Pan Ducale
When we told Lucia of the B&B we stayed at in Roseto degli Abruzzi that we were going to visit the Calanchi di Atri, a beautiful landscape close to the town of Atri, she advised me to also check out … Continue reading Pan Ducale
Gramigna al Ragù di Salsiccia (Fresh Pasta with Sausage Ragù)
Bologna is famous for being the food capital of Italy. The best-known pasta dishes from Bologna are tagliatelle (not spaghetti!) alla bolognese and lasagne alla bolognese, both made with fresh egg pasta and the famous ragù alla bolognese. Being the … Continue reading Gramigna al Ragù di Salsiccia (Fresh Pasta with Sausage Ragù)
Lamb Shank with Eggplant and Yogurt
This recipe is best when cooked sous-vide, but it is also great to prepare in the oven. The two sauces are what take it over the top. Even if you don’t like lamb or you don’t cook sous-vide this post … Continue reading Lamb Shank with Eggplant and Yogurt
Indonesian Spicy Green Beans (Sambal Goreng Buncis/Sambalboontjes)
Indonesian cuisine is very popular in the Netherlands, which is not surprising due to its deliciousness and our shared history. One of the best known side dishes is stewed spicy green beans (or long beans), often referred to as sambalboontjes. Indonesian … Continue reading Indonesian Spicy Green Beans (Sambal Goreng Buncis/Sambalboontjes)
Pasta with Celeriac and Blue Cheese
We love blue cheese but I had not prepared anything with blue cheese in a while. Then for some reason I thought of pairing celeriac with blue cheese in a pasta dish, and it works! The celeriac becomes slightly sweet … Continue reading Pasta with Celeriac and Blue Cheese
Round Zucchini Stuffed with Pork and Chipotle
Don’t these look great? I made and posted about vegetarian stuffed round zucchini a while ago. When I saw REMCooks’ post Stuffed 8 Ball Zucchini with the round zucchini stuffed with ground meat, I was inspired to create these round zucchini … Continue reading Round Zucchini Stuffed with Pork and Chipotle
Homemade Gluten Free Pasta
This looks like a perfectly normal plate of Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. But in fact it is not, because these homemade tagliatelle have been made without gluten. A friend who suffers from celiac disease was coming over for dinner, and I decided not … Continue reading Homemade Gluten Free Pasta
Chicken with Chipotle and Mushrooms (Pollo con Chipotle y Champiñones)
What many of us know as ‘Mexican food’, is actually Tex-Mex or another Americanized version of Mexican food. And so I was very excited when I was invited to a party of my new Mexican friend Alain, for which he … Continue reading Chicken with Chipotle and Mushrooms (Pollo con Chipotle y Champiñones)
French Toast Sous-vide
Many of our favorite recipes have come about as a way to use up leftovers. Nowadays we are so used to an overabundance of food in large parts of the world, that eating too much is more of a problem … Continue reading French Toast Sous-vide
Cheese Ravioli
In 2007 during our first wine discovery tour through Italy, we visited Castello di Brolio in Tuscany and had dinner at the restaurant that was part of the winery. They served a tasting menu to showcase their wines, and with … Continue reading Cheese Ravioli
Orange Almond Cake
When I saw the Blood Orange Polenta Cake on Please Pass The Recipe, I made a note on my Coming Soon page to remind myself to make it. It was a logical choice as dessert for the gluten free dinner … Continue reading Orange Almond Cake
Pasta with Rabbit and Fennel (Penne Coniglio e Finocchio)
Many pasta dishes are great for a weeknight meal, as they take no longer to prepare than it takes to cook the pasta. This is another example of such a dish, not a classic Italian recipe but something that came … Continue reading Pasta with Rabbit and Fennel (Penne Coniglio e Finocchio)
Lamb Sous-Vide with Couscous and Zucchini
Today’s recipe is Mediterranean-style lamb shoulder marinated and then cooked sous-vide in a yogurt marinade, and served with lamb stock-infused cous cous and grilled zucchini. The combination of all three together is delicious. I had never prepared lamb marinated with yogurt … Continue reading Lamb Sous-Vide with Couscous and Zucchini
My First Gluten Free Bread
For the first time ever I’m going to cook dinner for someone who is gluten intolerant. (Luckily her version of the intolerance allows me to use my regular kitchen equipment as long as it has been cleaned.) I’m not going to … Continue reading My First Gluten Free Bread
Fresh Pasta Dumplings with Mussels and Beans (Cicatielli con Cozze e Fagioli)
Giallo Zafferano is one of the most popular Italian cooking websites, with anchorwoman Sonia Peronaci now on Italian TV daily with a recipe. Recently she presented Cicatielli con cozze e fagioli. The combination of mussels and beans was a new … Continue reading Fresh Pasta Dumplings with Mussels and Beans (Cicatielli con Cozze e Fagioli)
