Cold Soba Noodles with Fresh Peas, Pea Shoots and a Soy Ginger Dipping Sauce

Two Sunday's ago, my husband and I made our way down to the Baltimore Farmer's Market, under the JFX to find a much larger, more intense, more insanely packed version of my beloved Waverly Farmer's Market . While it was a wonderful market, I found a lot of vendors (isn't this the way these markets tend to be in late spring/early summer) to be selling plants and herbs etc. Well, luckily this year, I got my zucchini, squash, heirloom tomato and early girl tomato, and all my herbs planted and underway! We were on the hunt for the "Pea Man" as I call him... a farmer ( I wish I knew which farm he's from; will find that out this weekend) who brings these huge coolers of fresh picked peas that are so sweet and so crisp, that you have to resist eating them raw, from the bag. By the time we found him, there were mere pea remnants on the ground, a reminder of what could have been.... what might have been had I beat all of Baltimore to the market that day.

This past weekend, I redeemed myself, because at my beloved Waverly Farmer's Market, my "Pea Man" was there and still had enough peas for me to get 2lbs of these amazing green orbs of spring. Now, if you don't like peas (they actually happen to be in my top 3 favorite vegetables of all time) I highly recommend you have real, fresh peas. Frozen aren't bad if they are barely thawed, and canned is vegetable blasphemy. I encourage all "pea haters" to revisit them if you have the opportunity to get a few in your hands. The most other pleasant surprise was the bounty of pea shoots (or vine) available, and I figured if you got the pea, you might as well have the shoot too!

Now, on to most important matters... the recipe. Baltimore has been reminiscent of my reading Dante's Inferno, and the heat has been so incredibly intense, that it's hard to be inspired to eat, much less eat something that isn't iced.

I love soba noodles and most Japanese style noodle dishes with such passion, that I decided to whip some up for a lovely and light dish for lunch.

1/2 lb soba noodles, cooked and chilled

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 c pea shoots, chopped roughly

1/3 c fresh peas

1/2 c chilled soy ginger broth

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 spring onion, chopped fine

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbsp fresh cilantro

In a small frying pan, saute the spring onion, pea shoots and garlic in the vegetable oil, about 2 minutes, until the shoots are lightly wilted and the garlic has cooked.

Mix the cooled mixture into the soba noodles, adding the fresh peas, cilantro and red pepper flakes.

To eat, dip a bite of the noodle mixture into the broth, and shovel into your mouth with great intensity. Repeat. (Wear a bib!)

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

So much of my summer cooking is driven by several factors including, what I can get at the farmers market fresh, what's growing in my backyard and exactly how HOT it may or may not be outside. This is a great dish to make when you've already fired up the grill for dinner. By grilling your zucchini first, you can cook your other dishes while the zucchini rest. I made this for 2 people, but you could easily double or triple this recipe for a larger crowd.

If there ever was a reason to own a mandoline, this would be one. I've actually wanted one since I registered at Williams Sonoma for our wedding, almost three years ago. I never got it, but after making this salad, I think it might be worth it. Instead of a mandoline, I used a really sharp vegetable peeler, and while it worked and made beautiful zucchini ribbons, they weren't as uniformed as I wanted them.


4 zucchini, washed and ends trimmed
1 red bell pepper, cleaned and sliced thin
1/2 c good quality extra virgin olive oil
1-2 lemons juiced (about 1/4 c lemon juice)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp each, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c fresh basil chopped
1/4 c fresh mint chopped
2 tbsp fresh ground Parmesan

Using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler, thinly slice the zucchini lengthwise. Toss the zucchini and bell pepper with 1/4 of the olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste. Quickly grill the zucchini ribbons and bell pepper on 1 side, until lightly marked and wilted, about 1 minute. Flip zucchini ribbons and pepper slices over and grill another minute. Move vegetables to a plate and let cool slightly.


In another bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 c olive oil, lemon juice, basil, mint, garlic and red pepper flakes and Parmesan together. Add cooled vegetables to mixture, toss to coat and serve.

Very Berry Tart

A tart is a pastry dish, that is a type of a pie with an "open face", that is not covered with pastry. Often tart's in pastry shops or bakery's have been baked in tart pans and have a lovely, crisp edge defined perfectly by the fluting of the tart pan. I had a pound of strawberries, blueberries and blackberries in my refrigerator and some puff pastry in my freezer, and decided to whip up a simple but beautiful dessert. This is a very simple idea, and you can use any sort of fruit you want, including stone fruit, apples and pears or even grapes! You could even do this in a savory way (which I love) and try goat cheese and roasted leek for a light spring lunch.

