briciole

minestra di fagioli, pollo e pasta all'uovo / bean, chicken and egg pasta soup

chicken soup meets beans and egg pasta There is no wrong that a good homemade chicken soup can't right. And even without a wrong to make right, a steaming bowl of chicken soup brings a smile to the steamed face. This soup has three elements: chicken stock/broth, the making of which gives you also some boiled chicken beans pasta all'uovo (egg pasta) cut into short tagliatelle And the three elements can be made at different times and then brought together. Once they are available, putting together the soup requires a short amount of time. How to make stock/broth What I call... Read more →

orecchiette al sugo / handmade orecchiette with tomato sauce

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] a lovely pasta dish Making pasta by hand is sensual. First you knead the dough, hugging it with your fingers to pull it toward you, then digging the heels of your hands into it and pushing it away, in soothing rhythm. Then, after a period of rest, you shape the pasta. Sometimes you roll it first. In the case of orecchiette, you cut it into pieces and make pencil-thin ropes, cut those into short segments and then shape each segment. It's a meditative task. After a while, your eyes lose themselves contemplating... Read more →

pasta fatta in casa / handmade pasta

handmade strascinati Making pasta by hand is sensual. First you knead the dough, hugging it with your fingers to pull it toward you, then digging the heels of your hands into it and pushing it away, in soothing rhythm. Then, after a period of rest, you shape the pasta. Sometimes you roll it first. In the case of strascinati, you cut it into pieces and make ropes, cut those into segments and then shape each segment with your fingers. It's a meditative task. After a while, your eyes lose themselves contemplating the wisdom of your hands. Each piece of pasta comes... Read more →

pane di mais con chicchi di mais arrosto / cornbread with roasted corn kernels

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] golden kernels, nuggets of flavor When I get some fresh, sweet corn at the farmers' market, I oven-roast it as soon as I get home. can you smell it? I pull away the husks and the warm smell of roasted corn fills my nose. a fairly easy job for the blade As I separate the kernels from the cob (with the help of a knife) I plan ahead: a cup of kernels will go into this bread instead of blueberries and the rest will go into this salad. cornbread meets Caprese salad... Read more →

zucchine / zucchini & summer squash

a feast for the zucchini lover's eyes I confess I never quite understood the complaint about having an oversupply of zucchini from one's garden. Look at this beautiful display and think how many dishes you can prepare with the different varieties. Viva le zucchine! golden, zephyr, magda: such pretty names! The photos above are my contribution to edition #42 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook and hosted this week by Roma of Roma's Space. The photos were shot in color and then converted to sepia. This post contains the gallery... Read more →

una cena romantica / a romantic dinner

Grand Romance Riverboat (Rainbow Harbor, Long Beach, CA) The Grand Romance Riverboat on a rainy evening last week looked a bit lonely, with just me saying Hi. Fortunately, the following day the sun came back and here is the Riverboat all bright and ready for a cruise. I wonder what happens during a Murder Mystery Dinner Cruise. The photo above is my contribution to edition #41 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook and hosted this week by Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu. The top photo was shot in color and then... Read more →

zucchine arrosto condite alla scapece / marinated roasted zucchini with mint

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] ready to marinate The aroma of fresh mint, a bit of vinegar kick, and a touch of garlic make this light dish of roasted zucchini just about perfect. The palate finds refreshing flavors and a lightly crisp texture, which can be paired with either a meat or a vegetarian main dish. Two large zucchini in my CSA box last week seemed to call for a nice stuffing, but then this recipe (in Italian) made me reconsider. However, frying the zucchini as the recipe directs was not an option for me, so I... Read more →

risi e bisi / rice and peas

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] risi e bisi Peas (piselli) mean spring, but I am happy to be eating them in early summer too. In the first three CSA boxes of the season, I received a nice amount of them. They were actually of the kind that you can eat the pod as well (mangiatutto, in Italian), and I did so with most of them, using an old recipe. However, I really had a lot and in looking at the nice and plump peas, I decided it was time to try to make risi e bisi, a... Read more →

Annuncio: legumi che passione! (numero 49)

My Legume Love Affair #49 I have the honor of being the host for the July 2012 edition of MLLA, the popular, legume-centered event that is the brainchild of Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. Participation in the event revolves around a recipe that showcases one or more legumes. The recipe can be savory or sweet, with or without meat — no restrictions. The legume (or legumes) must be one of the main ingredients, not a minor character. (Exceptions to this general rule are legumes whose flavor is so intense that they are used in small quantities, like tamarind and fenugreek.) You... Read more →

Novel Food #16: the finale

Welcome to the roundup of the 16th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I created in 2007 and that I continue to host. Novel Food is about literary works (prose or poetry) that inspire the preparation of dishes. Like all its predecessors, the current edition of the event includes an lovely set of readables and edibles. Please, follow me on a short literary/culinary tour. For each contribution, I will offer a small bite to whet your appetite for more: follow the link to read the details of the inspiring work of literature and of... Read more →