Food Guys

Miso's meaty umami quality comes from a multi-step process of fermentation, which serves two functions: large molecules get broken down into small, readily-digestable ones, and the fermentation develops a lot of flavor. When it comes to miso, think beyond soups. You can improve an otherwise bland gravy or marinade with it, too.

It's been decades since chocolate mousse topped the dessert menu of nearly every restaurant in America, but in your kitchen, this simple dessert's foamy, chocolately smoothness can remain forever immune to the vagaries of food fashion. Jon "Food Guy" Jackson loves Craig Claiborne's recipe , while Greg "Other Food Guy" Patent favors Maida Heatter's " Chocolate Mousse Heatter ."

Zaletti, the crisp, golden, Venetian biscotti-like cookies made with the region's signature grain, polenta, beckon you to dip them into coffee, fruit sauce, or dessert wine. Greg tested a zaletti recipe for his friend Julia della Croce, cookbook author and Forktales food blogger. The recipe is below.

Type "leeks" and "potatoes" into an Internet search engine and thousands of recipes appear, mostly for soup. After all, what's simpler than cutting up leeks and potatoes, adding water and salt, and cooking till they're tender, then blending? When it comes to these complementary vegetables, Food Guys Jon Jackson and Greg Patent are thinking beyond soup.

Ah, tomato tarts! Remember, tomatoes are a fruit, so it’s no surprise that they’d be perfectly comfortable nestled in a crisp pastry shell atop a creamy and cheesy filling. After fiddling with all sorts of crust recipes using olive oil, Food Guy Greg Patent found that for flaky and crispy, you just can’t beat butter. Using a combo of unbleached white flour and whole wheat flour gives the crust a pleasant nuttiness that complements the slight acidity of the tomatoes. Greg writes:

When the ingredients list for his favorite brand of peanut butter suddenly included sugar and palm oil, Food Guy Jon Jackson decided to make his own. A cup and a half of inexpensive roasted, salted Spanish peanuts, a dash of high-quality peanut oil, and a three-minute whirl in the food processor later, Jon had six ounces of tasty, sugar-free homemade peanut butter.

It took Food Guy Greg Patent a long time to warm up to winter squash, but now he's such a squash-champion, he incorporated it into a salad recipe. Winter squashes are excellent roasted. Their natural sugars caramelize in a hot oven to lend a terrific umami oomph to not only the squash but to the beets and potatoes that join them in this recipe. Greg writes:

Asian sauces add zip to more than just Chinese dishes; they can pep up barbecue, chili, duck, chicken or broccoli. Chinese chefs use these off-the-shelf sauces in their kitchens, so you can, too. Oyster sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili paste, black bean sauce with garlic, plum sauce, satay sauce, sriracha: all of them keep well on the shelf or in the fridge. They'll serve as a condiment, a spice, or a marinade.

The Food Guys, Jon Jackson and Greg Patent, want you to consider eating less meat and dairy. They've been looking at a meta-analysis of food's environmental impacts , published in Science in June, titled "Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers." The study asks not only how food producers can reduce their environmental footprint, but what role consumers play. The answer to the latter: a big one, if we are willing to change our diets.

Food Guy Greg Patent stays alert for new ways to cook shrimp. When a friend pointed out this recipe by legendary 98-year-old retired San Francisco restauranteur, Cecilia Chiang , Greg made a beeline for it. He dresses up its simplicity with added vegetables, ginger and garlic, transforming it into a delightful main dish.