1lb strawberries, sliced thin
1/2 lb blackberries
1 pint blueberries ( this is an estimate, as I just filled in the "gaps" with the blueberries)
2 tbsp orange marmalade
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp honey
1 large frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
1 egg, beaten



Preheat oven to 400* F.
After your puff pastry has thawed, lay it out on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the puff pastry only a little, adding about one inch to length and width.


Lay the pastry on parchment paper and transfer to a baking sheet.
Begin laying strawberry slices in a row, slightly overlapping the edges, making sure to leave about 1 1/2 inches on each edge of the pastry. Continue laying slices in rows, about 1 inch apart. Once you're done, fill in the 1 inch rows with blackberries and blueberries.


Once all your berries are placed, begin to fold over the puff pastry edges, slightly covering the first and last berry of each row. With a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg lightly on the pastry edges.

In a small saucepan, melt the marmalade, butter and honey. Drizzle this mixture over the berries in the tart.
Place tart in the oven and bake about 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry has "puffed". Allow to sit about 20 minutes and serve. This tart can be stored in the refrigerator and kept up to 2 days. Either reheat in the oven or serve room temperature.

Grilled Chicken Paillard with Lemon and Black Pepper

This is a very basic and simple warm night dinner or lunch, that I love. I had 3-5 lemons that needed to be used, so I decided to use the juice and zest to marinate the chicken breasts I had in the fridge.

My husband has become grill obsessed since we moved into our home last April, and we've pretty much grilled since day one. We even made ribs in February...because we missed the charcoal effect so much through the winter. This recipe is so easy because if you marinate the chicken and then start the grill, by the time your coals (you aren't using gas are you???) are ready, your chicken is marinated.

Paillard is a term for any kind of meat or chicken, that's been pounded very thin. I love to grill think chicken breasts because not only are they quick as can be, but also because they tend to not dry out as easy.

4 chicken breasts, pounded thin (about 3/4 lb)

1/2 c fresh lemon juice

1/2 c good quality extra virgin olive oil

1 shallot, chopped fine

1 tbsp fresh ground pepper

Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, shallot and pepper, and add chicken breasts. Allow to marinate about 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from marinade, season with sea salt on both sides and grill about 3 minutes on each side.

I served this with a light salad of baby greens, tomato and red onion, with a red wine vinaigrette.

Balsamic Drunken Strawberries (over Pound Cake with Fresh Whipped Cream)

Aside from baking the pound cake (which is a simple cake to make), this dessert is the perfect summer treat and a great one to serve when you've got a few people to entertain in your backyard.


The pound cake is one of the most basic yet satisfying kind of cake to make and is named such because it used to be made with a pound of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. A more modern version of the recipe has modified these measurements, but the cake is still as wonderful as it once was. You could also use my recipe for hot milk cake as the base to this dish.


I got some wonderful strawberries at the Waverly Farmer's Market and just had to use them for this perfect warm weather dessert. A dear friend bought me a really tasty Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar last year for one of my birthday gifts, and I have only used it with salads or reductions. I thought this would be the perfect dessert to use the already fruit infused vinegar.



For the topping:
To get those strawberries drunk, core and halve them and place in a bowl. Place about 1-3 c of balsamic vinegar over the strawberries. To the mixture, add 3 tbsp sugar and stir well. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.


For the pound cake:
Preheat oven to 350*F ( I used a heavily greased bundt cake pan)
1 3/4 cups (230 grams) cake flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon


In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl with your hand mixer or with your electric mixer cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating another 2 minutes. Add the zest of lemon, the flour and mix until incorporated. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


For the whipped cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar

Whisk together the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form.


Slice the pound cake, top with the strawberries and whipped cream and prepare yourself for true decadence!

Pesto Parpadelle with Sauteed Spinach and Grilled Chicken

This was an easy weeknight dinner last week when we had a craving for fresh pesto (must be all that fresh farmers market basil) , a need to cook this beautiful spinach sitting in my refrigerator (i get a little crazy with greens at the market...).

I grilled some thin sliced chicken breasts that I marinated in the juice and zest of 1 lemon, 2 tbsp fresh ground pepper and sea salt and 4 tbsp olive oil.

First, bring to a boil enough water for your parpadelle (I used store bought parpadelle). Add about 1 tbsp sea salt to your water. Prepare pasta according to directions, less 1 minute.

Basic Basil Pesto:

2 c loosely packed basil leaves
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp minced garlic (about one clove)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c plus 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
In a food processor, combine the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, and salt and puree. While the motor is running, drizzle in the oil until incorporated. Season with pepper to taste.

(Cooks note**Use immediately or store in the refrigerator with a piece of plastic wrap placed right on the surface of the pesto to prevent discoloration, for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.)

For the spinach:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

1 lb fresh spinach leaves, washed and ready!

