... let's dunk the whole thing in coffee! I'm Italian and my husband is German -food is central in our household. My father's family hails from central-southern Italy. My mother's family hails from Trieste and what used to be part of Italy, a peninsula now belonging to Croatia. You can imagine the wealth of tradition and recipes! I found a great piece on the internet about biscotti and wanted to share it with you this holiest of all times of year: cookie baking season! ~R
Biscotti & mandlebrot
Biscotti date to Ancient times. The term literally means "twice baked." These hard biscuits fueled armies and fed travelers. Flavor variations and culinary techniques evolved according to time and place. German zweiback, Jewish mandelbrot, British ship's biscuit, and American hardtack are similar in purpose and method. About biscuits.
...burning incense to mask reality's stench since 1986.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
for Christmas baking. I know some of you have already begun. I always plan early/on time and I usually run out of time or just manage to bake one variety. If I can only bake one variety this year it will have to be Cuccidati.
Here's a little something to sweeten your day while I go back to bed in preparation for tonight's night shift.
cookie p@rn for you
Here's a little something to sweeten your day while I go back to bed in preparation for tonight's night shift.
cookie p@rn for you
Saturday, November 24, 2007
I'm not referring to pizza parlour fare. The pizza I'm talking about is the 'tread lightly on your tummy' variety that always gets rave reviews from the harshest of food critics: children.
Pizza with Italian tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella.
Pizza with Italian tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
I didn't make in time this year otherwise the compilation of my favourite Halloween recipes would have been available for purchase on Lulu.com. Truth be told, I could have made it, cutting it close, if I had had the time and especially patience to figure out how to upload my text to their site. Oh well, perhaps next year.
I myself am lactose intolerant and I admit that I push the envelope quite a bit by popping lactase capsules, but every now and then I go a little too far. Currently I am experiencing a little body flare-up resulting in round the clock heartburn. Therefore I've had to cut the dairy right out. This does not preclude me from knowing that the following is a very nice recipe. Simple, balanced, comfort food.
I myself am lactose intolerant and I admit that I push the envelope quite a bit by popping lactase capsules, but every now and then I go a little too far. Currently I am experiencing a little body flare-up resulting in round the clock heartburn. Therefore I've had to cut the dairy right out. This does not preclude me from knowing that the following is a very nice recipe. Simple, balanced, comfort food.
APPLE CHEESE SPREAD
INGREDIENTS
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 c. grated cheddar cheese (I love extra-old cheddar. Roquefort is a nice twist instead of cheddar as well. Use whatever you like!)
1/4 c. sour cream
dash of sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of black pepper
1 c. chopped apple with peel
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. diced red onion
PREPARATION
Mix together the cream cheese and cheddar cheese until well blended. I like using my Kitchen Aid mixer and paddle attachment for this. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve with crackers and fresh vegetables.
INGREDIENTS
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 c. grated cheddar cheese (I love extra-old cheddar. Roquefort is a nice twist instead of cheddar as well. Use whatever you like!)
1/4 c. sour cream
dash of sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of black pepper
1 c. chopped apple with peel
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. diced red onion
PREPARATION
Mix together the cream cheese and cheddar cheese until well blended. I like using my Kitchen Aid mixer and paddle attachment for this. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve with crackers and fresh vegetables.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The following is one of my favourite Rachael Ray recipes. She is much maligned lately and frankly I just think that's fucked up. If it weren't for Rachael Ray I never would have figured out how to make my favourite Italian comfort dishes in 30 minutes or less. The average Italian comfort food, say a Bolognese sauce takes a minimum of 4 hours to simmer to perfection. This is not counting the near hour of prep! This is the perfect dish to warm and comfort you on a cold, wet, Autumn evening:
PASTA WITH PUMPKIN AND SAUSAGE -Rachael Ray
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock, canned or paper container
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating
Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.
Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.
Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.
Serve pumpkin sausage pasta with pumpernickel or whole grain bread and Spinach Salad with Apple and Red Onion.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock, canned or paper container
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating
Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.
Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.
Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.
Serve pumpkin sausage pasta with pumpernickel or whole grain bread and Spinach Salad with Apple and Red Onion.
Friday, October 12, 2007
There are days when only Thai will do. Below is the recipe that inspires me everytime I need re-balancing. You know what I mean. Too much eat out, too much take out, too many frozen dinners, too many 'snack' dinners. No matter how discombobulated you're feeling whether spiritually, mentally or physically, Thai flavours will set everything straight. I've even had the experience that it hastens recovery time from a head cold, I kid you not. I prefer tofu and really mainly use this recipe as a guide. Which is exactly what Michael Smith intended!
