brew beer bar situated in a historic brewery in Brooklyn’s Bushwick—tells me “there isn’t really a short answer when describing the difference between ale and lager to a curious guest. If I have to give one I’d say lagers have a cleaner profile but with such a vast array of ales, you’ve got some that really resemble lager and conversely, not every lager is light in color and body like some people might assume.”
David Watsky
When asked about the demand for one over the other, Ljungquist tells me it seems to be less about demand for ale or lager but rather demand for good beer in general, and beyond quality people are really looking for local stuff like Interboro’s Bushburg, a Lager that typifies the style and never stays in stock for long. Both ales and lagers can be used in cooking too, most notably in stews, sauces, and slow braise, but Ljungquist warns against using anything too hoppy like IPA. “You’ll just end up with concentrated hop oils. Total meal-ruiner!”
With countless beers out on the market, choosing one, especially from an epic beer bar like The Well, can feel overwhelming at first. But armed with a little base knowledge about the difference between ale and lager and some help from knowledgeable beer nerds like Ljungquist, Ferguson, or Turkel, you’re sure to find the perfect pint.
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