1 tsp sea salt

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute about 2 minutes. Add spinach and salt and allow to cook, tossing the spinach lightly until it begins to wilt. Reduce heat to medium low and allow spinach to cook about 1 more minute, until mostly wilted.

When the pasta is ready (1 minute less the package directed time), transfer the parpadelle to the pan with the spinach, tossing to incorporate. Add basil pesto (to taste) and continue to toss. Add about 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liqued and continue to toss, cooking over meduum low heat for about 2 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with grilled chicken and paremesan.

Springtime Risotto

During the spring months, the farmers markets are filled with early spring produce and for people who love to cook, especially seasonally, the spring vegetable season is the beginning of many months of fresh vegetables and fruit.

Last week the 32nd Street Market (Waverly) had an abundance of vegetables and the asparagus and leeks were overflowing! I love asparagus and enjoy it in risotto as you can see from a previous post, here.

For the last few days in Baltimore, it's been either sunny and unseasonably cold, or a torrential downpour of rain and cold. Last night I decided to use the opportunity for good, comforting, warm risotto confettied with spring vegetables.

Preheat oven to 400*F.

For the spring vegetables:

1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch peices

2 large leeks, sliced in half, cleaned and cut into 2 inch peices

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Lay vegetables on baking sheet and toss together with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes.

For the risotto:
1 c Arborio rice

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 medium sweet onion, peeled and finely diced

3 tbsp dry vermouth (you can use a dry white wine, but I love the vermouth in this particular recipe)

4 cups heated chicken stock ( I like to have a little extra in case. Use as much as needed to get the rice al dente)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp heavy cream

a wooden spoon (the essential tool)

Using a large skillet with a heavy bottom, heat the olive oil and butter over medium low heat and saute the onions until translucent. Add the Arborio rice, stir to coat with the oil and butter, and saute with the onions to toast each grain of rice, about 4 minutes. Once the rice is lightly toasted, add the vermouth, slowly stirring. After the rice has absorbed the vermouth and the skillet is nearly dry, add 1 cup stock, stirring occasionally, and cook over low heat until the stock is absorbed. Continue adding the stock, 1 cup at a time, until all the stock has been absorbed. Continue to stir the risotto as you add the stock. (Adding the liquid in stages, instead of all at once, allows the grains of rice to expand more fully, adding to the risotto's creamy texture.) Once the rice has been added to the pan, the entire cooking process will take about 20 minutes.

Remove the roasted leeks and asparagus, and add to the risotto. Stir to combine, add the heavy cream and parmesean, stirring once more and allow to cook about 1 minute.

For garnish:

I added 1/2 c fresh peas (not roasted) and 1/3 c fresh mint. The mint and the peas really add the extra flavor kick to this risotto, that I think is essential to this springtime dish!

Cammarata's Hot Milk Cake

Hot milk cake is a traditional cake, and I'm pretty sure its a Mid-Atlantic recipe. Living here in Baltimore, the hot milk cake has been a staple of my childhood, and this recipe was passed down to me from my Aunt Ruth.

Words of wisdom for those who've never made this: When you beat scalded milk into a cake batter, a thick mixture turns thin, runny, and looks ruined.

Do not fret! Something magical is happening, and the results are light buttery and golden.

This cake dates back to the Great Depression era, and was an easy recipe to use because the butter was rationed out by the government (which wasn't butter at all, but a square of white lard that you added a few drops of yellow food coloring to). So this recipe allowed families to celebrate an occasion a little easier.

1/4 lb butter
1 c milk
4 eggs
2 c sugar
2 c flour
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Add butter to milk and heat to boiling - turn off heat.
Beat eggs until fluffy and add sugar, then flour, salt and baking powder and beat thoroughly.
Add to the hot milk and pour into a bundt cake pan and bake 350 degrees until done, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool on a rack and invert and serve.

Key Lime Pie

I made this pie for my mother for mothers day. It's a household favorite and lime is my favorite citrus! Mom, Dad and I had a great day together, picking out flowers for her garden, chatting and spending good quality time together.

My dad is a master on a wok, so my mother asked him for stir fry and I brought the pie.

This is a basic key lime pie recipe, with a little special twist. My family loves gingersnaps... a lot.

So instead of graham cracker crust, I did a gingersnap crust. The tartness of the lime, with the sweet whipped cream and spice of the gingersnap is a beautiful gastroexperience.

For the crust:

good quality ginger snap cookies (about 3/4 lb)

1/4 c of melted, unsalted butter

2 tbsp sugar

In a food processor, pulverize the cookies into a fine crumble. Add sugar and melted butter and blend together with a fork. Once combined, press the mixture into a 9" pie plate. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 10 - 12 minutes until lightly browned. Place on a rack to cool.

