She has written for Food and Wine, Cooking Light, Eating Well, and Natural Health, and her syndicated column "Something Different" appears in over 750 newspapers. She contributed the soy section to The Joy of Cooking, and has taught soy technique classes at the Culinary Institute of America. As a consultant, she has also worked with major food companies to develop new products.
Finding food an endless adventure, she blends influences from her travels to Sicily, Morocco, Tunisia, and other Mediterranean countries, as well as those of Asia, into her cooking. When not in the kitchen or writing, she explores markets, visits culinary artisans, and knits. Dana Jacobi lives in New York City.
Articles by Dana Jacobi
Chicken Is Nice with Moroccan Spice
A trip to Morocco transformed how I use spices. The first lesson I learned was the difference between spicy and hot.
Dressing Up Green Salads
When did you last rave about a lettuce leaf? Listen closely when someone praises a salad because the dressing is most likely what the diner found memorable. The dressing was either a perfect partner with the greens or it stood on its own.
Turn Ripe Tomatoes into Bruschetta
With the crop reaching its height, it is time for my annual paean to sun-warmed, vine-ripened, local tomatoes. Add a little variety without too much fuss -- chop up a few tomatoes and season them to spoon on top of bruschetta.
A Summery Shrimp Stir-Fry
Chinese cooking calls for thoughtfully combining the artistic and the practical. This dish balances sweet, tart, earthy and bright seafood flavors in foods that are crisp, tender, chewy and juicy with just enough salt to enhance them all.
An Easter Egg Story
Easter usually falls around my birthday, and so Easter eggs have often been part of my birthday celebrations. (Article features recipe for Egg Salad with White Beans).
Brussels Sprouts with Tuscan Flavor
Tuscan cooks make everything green taste great, including Brussels sprouts. The Tuscan approach is a simple one and usually involves olive oil.
A St. Patrick's Day Salad
If you think food that celebrates St. Patrick's Day means corned beef and cabbage with boiled potatoes, it's time to update your thinking about Irish cooking.
New Irish Cooking
On St. Patrick's Day, the air will be rich with the aromas of cabbage, corned beef, crusty Irish soda bread and perhaps a stew studded with potatoes and carrots. These traditional Irish dishes, nostalgically enjoyed by Irish-Americans and other Americans feeling Irish for the day, are a far cry from what is on many Irish tables today.
Bake Your Valentine a Surprise
For Valentine's Day, I have moved from producing elaborate candlelight dinners to sharing simpler culinary seductions. This year, honoring the tradition of red for romance, I am making a less-traditional fruit-based dish.
Catfish Makes a Winning Dinner
This colorful dinner combines contrasting textures and bold flavors that are comforting and healthy.
Sicilian Cod: A Mediterranean Experience
This lean, flaky fish is a mainstay of the New England fishing industry. With a mild, sweet flavor, cod is perfectly suited for the bold Mediterranean flavors it is paired with in this recipe.
Learning the Tricks of the Trade
At least sixty percent of us learn kinesthetically, that is, by doing. In addition, performing meaningful tasks, especially unfamiliar ones that a novice cook is likely to encounter in the kitchen, builds confidence. Lack of confidence is a barrier that keeps many people out of the kitchen in the first place.
Making Ratatouille a Main Dish
Offering a final burst of colorful life, farmers' markets and home gardens are currently overflowing with deep purple eggplant, red and green bell peppers, heaps of summer squash, juicy tomatoes and basil in bunches as big as bushes. Which, of course, can only mean one thing: It's time to make ratatouille.
