briciole

vetrina di pasticceria / bakery window

kitchen corner from the past Recently my husband and I met a friend in Petaluma (CA) and together we had a bite at The Bovine Bakery. The store's window had this charming reconstruction and to the right, not visible in the photo, two oversize kitchen implements: a rolling pin and a whisk. I find the sepia tone particularly suited to the image, turning it almost into a whimsical postcard from the past. This is my contribution to edition #140 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of... Read more →

pâté di olive con fichi e menta / tapenade with figs and mint

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] a nice couple ready for the table A tall woman and a French man were preparing a chicken for roasting, while conversing amiably. She wiggled her hand into the space between the bird's skin and the flesh, something I had never seen anybody do before. I could not quite figure out to what extent the two in the kitchen were serious. My mother-in-law was watching this on her television when we arrived for a visit and we watched it with her for a while. It was my introduction to Julia Child and... Read more →

cesto d'aglio / basket of garlic

just harvested Gently pulling out of the earth a head of garlic is one of the most enjoable garden tasks I know. It comes out all covered in dirt, but a good scrub and trim bring out the natural beauty of the bulb and also its distinctive aroma. clean and ready for storage Here's my stash of garlic: I am all set for the next few months. (I have already started using the newly harvested garlic, for example in the filling for my pierogi.) When planting time comes, I will use a portion of the cloves to get next year's crop.... Read more →

spirali (pasta fatta a mano) / spirals (handmade pasta)

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] small ridged bites of pasta dough When I need some quiet time to relax and let my thoughts fly away quickly before weighing too heavily on my mind, I make a batch of pasta dough and allow my hands to take the helm. Sometimes follow a well-rehearsed set of steps to make a familiar pasta shape. Other times, they explore a new path. When they reach a place worth describing in detail, I tell the story here. If you have been following me for some time, you know that making pasta by... Read more →

Weekend Herb Blogging #441: il raccolto / the roundup

As host of last week's edition of WHB, I am pleased to present the set of posts submitted. For each contribution, I will give you the official information (author, blog name and post title) and, if the post is in English, a short quote or brief description that summarizes it, a teaser that invites you to follow the link to read the relevant post. Follow me: it will be an interesting tour. Come ospite dell'edizione di Weekend Herb Blogging della scorsa settimana, ho l'onore di presentare dei bellissimi post. Per ognuno, specifico i dati ufficiali (autore, nome del blog e titolo... Read more →

cobbler di pesche, frutti di bosco e rabarbaro / peach, berry and rhubarb cobbler

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] serving cobbler for breakfast A light, crisp crust draped loosely over a deep layer of tender, juicy fruit: this, in a few words, is a cobbler. It is usually served as dessert with a dollop of ice cream, but I like to serve it for breakfast (colazione), by itself. My cobbler — originally inspired by a recipe for apricot cobbler from Gourmet magazine — is rich in fruit and light in everything else, sugar in particular. It calls for the best fruit you can get. I have made it with various types... Read more →

Black and White Wednesday #137: la galleria di foto / the photo gallery

my latest pasta adventure Every day I find a reason for working on my kneading board, be it making pasta or bread or some other baked goods. Sometimes with floured hands I pick up my camera and take a photograph of what is on the table at that moment. Above is one such image. (Recipe details will follow soon.) For now, here are the details of edition #137 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event. Enjoy this week's show! Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu: Watermelon Cinzia of Cindystar: Figs in my garden Aparna of Stories from the Mahe Coast:... Read more →

annuncio / announcement: Weekend Herb Blogging #441

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] This week I have once again the honor of hosting Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and Brii of briggishome. I hope you'll join this illustrious event that week after week brings together food bloggers from around the world. The rules for participating are detailed on this page. You can download the logo to add to your post. I will be delighted to receive your contribution to the event. You can submit your post by using... Read more →

pierogi con ripieno di verdure / vegetable pierogi

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] a cheerful plate Pretty half-moon pillows sprinkled with a stardust of cheese, each a circle of light dough enveloping a heart of flavorful filling. A galaxy of colroful vegetables to accompany them. These are my pierogi. After a year and a half of travels, our tour of the European Community one country and one culinary tradition at a time has reached its final stop: Poland (Polonia). Even before we arrived there, I knew that I would make pierogi, the traditional pretty Polish dumplings. My rendition, pierogi with carrot zucchini and ricotta filling... Read more →

gocce di pioggia come perle / raindrops like pearls

mother nature as jeweller I am endlessly fascinated by the way raindrops embroider leaves and flowers in my garden, especially nasturtium leaves. Flowers, young leaves and seedpods of garden nasturtium are edible and I have featured them in some recipes: my Rattlesnake bean salad uses nasturtium-infused vinegar and my roasted cauliflower uses the pickled seedpods. Preview: a story I wrote about the nasturtium in our garden will appear in the upcoming issue of Remedy Quarterly. This week, I have the honor of hosting Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook and now... Read more →