For the pie filling:

4 large or extra large egg yolks

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup key lime juice

2 teaspoons lime zest

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks until they are thick and turn to a light yellow. Turn the mixer off and add the sweetened condensed milk. Turn speed to low and mix in half of the lime juice. Once the juice is incorporated add the other half of the juice and the zest, continue to mix until blended. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake at 350 F for 12 minutes-15 minutes. Pie filling should be firm with a slight wiggle in the middle. Allow to cool, and place in refrigerator for 2 hours.

For the whipped cream :

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Whip cream until it begins to thicken slightly. Add sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until soft peaks form.

Remove pie from refrigerator and dollop the pie with the whipped cream, covering the filling. Add some lime zest on top for garnish, and serve.

These pictures don't capture this pie enough, but we were inhaling it so quickly I had very little time for exposure and white balance!

"Crossing the Bridge" Noodles

This dish is a tradition in western China and is also known as guò qiáo mĭxiàn. The dish got its name from a story of a woman whose husband was studying for the imperial examinations and would deliver his lunch to him every day. She had to cross a bridge to get it too him, so she made the broth really hot to be sure it would still be warm for him.
The famous local dish features super hot broth topped with a thin layer of duck fat in which you quickly add slivers of meat, fish, egg and vegetables while at your table, but I chose to change this recipe up to suit my dinner needs. For starters, no duck fat. The fat is used to create a layer to preserve heat, but since I was serving this immediately, I chose to omit it. (I also can't bring myself to obtain or use duck fat.) Additionally, I used from scratch egg noodles, par boiled before adding to the broth. You can certainly use store prepared egg noodles for this dish. If you don't make your own noodles, this could certainly be an easy, mid-week dinner!

Noodles:
1 1/4 c all purpose flour

1tsp salt
3 small eggs

To prepare the noodles, sift the flour and salt onto a work surface and create a well in the center. Break the eggs into the center of the well. Using your fingers, slowly work the eggs into the flour to make a soft dough. Lightly dust your work surface and place the dough on it. Knead until dough is smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Cover the the dough with a piece of oiled plastic wrap and let rest for about 20 minutes.

Soup:
6 oz boneless chicken breasts, sliced into small thin pieces
1 tsp rice wine
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp , plus one tbsp soy sauce (to top each bowl of soup)
6 c chicken stock
salt and ground white pepper to taste
3 spring onions, including tender green tops sliced thin, keeping white and green parts separate
1/4 c chopped cilantro

To begin preparing the soup:
Place the chicken in a dish and add the rice wine, ginger and 1 tsp soy sauce. Mix well and let marinate in fridge for about 30 minutes or while you prepare the noodles.

(Using a hand cranked pasta machine)
On the same floured work surface, lightly kneed the dough again for about 3 minutes, until it feels elastic. Divide into 2 equal parts. Working with 1 piece at a time, flatten your piece and set the machine to the widest setting. Lightly dust the flattened dough and pass through the roller. Reset the rollers a width narrower, fold the dough into thirds, dust if needed with flour and pass through the rollers again. Repeat decreasing the setting each time until you have a wide, thin strip of dough (setting 2 on most machines). Roll up the dough lightly into a cylinder and using a sharp knife, cut crosswise into noodles about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
Toss the noodles lightly with flour and hang to rest until soup is ready. Repeat process with remaining dough.

To continue making the soup, pour the chicken stock into a saucepan and bring slowly to a boil over medium heat. While the stock is heating, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the noodles and cook until just tender about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under hot water. (This should be done only with fresh noodles, to remove any starch or flour) Divide the noodles evenly into each bowl.

To finish the soup, add the chicken to the simmering stock, season with 1 tbsp soy sauce , the salt and pepper and add the white parts of the scallions. Simmer until chicken is cooked through about 1 minutes. Ladle the hot soup over the noodles, and top with green parts of scallions and chopped cilantro.

Blueberry Power Smoothie

Trader Joe's has reasonably priced frozen fruit and I just love using frozen fruit during the winter/early spring months when fruit is not in season, and the impostor fruit at the grocery stores taste like cardboard.


My mother has been ill and is recovering from a serious surgery along with facing many months of chemotherapy treatment. When someone is faced with a disease like cancer, nutrition is a huge part of the recovery. With a jeopardized immune system, whey protein powder is a great way of adding proteins, which causes an increase in antioxidants.


With all of this information I created a power smoothie for my mom, that not only tastes great, but is easy to ingest under these conditions.



**You can omit the whey protein powder and flax seed oil to just enjoy an antioxidant jam-packed smoothie! This is a really great smoothie to drink first thing in the morning or after a hefty workout!