Thai Style Sole Sous-Vide
Fish is easily overcooked, and so the precise temperature control of sous-vide cooking is great to always obtain tender juicy fish that is perfectly cooked. Moreover, vacuum sealing the fish with a marinade allows the marinate to penetrate optimally while … Continue reading Thai Style Sole Sous-Vide
Dining in Spain: Etxebarri*
Etxebarri is a restaurant unlike any other restaurant I’ve ever eaten at before. It located in the Atxondo valley in the Basque country between San Sebastian and Bilbao. Etxebarri is an “asador”, a grill restaurant that cooks on a wood-fired … Continue reading Dining in Spain: Etxebarri*
Dining in Spain: Martín Berasategui***
The Basque city of San Sebastián boasts one of the highest densities of Michelin stars in the world. We went there for a few days to try the local cuisine, and one of the highlights of our trip was our … Continue reading Dining in Spain: Martín Berasategui***
‘Water’ Gnocchi with Sage Pesto (Gnocchi all’Acqua al Pesto di Salvia)
Different types of pasta can be found all over Italy. Especially the shapes are different everywhere, but there are also differences in the pasta dough. Generally speaking, fresh pasta is made with eggs and 00 flour in the North, and … Continue reading ‘Water’ Gnocchi with Sage Pesto (Gnocchi all’Acqua al Pesto di Salvia)
Linguine ai Frutti di Mare
The secret to a great linguine ai frutti di mare is to use fresh seafood and to use the juices of the vongole and a stock made from the shrimp heads and shells for the sauce. It is a bit of … Continue reading Linguine ai Frutti di Mare
Fish Sous-vide Cajun Style
We love to eat seafood and I prepare it at least twice a week, but for a food blogger with an Italian inclination it doesn’t provide much material to blog about. The Italian kitchen is very diverse with different dishes in each … Continue reading Fish Sous-vide Cajun Style
Risotto alla Marinara (Risotto with Fish)
Marinara sauce is the American-Italian term for tomato sauce, but in Italy it usually refers to a sauce prepared in the style of the seaman’s wife and is a tomato-based sauce with seafood. I really liked the risotto alla marinara … Continue reading Risotto alla Marinara (Risotto with Fish)
Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream
One of the ways to recognize ice cream with natural ingredients is by the color of pistachio ice cream. You see, the natural color of pistachio ice cream is brownish green, so when it looks bright green it means that … Continue reading Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream
Chinese Eggplant with Chicken
At the Asian market I also picked up Chinese eggplants. They are thinner, have a milder flavor, and a more smooth texture than regular eggplants. I thought it would be appropriate to prepare it Asian style with ginger, soy sauce, … Continue reading Chinese Eggplant with Chicken
Stir-fried Loofah
I was feeling adventurous at the Asian market and bought this vegetable that I had never seen or heard of before. It looked like a cucumber with ridges and the sign said “terroi”. When I googled that on my phone, … Continue reading Stir-fried Loofah
Mussels with Pepper (Impepata di Cozze)
Mussels are in season again. This recipe is so simple that it is hardly worth calling a recipe, but it sure is a delicious way of preparing mussels and so I’m sharing it with you anyway. It was Alice of … Continue reading Mussels with Pepper (Impepata di Cozze)
The Quality of Pasta and Gold versus Bronze Drawn Spaghetti
When we visited the Adriatic beach town of Roseto degli Abruzzi to eat at Vecchia Marina, Lucia, the charming hostess of the B&B we stayed at, pointed out to me that Roseto degli Abruzzi was also the home town of Antico … Continue reading The Quality of Pasta and Gold versus Bronze Drawn Spaghetti
Apricot Jam Tart (Crostata alla Confettura di Albicocche)
Crostata is a very popular Italian fruit tart that is eaten both for dessert and breakfast. When we visited Jo of My Home Food That’s Amore, she gave us some goodies to take home including two jars of homemade apricot … Continue reading Apricot Jam Tart (Crostata alla Confettura di Albicocche)
Cacciucco (Tuscan Seafood Soup)
Fish soup is prepared all along the Mediterranean coast. There are many varieties such as bouillabaisse from France and zarzuela from Spain. Cacciccuo alla Livornese is a fish soup from the Tuscan coast that has three distinguishing features: it is made with … Continue reading Cacciucco (Tuscan Seafood Soup)
Double Corn Polenta with Ham and Pickled Chipotles
This dish doesn’t look all that great, but it sure was tasty! I got the idea for polenta (or grits) with corn from Mimi. When I saw her post, I responded that I had never seen local fresh corn on … Continue reading Double Corn Polenta with Ham and Pickled Chipotles