A recipe is merely words on paper; a guideline, a starting point from which to improvise. It cannot pretend to replace the practiced hand and telling glance of a watchful cook. For that reason, this is also an account of what happens when I make this dish, so you’ll understand each step. Of course when you cook it once, it becomes yours, so personalize it a bit. Add more of an ingredient you like or less of something you don’t like. Try substituting one ingredient for another. Remember words have no flavour, you have to add your own!
I love being a culinary tourist in my own kitchen! The flavours of Thailand are easy to cook with when you understand that they’re just the ingredients that surround Thai cooks. They may seem exotic – and may take some hunting to find – but use them a few times and they’ll be as familiar to you as anything else in your kitchen.
Ingredients:
Red Thai Curry Noodles
* 2 x 398 ml cans of coconut milk
* 2 tbsp of red curry paste
* 1 bunch of cilantro, roots and leaves chopped separately
* 2 x boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
* 3 cups of chicken stock
* 6 x lime leaves
* 1 x small ginger root, frozen
* 3 tbsp of fish sauce
* 2 stalks of lemon grass, tops cut off and the bottoms split open
* 1 x 227 gram package of rice noodles
* 1 cup bean sprouts
* 4 x green onions, minced
Directions:
Red Thai Curry Noodles
1. Preheat a large saucepan over medium-high heat then scoop the thick coconut cream from the top of one of the cans into it. Add the red curry paste as the cream melts into coconut oil. The mixture will start to sizzle as the oil then heats up. Add the cilantro roots and chicken and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the coconut juice from the first can as well as the entire contents of the second can of coconut milk, chicken stock, lime leaves, fish sauce and lemon grass. Grate the frozen ginger into the broth - noting how much easier it is to work with when it's frozen! Use a microplane grater if you have one or the side of a box grater. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the broth has begun to thicken slightly. Add the bean sprouts and simmer another minute or 2. Remove from the heat.
3. Place the rice noodles into the broth where they will quickly soften in about 5 minutes. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the cilantro leaves and stir gently.
4. Ladle into large bowls and garnish with the green onions and the remaining cilantro.
I love being a culinary tourist in my own kitchen! The flavours of Thailand are easy to cook with when you understand that they’re just the ingredients that surround Thai cooks. They may seem exotic – and may take some hunting to find – but use them a few times and they’ll be as familiar to you as anything else in your kitchen.
Ingredients:
Red Thai Curry Noodles
* 2 x 398 ml cans of coconut milk
* 2 tbsp of red curry paste
* 1 bunch of cilantro, roots and leaves chopped separately
* 2 x boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
* 3 cups of chicken stock
* 6 x lime leaves
* 1 x small ginger root, frozen
* 3 tbsp of fish sauce
* 2 stalks of lemon grass, tops cut off and the bottoms split open
* 1 x 227 gram package of rice noodles
* 1 cup bean sprouts
* 4 x green onions, minced
Directions:
Red Thai Curry Noodles
1. Preheat a large saucepan over medium-high heat then scoop the thick coconut cream from the top of one of the cans into it. Add the red curry paste as the cream melts into coconut oil. The mixture will start to sizzle as the oil then heats up. Add the cilantro roots and chicken and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the coconut juice from the first can as well as the entire contents of the second can of coconut milk, chicken stock, lime leaves, fish sauce and lemon grass. Grate the frozen ginger into the broth - noting how much easier it is to work with when it's frozen! Use a microplane grater if you have one or the side of a box grater. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the broth has begun to thicken slightly. Add the bean sprouts and simmer another minute or 2. Remove from the heat.
3. Place the rice noodles into the broth where they will quickly soften in about 5 minutes. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the cilantro leaves and stir gently.
4. Ladle into large bowls and garnish with the green onions and the remaining cilantro.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Okay, I may be biased because Nadia G. is our very own Luna's cousin but the truth is she's snappy, savvy and sexy and most of all... she's into food!
Watch Bitchin' Kitchen's 'Single-Life Salmon.'
Nadia G riffs on the joys of being single & whips up a sumptuous recipe of Pacific Salmon. Meet Panos the Fishguy, another awesome character from the BK Universe.
Watch Bitchin' Kitchen's 'Single-Life Salmon.'