1 c ice
1/2 non fat yogurt
1 c frozen blueberries
1 scoop (about 2 tbsp) whey protein powder**
1/4 cup cranwater ( This is 4 oz cranberry to 20 oz water; make it and save it in a bottle)
1 tbsp flax seed oil **


Mix all ingredients together in a blender and blend for about 2 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Beer Batter Fish with Chips

I love fish and chips, but they have to be made really well and with perfectly plump white fish, preferably cod. Having been to London and Ireland, I know a good fish fryer when I see one and chips can't be anything other than skin-on sliced potato wedges, fried in the same oil as the fish. Again, these are all my preferences, but trying it any other way just doesn't seem authentic.

Beer batter is quite possibly the easiest concept ever, but frying the fish perfectly is the hardest part of the task. You have to slowly drop the batter covered fish into your oil and wait for a crust to start to form, before releasing the rest of the fish into the oil. With long enough tongs, it shouldn't take you too long to master the fry.

Beer Batter:

12 oz beer (I used a dark ale)

1 1/2 c all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

Fish:

1 lb fresh cod, sliced into 1 inch wide strips

Chips:

3-4 Idaho potatoes, sliced into wedges, about 8 per potato

In a Dutch oven, (if you own a fryer, go ahead and use it) heat oil to 375 degrees F.

Fry potatoes until golden brown, roughly 10 minutes removing with a slotted spoon or spider.

Place in a low oven to keep warm while cooking the fish.

Pat fish dry and season on both sides with salt and pepper and coat the fish in the beer batter.

Fry fish, turning over frequently, until deep golden and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Fry remaining fish in batches, returning oil to 375 degrees F between batches.

Meyer Lemon Penne with Shrimp and Basil

The Meyer lemon is a citrus fruit, originating from China. The fruit is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. The flavor is not as tart as a true lemon and its a wonderful compliment for this dish. You can substitute true lemon as well in this dish.

2/3 c good quality olive oil

2/3 c grated Parmesan

1/2 c fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp Meyer lemon zest

1/3 c chopped fresh basil leaves

1 lb whole wheat penne

1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm, about 10 minutes.

In a fry pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and add shrimp, in a single layer, cooking until just pink, about 3-5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend. Drain the penne, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the penne with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Add shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

My Hero Cooks for the Pope

Ever since my mom's gotten sick, I've been unable to blog. I've got about 5 things I'd like to post, but after spending 10 hour days in the ICU, I'm too tired and too bewildered to do so. I can however, continue to post about interesting things that are related to my love of food... and this article is surely one of them. Lidia Bastianich is my top culinary hero. I love her. The pope... eh. :)


http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/lidia-and-il-papa/

Irish Soda Bread

Since I couldn't take time to dedicate this post to St Patrick's Day (I am very Irish, by the way) I thought I might repost my St Pat's themed post from 2007.

http://culinarynovice.blogspot.com/2007/03/irish-soda-bread.html

I encourage you to take a look... when I first posted this, not many people were reading my blog.


Slainte!

No Updates Lately

I'm sorry I haven't posted lately... My family has had a really rough week and so I thought I'd post and let anyone who reads this know (and foodbuzz since I am a publisher for them too) that my mom is really sick and that's why I've not posted.... heck, I've hardly eaten anything the last 2 weeks....So to the bloggers out there, send a little cyber hope to my mom... the most beautiful and courageous woman I know....and the very best mother a girl could have.

17 Bean and Barley Soup

Winter makes me want to hibernate, and part of that is falling in love with soups. I love bean soups and find them to be the easiest to do, with the least amount of fuss. This recipe makes enough for at least 6 servings (if not more) but can be halved or quartered easily. I like to make the full recipe and freeze for a later dinner.

If you purchase Parmesan that's fresh you should save your rinds (once you've grated all you can!! ) and freeze them for when you make soups and stocks. Just scrape the labeling off (the part that gives you a clue if its authentic... you should see the words "Parmigiano-Reggiano" on the side of the cheese. ) and place into your soup or stock. This is an old family method, and I've seen many of the greats use this technique as well.

I found the 17 bean soup mix (which is really beans in a bag) from Trader Joe's, but you can find this in any grocery store. For this soup, like most others, I used a Mirepoix as the base. A Mirepoix is the French name for a combination of onions, celery and carrots. Mirepoix, either raw, roasted or sauteed with butter is the flavor base for a wide number of dishes such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces. Mirepoix is known as the Holy Trinity of French cuisine.

