Food news antipasto

Remember all of those stunning cheese boards that popped up on Instagram a few years ago? The idea behind these sumptuous displays is now taking root for other foods, as The Washington Post explains. They explore how people are putting everything from deconstructed salads to French fries and even pancakes on boards. The reason this type of display is so compelling because people are drawn to abundance. According to the owner of a cheese-board catering company explains it this way: “It’s something deep in the human brain. When you see lots of perfectly ripe food all together it’s attractive, and the more different elements there are, the more your eye moves around — like, ‘ooh look, there’s that, and that and that!’ ”

Lidia Bastianich’s life story is fascinating: she came to the US as a refugee, worked her way through kitchens as a sous chef, and eventually created her own restaurant empire. Ahead of her cookbook celebrating 40 years of her flagship restaurant Felidia, Bastianich spoke with Salon about why she cooks. The discussion is wide-ranging, with Bastianich taking about the times Julia Child and James Beard came to eat at her restaurant, the challenges of being a female chef, and more.

Speaking of James Beard, his namesake foundation announced its semifinalists for the JBF Restaurant and Chef Awards earlier this week. It is always fun to read this list, because even if you are not able to eat at their restaurants, many of the chefs will eventually write a cookbook (if they haven’t already), so you can learn about their food vicariously.

When you have eaten the last pickle in the jar, what do you do with the brine? Most of us pour it down the drain, but that’s a mistake, says Joe Sevier of Epicurious. His article shows us how to make good use of not only pickle brine, but also aquafaba, olive brine, the liquid from fresh mozzarella or feta, oils from sun-dried tomatoes, and more. One great idea is to use these as a base for a salad dressing, but there’s a lot more you can do with these liquids.

Photo of Fall cheese board from Sprouted Kitchen by Sara Forte