While I am on vacation in Greece for the week I’ve lined up some great guest posts for you! Today we have an amazing, authentic Italian recipe from Giulia over at AlterKitchen! Continue reading “Guest Post: Meliga Pastries”
Tag: Italian
Drunken Pasta with Vermouth, Breadcrumbs, and Zucchini
Using almost entirely pantry ingredients, this recipe is a great one to have in your repertoire. We discovered it a few months ago and I was immediately intrigued by the use of vermouth, something I always have on hand but typically only use in cocktails. Although it calls for only a few ingredients, this dish is packed with flavor. Between the vermouth, garlic, and red pepper flakes it’ll keep your palate on its toes. Continue reading “Drunken Pasta with Vermouth, Breadcrumbs, and Zucchini”
Pasta with Peas and Bacon
I had bacon in the fridge that needed to be used. I had frozen peas in the freezer leftover from samosas. I had, as always, pasta. I even had a few tablespoons of heavy cream leftover from a ganache that I’ll tell you about later. Have you ever been to a less-than-authentic Italian restaurant and ordered Spaghetti Carbonara? Well, for some reason these places tend to insist that Carbonara is a heavy cream-based sauce with bacon or ham and peas. Not always terrible, but disappointing when you know what good Carbonara tastes like. And for some reason, that dish became my inspiration for the evening. But I wanted to make it good. Continue reading “Pasta with Peas and Bacon”
The Seasonality of Broccoli
I was beginning to think they just didn’t have broccoli in Israel. It turns out that’s just my American mindset, so accustomed to getting whatever produce I want any time of year. Imagine the concept of seasonality. Here, it’s not just a concept, something farmers’ markets try to convince you of, it’s a complete and total reality. If something is not in season, for the most part we just don’t eat it. When forced to actually eat this way, it really is an entire shift in the way you think about food. The point is, for this post anyway, that broccoli is in season. It’s at the supermarket and the shuk, and as one of our favorite vegetables, you’ll be seeing a lot of it. Continue reading “The Seasonality of Broccoli”
Risotto with Carrots Four Ways
I have always loved carrots. As a baby I turned orange from eating too much carrot baby food. As I grew older my love of carrots only grew. I always liked them best raw, and if they still had the green tops on all the better. That way I could do an impression of my favorite cartoon character, Bugs Bunny. Continue reading “Risotto with Carrots Four Ways”
Pasta Meets Risotto
I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for some time now. It was part of Mark Bittman’s Minimalist series in the New York Times, so I knew it would be reliable. It makes logical sense – why wouldn’t you be able to cook pasta in something other than water? And yet, pasta cooked like risotto just didn’t sound right. Finally, though, this week was the week. There were gorgeous mushrooms as the shuk and this was as good a use as any. Continue reading “Pasta Meets Risotto”
A Lemony, Briny, Chicken Dish for your Repertoire
Chicken piccata is one of those dishes that has a permanent place in my repertoire and ends up in frequent rotation. As a light, citrusy dish it’s a summertime favorite, but it really is good year round. Chicken breasts are dredged in flour and browned, then a quick veil of a sauce is made using the pan drippings, butter, lemon juice, parsley, and capers. This time I also added wine, with much success. Continue reading “A Lemony, Briny, Chicken Dish for your Repertoire”
Fresh Pasta without the Gadgets
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”
Fried Vegetable Fritters with Homemade Mayonnaise
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”
Risotto in the Style of Milan
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”