3 c 17 bean soup mix
1/3 lb of center cut bacon, diced (See Cooks Note below)
1 c each, onions, carrots and celery, or Mirepoix
1 28 oz can of diced tomato's
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp dried Italian herbs (I used a mix of oregano, basil and thyme)
2 tbsp salt and freshly ground pepper
1 leftover rind of Parmesan cheese, with the label scrapped off
2 tbsp olive oil
6 cups of quality vegetable broth or stock


Empty beans into a large pot and cover with cold water. Let beans soak over night.


The following day, drain the beans completely and give them a good rinse with cold water. In a large, heavy bottom soup pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Cook the bacon until crisp and remove from pan. (*** Cooks note: This can be omitted all together for my vegetarian friends... I just did it for some flavor boost!****) Add mirepoix and saute for about 7 minutes. Season with 1 tbsp salt and pepper, and add herbs and bay leaves. Saute another 2 minutes, and add beans. Cook the vegetable and bean mix for about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the broth and the Parmesan cheese rind, and simmer covered for about 2 hours.


Serve immediately with a piece of warm crusty bread, or freeze and enjoy on another day.

America's Second Harvest- Free Download for a Good Cause

I never take for granted how lucky I am to live a relatively comfortable and fulfilled life. As I write about my culinary adventures, I become more aware of the increasing problem with hunger in the United States and worldwide. Hunger affects more than 35 million people in America today. It's a challenge that requires constant attention and support, and as a food company, Barilla is in a unique position to help raise awareness and money through projects like The Celebrity Italian Cookbook.

When you download a copy of The Celebrity Italian Table Cookbook, Barilla will donate $1, up to $100,000, to America's Second Harvest, a national charity that secures and distributes more than two billion pounds of food products annually.

You can learn about this amazing charity, here.

Do your part, and reap an instant reward, by going here, and downloading your cookbook!

Garlic Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb

For Valentines day we decided to have a quiet but special night at home. I decided to make something that I really love, but have never prepared myself before. I found a beautiful cut of lamb and couldn't resist this relatively easy but fancy dinner.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt

2 tbsp minced fresh rosemary leaves

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c Dijon mustard

1 1/2 c panko breadcrumbs

1 rack of lamb, "frenched"

(*** Cooks note: "Frenching" refers to scraping the meat off the tips of the bones. There should also be about 1/8th of an inch of fat on your lamb. ***)

Heat oven to 425*F.

Heat oil in a skillet, over med-high heat, until almost smoking. Season both sides of the lamb with salt and place fat side down onto the skillet. Sear the meat until brown. Turn the rack, rib side down and sear the other side. Continue browning all sides of the meat. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same skillet, sauté garlic cloves with rosemary leaves for about 1 minute. Add breadcrumbs and turn heat down to low, stirring constantly to toast. Remove from heat when lightly toasted.

Distribute crumbs onto a plate for application to the rack. Spread the Dijon mustard on both sides of the lamb. Press the lamb into the crumb mixture and flip, making sure to create a crust on all sides of the meat. Place on foil covered roasting pan, rib side down, and roast in oven about 40-50 minutes, or until meat reached 160* F for medium doneness. (Cook to your desired preference).

Slice rack of lamb into individual chops and serve immediately.

Beer Bread

Bread is scary to me... I love eating it but I have little to no experience making it. I thought I'd attempt the easiest bread recipe around, and it really was the quickest baking experience I've had!
Beer bread is easy, requires very little ingredients, and can be made with whatever extras you have lying around your kitchen. I think this is best eaten right away, but the convenience of the preparation makes it an easy last minute idea.

Basic Beer Bread:
3 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt 12 oz (1 bottle) room temperature beer 1 egg plus 2 tsp water, lightly beaten (for an egg wash)

(***Cooks note: For the first loaf I made, I used the basic recipe and added 1 tbsp garlic powder, and 1tsp each dried rosemary, oregano, basil and thyme for a Garlic Herb Beer Bread. The second loaf, was basic recipe topped with freshly shredded parmesan cheese.***)

Preheat oven to 350*F. Place dry ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork. Add honey and beer and stir the mixture until the just mixed together. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Brush egg wash on top of loaf and place in oven for about 45-50 minutes. Serve warm.

Chocolate Cherry Merlot Brownies

There's something very classic about brownies and I thought they would make a great choice for Culinate's Death by Chocolate Contest. These brownies are so rich and intense, and the merlot soaked cherries surprise your every bight. Tested on friends and family, these brownies disappeared!

1 1/2 c dried cherries
1 c merlot wine
4 oz semi sweet chocolate
4 oz dark chocolate, 60% cocoa
1 1/3 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c butter, room temperature
1 c sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350*F. Place cherries in a large bowl. Over medium high heat, warm merlot until just boiling. Pour wine over cherries, allowing them to steep, about 15 minutes. Drain cherries and discard wine.

