When most people think of Italian Wedding Soup, they understandably associate it with weddings. Sounds logical, right? Well, what if I told you that this popular Italian dish has nothing to do with weddings at all? Yes, it’s true. Before you scoff, let me explain. Read the rest of this entry »
Polenta. Peasant food of Gods. “Grits with a college education,” as one wise customer put it.
Thickly ground cornmeal, originating in husk of sweet yellow or white corn, dried, grounded, pounded, whisked and cooked, preferrably over a double boiler, 5 parts to 1, water to cornmeal.
PHASE 1:
A porridge like pot of mush appears. There is no better way to state it. Polenta, in this state, is soft, warm, nourishing, and good. Add butter, olive oil, grated parmiggiano-reggiano (perhaps a pecorino romano instead) heck, you can use the powder-fine grated parm in the green grocery store bottle; it will taste good. Serve in bowls as appetizer, side dish, minced parsley on top. This soft polenta is easy on the eyes on a cold, winter day.
PHASE 2:
Instead of eating your mush, Read the rest of this entry »
Linguine with a pink shrimp sauce
From Giuliano Hazan’s Thirty Minute Pasta.
(Read our interview with Giuliano Hazan.)
This is a very elegant sauce that is traditionally served with seafood-filled ravioli. A portion of the shrimp are chopped very fine, giving the sauce a consistency similar to meat sauce. Parsley at the end adds lightness and fragrance.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
¾ pound large shrimp
2 medium cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound linguine
6–7 sprigs flat-leaf Italian parsley
1 cup heavy cream
Tagliatelle with chickpeas
From Giuliano Hazan’s Thirty Minute Pasta.
(Read our interview with Giuliano Hazan.)
One of the restaurants we enjoy going to when we are in Valpolicella, the wine country outside of Verona, is Alla Rosa Alda, in the tiny hilltop town of San Giorgio. One of their specialties is a pasta dish they call “tagliatelle embogonè” in the local dialect. It is homemade egg noodles with a sauce of fresh cranberry beans. When I was growing up, my mother made a soup with chickpeas, tomatoes and rosemary that I loved. Taking inspiration from Alla Rosa Alda’s dish, I’ve adapted that chickpea soup here, into a pasta sauce that is now one of our favorites at home.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Buona Vita
3 stars
330 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg, 727-823-2100.
Buona Vita was born out of tragedy, albeit a tiny one. When Local Coffee + Tea owner Michael Duranko decided to pull out of St. Petersburg, three of the coffeeshop employees took over the place, almost ad hoc. They were on a week-to-week pay schedule with the landlord, with no formal lease. One day, after splurging on two weeks of supplies, the three found that the locks had been changed and they were done with their brief stint as business owners.
The main reason, according to building owner Andy Wallace, was that he wanted something in the space that would better serve the local worker bees in surrounding downtown buildings. There’re already a lot of coffee shops. He had been approached by Allan Galleano, one of the investors in the defunct Desanto restaurant down the street. Galleano was ready to replicate the success he’s had with Italian restaurants in other locations.
Well, there are already a lot of Italian restaurants, too, Read the rest of this entry »
Lemons always remind me of spring because of their sunny color and fresh flavor they add to food. I love to use lemon juice to add a bright citrusy flavor to dishes, and the zest shouldn’t be wasted either — it packs a punch of flavor in just a small amount. Mint is also another favorite flavor of mine and tangy lemon and cool mint taste great together.
Risotto is a creamy, traditional Italian rice dish that’s so versatile it’s great for any time of the year or occasion. So, thanks to my affection for lemon and mint during this season, I decided to marry the two in this dish.
Read the rest of this entry »
Money seems to get tighter and tighter these days, so why spend 15 bucks on delivery pizza? One of my favorite pre-made products in the grocery store is Pillsbury’s refrigerated pizza dough. For around $2.50, you can pick up a tube of it and get creative by adding your favorite toppings. You can even find one-serving size cans of pizza sauce in the pasta aisle, so it saves you from having to buy a huge jar of sauce. Why not skip the marinara sauce altogether and do a white pizza or use up that barbecue sauce in your fridge place of it? The Mexican pizza I made (recipe below) cost about $9 to make (not including things I already had on hand, i.e.: olive oil, herbs, etc.) and could serve four people, so this is definitely a recession-friendly meal. Read the rest of this entry »
Hi Dream Momma, I dream I’m trying to climb over a wall; it’s a wall like an Italian villa would have around it. There are bright pink flowers creeping up one side and I can smell the sea. It’s hard going but eventually I reach the top only to find there is broken glass embedded in the cement and I will surely cut myself if I continue. The smell of the sea is stronger and there is music, seductive music, playing softly from behind the wall. It’s crazy but I continue to climb and put my leg over the wall only to see blood pouring out of a cut in my inner thigh. I don’t feel anything so I keep climbing. Now I am straddling the wall, blood is pouring out of me but I feel nothing. I see the man I love in a garden, sitting in a elaborate chair, holding a glass or dark red wine. When he salutes me with the glass of wine I suddenly am in excruiating pain and start to fall off the wall which is now covered in blood. Before I hit the ground I wake up.
Can you help me?
Wow girl, you really know how to pick them! Let’s start with the climb over the wall; do you always work that hard to maintain a relationship? You must be exhausted! Imagining your emotional life “blood” pouring out of you was an intense experience for me. I can’t begin to imagine what it was like for you. I’m concerned.
So let’s see what we have so far. A woman working really hard, emotionally bleeding for a man while he sits behind a wall, sipping wine, and saluting her efforts. I couldn’t help thinking about S and M relationships. Have you considered that? If that’s so, is it working for you? The dream says “no”…
Do you remember your first dish that worked? Worked, as in people raved about it and wanted it again? Worked, as in you tucked that little recipe into your mental rolodex knowing you’d be making in the future? I have one of those.
Last year I wrote about my first cookbook and its impact on me. It was The Frugal Gourmet by Jeff Smith in paperback. Today it sits proudly on my recipe book shelf, and I refer to its tattered and yellowed pages often. The Lamb and Eggplant remains in my repertoire and his Chinese Boiled Chicken was where I got the idea to begin making my own stock.
Unfortunately, Mr. Smith, also a minister, was mired in a touch of controversy Read the rest of this entry »
I’m not typically a fan of Italian food per se and pasta isn’t anywhere near the top of my “must have foods” list (mac and cheese being the only exception). But last night I came home wanting something out of my usual dinner routine- usually salad or a can of soup (exciting, I know). I was feeling too lazy to venture to the grocery store, and I didn’t want to spend more than half of my weekly grocery bill on take out. I also feel guilty sometimes for not cooking at home more often after spending forty grand on culinary school. I’m not giving excuses, but it’s hard to be self-motivated to produce culinary masterpieces every other night when you’re: A. living by yourself in a small studio apartment, and B. a recent college grad who can’t afford a huge grocery bill for one stinkin’ meal. This is when I decide to just make due and find inspiration in the cupboard and fridge.
Here are the main ingredients I scrounged up to feature in my improvised dinner: whole wheat penne (that’s been in there for who knows how long), dry Spanish chorizo, gorgonzola cheese, fresh spinach, and a tomato. I also threw in a few other things I always keep on hand: garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, and herbs. Alright, pasta it is. Read the rest of this entry »
(click button for feed)
(follow us on Facebook)
(follow us on Twitter)