The recipe is inspired by a recent meal I had at Cordelia restaurant in Old Jaffo in Tel Aviv. They served me a ricotta and spinach-stuffed tortelloni with shrimp and Champagne butter sauce (essentially a Champagne buerre blanc) that made me swoon. This is my attempt at a weeknight version of that seductive dish. The sauce is subtle in flavor and buttery, while the shallots absorb the Champagne flavor and lend some bite to the dish. Continue reading “A Weeknight Champagne Sauce”
It doesn’t get much simpler than fresh pasta: flour and eggs are combined to create a dough, which is then rolled out into any shape and any thickness you want. It’s quite magical really. And while I dearly miss the pasta maker attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer, I’ve made pasta with nothing more than my own two hands and a wine bottle as a rolling pin. Continue reading “Fresh Pasta without the Gadgets”
I can’t explain it, but I suddenly had a craving for fried vegetable fritters with homemade mayonnaise as a dipping sauce. I was skipping Hebrew and I guess felt like making it worthwhile. It was an incredibly specific desire, and I could even taste the exact ratio of mellow creaminess to bright lemon in the mayonnaise. Lucky for me I had all the ingredients on hand – egg, oil, lemon, breadcrumbs, zucchini, leftover artichoke. Before breading the vegetables I whisked a little seltzer into the egg, which made the batter nice and light. Use any thinly sliced vegetables you have on hand and serve this as a starter or snack. Then use the leftover mayonnaise to slather on sandwiches or dip fries into. Continue reading “Fried Vegetable Fritters with Homemade Mayonnaise”
I brought a small container of saffron back from New York and have been waiting to use it. As the world’s most expensive spice (a pound of dry saffron requires at least 50,000 flowers and 15 hours of manual labor) you can’t just use the stuff willy nilly. On the other hand, a little does go a long way, especially if you soak it in liquid first. But what to use it on? My last saffron recipe, Rigatoni with Wine-Braised Chicken and Saffron Cream, would be hard to live up to. I’d been craving risotto, so Risotto Milanese it was. Continue reading “Risotto in the Style of Milan”
This recipe, as with most of my favorite recipes of late, began with a trip to the shuk. It may be February, but springtime is in bloom, and the artichokes at the market were stunning (apparently they come to Italy in late February). With no particular plan in mind I bought four. You should know that I have a bit of a rocky history with artichokes, particularly an unusually thorny one that left me the worse for wear early in my cooking career. Artichokes can be intimidating – those tough outer leaves, the necessary trimming, the quick discoloration. But once you learn to properly turn and prepare an artichoke, the result is always satisfying. Continue reading “Artichokes with Roman Flare”
This recipe was born out of the desire to cook with what I had on hand. It required a bit of creativity, and I honestly didn’t expect all that much. A healthful supper, but not something memorable. But then the flavors came together. The natural affinity of black beans and sweet potatoes became apparent, and the aromatic seasoning brought the dish from plain Jane to something special. It turned out damn good. Continue reading “A Hearty Hash for Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner”
A tagine is both the name of a type of slow cooked North African dish and the pot it is supposed to be cooked in. Large and conical in shape, I have long wanted a tagine but have yet to justify such a single-purpose space hog. I’ve promised myself that when I finally get to Morocco I’ll get one. Fortunately, you can obtain the flavors of a tagine dish without the specialty cookware (not exactly, but close). In fact, I don’t even have a lid for the large pan I used, but tin foil proved to be a worthy substitute. Continue reading “Chicken Tagine, Minus the Tagine”
I barely knew my paternal grandmother, but through my father’s cooking I have always felt a connection to her. I have a blurry black and white photo of her whisking something or other that I hang in my kitchen wherever I go. And growing up my father’s go-to cookbook was always her tattered copy of The Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Lo Pinto. Published in 1950, this cookbook is now out of print but you can find copies around (now everyone in my family has one; mine was a wedding present from my aunt, and is now one of my most cherished possessions). Continue reading “The Art of Italian Cooking”
It just so happens that today, January 11, is National Milk Day in the US. It’s also National Hot Toddy day, but unfortunately I don’t have an entry on that. Did you know that every day of the year is designated as at least one food holiday? Coincidentally in honor of National Milk Day, I bring to you buttermilk biscuits. Ok, so National Buttermilk Biscuit Day isn’t until May 14, but I just couldn’t wait until then to share this recipe. Continue reading “A Taste of the South, Developed in the North”
There’s no denying the allure of chocolate and berries. Really any berries will do, although strawberries and raspberries seem to have the most natural affinity for chocolate, my preference being dark. When the slightly bitter chocolate meets the natural sweetness of berries, some sort of chemical reaction takes place and the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. If I had my druthers, chocolate would always be served with fruit. Or salt, but that’s another story. Continue reading “The Simple Pleasures of Chocolate and Raspberries”