Melting the chocolate:
Use a double boiler, or a bowl placed over a sauce pan with simmering water (what I did), to melt the chocolate. Stir chocolate as it melts, and keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't scorch. Chocolate should be smooth and creamy.

Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat another minute. Add flour and salt and mix well for another minute. With the mixer running on low, add the cherries to the batter and mix until moderately incorporated. Fill a square 9 in baking dish with batter and bake in oven for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownies, comes out clean.

Cut into squares and prepare yourself for chocolate heaven.

Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

I love parsnips more than most of the other root vegetables. They are also the perfect plate date for carrots as they compliment each other so well. I served these with my French Chicken in a Pot and it was the perfect compliment to a french dinner.

1lb carrots, cleaned and sliced on the diagonal

1lb parsnips, cleaned and sliced on the diagonal

2 tbsp honey

1 sprig of thyme, leaves only

coarse sea salt

freshly ground pepper

olive oil to coat the vegetables

Heat oven to 400* F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Add the vegetables and the oil together in a bowl and mix thoroughly making sure all the vegetables are coated in oil. Lay the carrots and parsnips out on the baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, giving them a shake and shimmy, half way through.

Meanwhile, heat over low heat, the honey and thyme leaves, just to allow the honey to melt and the flavors to come together.

Remove baking sheet from oven and drizzle the honey and thyme mixture over the veggies. Serve immediately.

Spicy Basil Chicken Stir Fry

I had about 2 cups of fresh basil lying around (and this time of year its not cheap to get that much basil, so I had to use it!) and wanted to make a simple stir fry. Luckily I keep a well stocked pantry and I had all of the ingredients lying around my kitchen. This is my version of a common Thai dish, but I've improvised when I can't get my hands on chili peppers, using chili oil.


1 lbs chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp wok oil (or vegetable oil)
2 tbsp chili oil
3 scallions, chopped white and some green parts
2 bell peppers (i used red and orange), thinly sliced
5 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup packed, basil leaves
2 cups Jasmine rice, cooked



Heat a wok, over high heat. When the wok smokes, add wok oil and chili oil. Sprinkle in crushed pepper flakes. Add chicken and stir fry 2 minutes. Add scallions, red bell peppers, and garlic and stir-fry for 1 or 2 more minutes. Add fish sauce. Remove the pan from heat and add basil. Toss chicken dish until basil wilts. Serve over rice.

Ina and Meghan's Beef Bourguignon

This recipe is a classic dish, but since I used Ina Garten's notes and recipe on how to best prepare it, she too gets the credit she deserves. This dish was easy to make, although it does require some loving care and extra time to have it turn out just right.

The photograph doesn't do the dish justice as it was taken a few (OK, many) glasses of red wine into my holiday party, and I was just so excited to eat that I didn't apply any care to the integrity of the photo.

1 tbsp good olive oil

8 ounces center cut bacon, diced

2 1/2 lbs chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 lb carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks

2 yellow onions, sliced

2 tsp chopped garlic (2 cloves)

1/2 c Cognac

1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine like Pinot Noir

2 c beef broth

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

4 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature, divided

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 lb frozen whole onions

1 lb fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

For serving:

Country bread or Sour Dough, toasted or grilled

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.

Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol.

Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.

Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

To serve, toast the bread in the toaster or oven. Rub each slice on 1 side with a cut clove of garlic. For each serving, spoon the stew over a slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley.

Cheater's Chicken Ravioli

This is a cheat recipe for so many reasons! Instead of using pasta sheets, I use store prepared wonton wrappers to make these ravioli. This recipe is enough to make several dozen ravioli, as I try to use the entire pack of wontons and make them all, freezing half for another meal.

These ravioli are light and delicate so they are great served with basil pesto, or dropped into a simmering chicken broth with scallions and peas. If you really want to go nuts, you could deep fry them in oil for a few minutes and serve with a dipping sauce.

1 package store prepared wonton wrappers

For the filling:

3/4 c ricotta cheese, drained

1/2 c fresh basil leaves

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 lb ground chicken

3 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Combine all of the ingredients for the filling into a food processor and pulse until well blended.

Meanwhile, lay out wonton wrappers, filling a few at the time. To fill the wonton wrappers, place a small amount of filling into the center of the wonton wrapper. With your finger, brush the edges of the wrapper with a little water to help seal the ravioli. Fold the wonton wrapper on the diagonal and seal together the seams to form a triangle. Place ravioli on a plate and cover with a damp towel until all are done. Cook in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes, or until ravioli have risen to the top.

To freeze: Lay out ravioli on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Place sheet in the freezer until ravioli are frozen, about one hour. Transfer to a freezer bag and store up to 6 weeks.

