briciole

insalata di fave / fava (or broad) bean salad

I recently presented a dish where fava beans play an important role: insalata di fragole. Since I keep finding fresh fave at the farmers' market, I keep trying different combinations. Here is the most recent: insalata di fave, fagiolini, granturco e carote (fava bean, snap bean, corn and carrot salad). Once again, I prepared each element separately, then combined them: fave: get the beans out of 1 lb of pods and blanch them briefly. Let cool, then remove the tough outer layer. As an aside, I read recently that fava beans can be grilled. Since I don't have a grill, I... Read more →

dedicato a Sher / dedicated to Sher

On July 13, Sher emailed me her entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, as I was the host that week: Herbed Turkey Meatballs With Cranberry Sauce. The brightly colored photograph on the left was attached to the email. Exactly a week later, Sher passed away. I like the idea of remembering her by choosing a recipe from her blog, What Did You Eat?, and making it. Some of the recipes were inspired by Deborah Madison, who inspires me a lot as well. Out of those recipes, I chose Quinoa Chowder with Feta, Spinach and Scallions (from "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone"). I made... Read more →

risotto ai lamponi / raspberry risotto

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] This being the year of savory strawberries for me, I made two versions of strawberry risotto, among other dishes. It was then just a matter of time before I tried to make risotto ai lamponi. I have actually already shown a preview of this recipe in the photo on the left, used in the recent post about Italian menu. Among other people, Christine of Christine Cooks tasted the very first rendition of my idea, which, I think, is a good one. Risotto ai lamponi requires a bit more work than its strawberry... Read more →

riepilogo del weekend di erbe aromatiche numero 141 / Weekend Herb Blogging #141: the roundup

I have the honor of introducing you to this week's set of posts submitted by bloggers from around the world. With many thanks to Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, the creator of this wonderful event, for making this happen, and to the bloggers who participated this week, without further ado, I will introduce the delicacies featured. For every submission, I will offer a small bite, designed as an invitation to visit the blog and read the complete post. Graziana from Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with herbs) tells us about cinnamon basil and tempts us with lovely-looking Chocolate and Cinnamon Basil Patties. Close... Read more →

insalata di patate novelle alla menta / new potato salad with mint

Recently, Bellini Valli of More Than Burnt Toast posted a flavorful recipe for New Potato Salad with Mint. As soon as I read it, I knew I would make it soon. I love new potatoes and I like mint, of which I have a copious supply in my herb garden in the guise of Menta Piperita cv. Lavender Mint. So copious, in fact, that I need to keep an eye on it to avoid violent trespassing on its part on other herbs' territory. I know, I should have kept it in a pot, but I didn't, and now I live a... Read more →

non c'è due senza tre / good things come in threes

or: three's a charm Not long ago, I wrote a post about pastiera, then another, where I presented a variation with chocolate of the same dessert. I then made pastiera a third time, hence the title of this post. Marta of An Italian in the US brought me from Italy three of the ingredients for pastiera: a can of grano cotto (cooked wheat), some candied citron, and a vial of orange blossom water. I used half of each ingredient to make each pastiera, so after number two I had to be creative. To begin with, I found and purchased some candied... Read more →

insalata di fragole, fave e finocchi / strawberry, fava bean and fennel salad

I have recently written about strawberries, since I used them in a cobbler, and in a Danish braid. I also wrote about fragola a while ago. Today, I will describe a way of using the beloved berry in a savory setting. A typical savory use for strawberries is as an ingredient of risotto. However, since I have developed a recipe for risotto with another berry, I am putting off elaboration of this topic until a later date. A few nights ago, I concocted an alliterative salad. However, the alliteration works only in Italian: insalata di fragole, fave e finocchi (strawberry, fava... Read more →