Watch the video of Gordon Ramsay’s interview with BBC, which includes his explanation of why he can be such a tyrant in the kitchen.

Rachael Ray says her V-day will be a three-day: “My husband John and I always just stay home and cook and we love our dog as much as we love each other so we stay home and have a threesome. A three date.”

Ming Tsai teaches you everything from how to fillet a salmon to opening a bottle of wine in his free podcasts. While many of the tips are geared towards beginners, even the experienced kitchen diva will enjoy the show. Why? Because… he’s kinda cute.

Rachael Ray no longer sees herself as someone who teaches harassed moms how to make a 20 minute casserole.

“People know me for my love of food, but I have so much more I want to share, … Our show’s going to be all about taking a bigger bite out of life. I want people to see themselves in this show because life is full of messes and successes, and getting there is half the fun.”

Guess she fancies herself as Oprah, but more hyper. Way more hyper.

Have you ever ordered a $300 appetizer, gotten served little more than pureed entrails with very pretty slices of grape, and thought: “Damn, I just want a burger?”

Mario Batali laughs and takes this all in stride. There’s a battle between what the cook thinks is high art and what the customer just wants to eat.”

Thank God this is a chef that can serve food that actually (gasp!) fills your stomach. Novel concept.

A delicious yet simple pasta recipe from Rocco Dispirito. He says the recipe originates from Tuscany. While most Italian dishes use wine, the vodka leaves a unique tangy flavor.

Ingredients
Salt
2 cups Marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1 pound penne
1/4 cup of vodka (least expensive kind)
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes

1. Put a big pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add a handful of salt when it starts to simmer..

2. In a sauce pot over a medium flame, heat up the marinara sauce, then slowly pour in the cream, stirring until uniform. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat if necessary, and simmer until it reduces slightly. Add the red pepper flakes.

3. When the water comes to a boil, drop the penne in. When the pasta is almost done, pour the vodka into the sauce and raise the heat slightly. Drain the pasta reserving about half a cup of the cooking water. Toss the pasta into the sauce with the Parmigiano-Reggiano, adding a splash of the pasta water if the sauce is very thick. Sprinkle parsley on top and serve.

Wolfgang Puck’s cooking show has been cancelled.
“Celebrity Cooking Showdown” — which he produced with Sean “P.Diddy” Combs — received such low ratings that the network cancelled it even befoe its 5-show run was over.

Gordon Ramsay’s very particular about food. So who would he like to be in the kitchen when he’s served his last meal? In an interview, he said that he wanted the appetizer to be made by Alain Ducasse, and the main course to be made by his mentor, Joel Robuchon.

Television chef Keith Floyd suddenly collapsed at The Chester’s Pub, which is owned by his friend. He was rushed to the hospital.

Floyd’s friends said that he had been feeling ill all week, and that the collapse was probably due to exhaustion. “He was in hospital a year ago with a similar complaint.” Unfortunately he’s not doing that well now — let’s hope things get better this week! Get well soon, Keith!

Giada de Laurentiis’ prescription for a cold, depressing day: hot seafood soup. Make it just a little bit spicier to clear your colds.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
5 cups fish stock
1 bay leaf
1 lb manila clams, scrubbed
1 lb mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1 lb uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 lbs halibut fillets or salmon fillets, cut into 2-inch chunks (assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets)

What’s Next

1. Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat.
2. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and sauté 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste.
5. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, fish stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. 6. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
7. Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes.
8. Add the shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open).
9. Remove bay leaf. Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.