Eggplant Parmesan is one of my favorite dishes, and one I make a lot when we have our summer garden.You can roast or grill the eggplant, but it doesn't yield the same flavor and texture satisfaction that frying does.Everyone has a different idea on how to prepare eggplant for frying: peel or not, salt & drain first,...
Dinner
Pork Sausage and Lentils (Cotechino e Lenticchie)
Pork Sausage and Lentils(Cotechino e Lenticchie) Serves 4-6 Pork Sausage and Lentils is a traditional New Year's dish in Italy.Lentils are purported to bring wealth and good fortune. In Lombardy dialect zecchini - coins from the 1500's - were also called lenticchie, which gave rise to lentil's association with prosperity and good health. The best...
Quick & Easy Chicken Pot Pie
I think perhaps the most quintessential comfort food is a hearty, creamy, quick and easy Chicken Pot Pie. Chicken Pot Pie remains in my memory from childhood as something warm and delicious and comforting, so much so that decades later I still think about it with longing. Chicken Pot Pie isn't something I have fond memories...
Easy Lemon Spaghetti - or use your favorite pasta shape!
If you haven’t figured out what to make for lunch today then go for a great plate of easy lemon spaghetti! I hadn’t made this spaghetti with a creamy lemon sauce for a while and since we have a wonderful lemon tree that yields lemons year round it was perfect. Best to use untreated lemons...
Spring Ravioli: Stinging Nettle and Ricotta Filling with Spring Peas, Fava Beans & Asparagus
I’m still strongly in foraging mode, and stinging nettle is abundant. Along with seasonal spring vegetables I’ve thrown all these ingredients together to make a wonderful spring ravioli recipe. We're in that magic moment of springtime when there’s an abundance of newly harvested fava beans and spring peas, and wild asparagus. It’s wonderful to be able...
Pasta with Wild Boar Sauce
Pasta with Wild Boar Sauce is my favorite dish on cold winter days! If you don’t have pappardelle on hand then use another pasta like rigatoni or fettuccine. There are many dishes that I love but make infrequently because they just take too much time to prepare. I found that a pressure cooker or instapot allows...
Broccoli and Mussel Curry
Broccoli and Mussel Curry is a great way to occasionally switch out from my classic Italian style of cooking. I prefer a curry that has a hint of Thai flavors so I like to make mine with coconut milk. I had some fresh mussels and broccoli on hand and decided they would go together beautifully...
Beetroot Fettuccine with Butter and Sage
I love making Beetroot Fettuccine with Butter and Sage for a number of reasons. First off, I love making homemade pasta, both hand-rolled and with a pasta machine. It's relaxing and there's nothing quite like the consistency of freshly made pasta. One of my favorite things is beautifully colored pasta as it looks so great...
Pasta and Bean Soup - Pasta e Fagioli
Pasta and Bean Soup - Pasta e Fagioli I don't know why I never posted my mother-in-law's delicious recipe for pasta and bean soup – pasta e fagioli – but there you have it: it slipped through the cracks somehow.It was just when I made it the other day that I realized I had never...
Farro Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Farro pasta with fresh tomato sauce is a luscious whole grain pasta dish! Sometimes the best pasta dish is the simplest: just a basic tomato sauce with olive oil, tomato, and garlic. Actually it’s the pasta dish we have most frequently. I confess that generally I prefer a standard egg pasta over anything else, but...
Farro, Gorgonzola, Arugula & Tomatoes
Farro, Gorgonzola, Arugula & Tomatoes just happens to be one of the easiest, most delicious and nutritious recipes you can throw together in a flash.Farro is absolutely one of my favorite grains; it has a chewy consistency and almost nutty flavor, and it’s absolutely delicious almost any way you prepare it!I especially love it with...
Radicchio Ravioli with Chestnut Cream, Sizzled Pork Jowl and Fried Sage
When fall rolls around it's time to make dishes that bring together some of the season's best ingredients. Radicchio Ravioli with Chestnut Cream, Sizzled Pork Jowl and Fried Sage is one of those dishes! This recipe was adapted from a La Cucina Italiana recipe. Since these delicious ravioli can be made in advance and frozen they...