Nadia G riffs on the joys of being single & whips up a sumptuous recipe of Pacific Salmon. Meet Panos the Fishguy, another awesome character from the BK Universe.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
"When and what are we eating?" -words uttered by all Italians upon arriving anywhere. ~Rue
I'd like to start today by posting my late father's recipe. My father was Abruzzese. There are certain regions in Italy that take food to another level, above and beyond the rustic beauty found in all parts of Italy:
Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania. The mainstays of the best Italian restaurants always feature dishes from these regions.
I'd like to start today by posting my late father's recipe. My father was Abruzzese. There are certain regions in Italy that take food to another level, above and beyond the rustic beauty found in all parts of Italy:
Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania. The mainstays of the best Italian restaurants always feature dishes from these regions.
Monday, January 15, 2007
I skip the nuts so I can pack some in my little ones' lunches.
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup butter
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 2 cups uncooked rolled oats
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
PREPARATION
Sift flour with salt and soda.
Cream butter and sugars; beat in eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir in sifted dry ingredients, chopped walnuts or pecans, rolled oats, and chocolate chips.
Drop chocolate chip cookie batter by teaspoonfuls, I use a 15ml ice cream scoop, onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake chocolate chip cookies in a preheated 350° oven for about 10 to 12 minutes; cool on racks. Makes about 8 dozen cookies.
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup butter
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 2 cups uncooked rolled oats
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
PREPARATION
Sift flour with salt and soda.
Cream butter and sugars; beat in eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir in sifted dry ingredients, chopped walnuts or pecans, rolled oats, and chocolate chips.
Drop chocolate chip cookie batter by teaspoonfuls, I use a 15ml ice cream scoop, onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake chocolate chip cookies in a preheated 350° oven for about 10 to 12 minutes; cool on racks. Makes about 8 dozen cookies.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
I go through phases where I get hooked on a food for several weeks at a time. Very much like a toddler does. 
Here's my latest bastardized concoction. It's based on a masala omelet.
You'll need:
2 extra-large eggs
2 green onions
1 red chile (or flakes)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
salt and black pepper to taste
1 large wheat flour tortilla
Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
In a 12 inch non-stick skillet on medium heat just warm up the tortilla and put it aside. Drizzle about a tablespoon of canola oil and sauté the onions (chopped), cumin, coriander, chile, and turmeric for a few minutes and be careful not to let it burn!
Pour the egg mixture over the onion, chile and spices and swirl it around to cover the base. While the top is still 'wet' place the tortilla onto to it. Turn the heat off and place a lid on it for about a minute.
To pop it out, place a dinner plate serving side down onto the tortilla and with your hand on the back of the plate, turn the frying pan upside down and the omelet should some right out.
I like to add some HP sauce or mango chutney onto the egg and then roll it up!
On its own, its a yummy and satisfying snack. Add a bowl of soup and a salad, you have a a really nice meal.
UPDATE
Ith posted her variation in the comments section and it looks really yummy too. Why don't you?
Here's my latest bastardized concoction. It's based on a masala omelet.
You'll need:
2 extra-large eggs
2 green onions
1 red chile (or flakes)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
salt and black pepper to taste
1 large wheat flour tortilla
Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
In a 12 inch non-stick skillet on medium heat just warm up the tortilla and put it aside. Drizzle about a tablespoon of canola oil and sauté the onions (chopped), cumin, coriander, chile, and turmeric for a few minutes and be careful not to let it burn!
Pour the egg mixture over the onion, chile and spices and swirl it around to cover the base. While the top is still 'wet' place the tortilla onto to it. Turn the heat off and place a lid on it for about a minute.
To pop it out, place a dinner plate serving side down onto the tortilla and with your hand on the back of the plate, turn the frying pan upside down and the omelet should some right out.
I like to add some HP sauce or mango chutney onto the egg and then roll it up!
On its own, its a yummy and satisfying snack. Add a bowl of soup and a salad, you have a a really nice meal.
UPDATE
Ith posted her variation in the comments section and it looks really yummy too. Why don't you?
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Thanks Rue, I can't wait to try this at home!
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Vol. I XVII March 15, 2005
“A philosopher once wrote you need three things to have a good life. One, a meaningful relationship, two, a decent job of work, and three, to make a difference. And it was always that third one that stressed me, to make a difference. And I realise that I do. Every day, we all do. It’s how we interact, with our fellow man.”
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