French Chicken in a Pot

I received a subscription to Cook's Illustrated a few months ago and I absolutely love this magazine. It's a subscription issued by the same people that bring you America's Test Kitchen and is an amazing resource and reference to both beginner's and experts, in the kitchen. I read the issues from cover to cover, taking in all of the expert knowledge on recipes, techniques and product reviews.

This recipe is taken from the January/February 2008 edition. While this particular cooking method is a classic french recipe, I give credit to Cook's Illustrated because of the loving time they put into perfecting this method and particular recipe.

This recipe ditches the American way of crispy fried skin on a bird, for simplistic and powerful chicken flavor. As the magazine notes, why concentrate so much effort to make skin crisp, when you should focus on the flavor and tenderness of the meat? The method of "Dry cooking" this bird really did bring out the flavors of the meat and my chicken was to-die-for perfect. Thank you Cook's Illustrated, once again.

1 whole raosting chicken (4.5lbs), giblits removed ad discarded, wings tucked under back

2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, medium chop

1 celery stalk, medium chop

6 garlic cloves, peeled

1 bay leaf

1 medium sprig fresh rosemary

juice from 1 lemon

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250*. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add chicken breast-side down; scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf and rosemary around chicken. Cook until breast is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon inserted into the cavity of the bird, flip chicken breast side up, and cook until chicken and vegetables are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove Dutch oven from heat, place large sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to over and cook until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees with inserted in the thickest part of the breast and 175 in the thickest part of the thigh, about 80-110 minutes.. Transfer chicken to carving board and tent with foil, resting about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot through fine-mesh strainer into a fat separator, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids. Allow liquid to settle then pour into saucepan and set over low heat. Stir in lemon juice to taste. Serve chicken, passing jus at the table.

Sara and Tyler's Winter Panzanella

I love panzanella salad, but this recipe was my first "winter" version of it. Sara found this recipe from Tyler Florence and while the inspiration was from him, she tweaked it a little to make it more of her own. This really was a great dish to bring to our holiday dinner because you can prepare all the ingredients before hand, and toss the salad together right before serving.

2 bunches mixture red and gold baby beets (***Cooks note: If you can only find regular sized beets they need to be cut in half and roasted for about an hour as opposed to 30 minutes.**)

3 shallots

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 sprigs marjoram, thyme, and oregano (**Cooks note: Dried works fine too**)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 slices pancetta, sliced into small pieces

1 log goat cheese, refrigerated

1 loaf Italian bread, cut into crouton-sized pieces

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/4 c honey

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 orange, juiced

1 large handful arugula

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Take baby beets and cut them in half. Place on a long sheet of aluminum foil. Split shallots lengthwise, leaving them unpeeled, and add to foil. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, marjoram, thyme, and oregano leaves and season with salt and pepper. Fold foil into a packet and roast in oven until fork tender and nicely caramelized, about 30 minutes.

In saute pan, cook pancetta until crisp.

Toss the bread chunks with 1⁄4 cup oil until the bread is wet with the oil. Spread the bread on a baking sheet and bake until the bread begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

For the dressing:

In a large mixing bowl, add the honey, lemon juice, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, 4 tablespoons oil, salt, pepper, and stir together.

Add all the remaining ingredients except arugula and gently stir. Taste for seasoning. Remove beets and bread from oven, peel shallots, and add to bowl. Stir together and season with salt and pepper. Add pancetta and arugula. Top with goat cheese crumbles. Serve immediately!

Maureen and Emeril's Korean-Style Pork Wraps with Chili Sauce

This is one of the many delicious dishes my friends brought over for my holiday dinner. I'm so glad Maureen found this recipe because she really hit the nail on the head with this easy and amazingly tasty dish. This can be served as an appetizer (as Maureen did) or as a fun dinner (as I did two weeks afterward, cause it's that good!). Maureen found this recipe in Emeril's catalog of thousands!

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 tablespoons Sriracha hot chili sauce

4 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

1 1/2 cups cooked jasmine rice

1 head Boston Bibb, or butter lettuce, leaves separated, washed, and patted dry

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, sugar, 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil, green onion, garlic, and ginger. Whisk together until the sugar dissolves.
Slice the pork into thin strips, about 1/4-inch thick, 1/4-inch wide, and 2 1/2 inches long. Place the pork strips in the soy marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour or more.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the Sriracha hot chili sauce, the honey, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. Stir to combine. Set aside.

When the pork has marinated, take the bowl out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pork from the marinade and carefully place in the skillet. (Be careful that the drippings don't splatter out of the pan.) Cook the pork, stirring constantly with tongs or a wooden spoon, 4 to 5 minutes, until the pork is cooked through. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame seeds.

To serve, spoon several tablespoons of rice into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style. Top with a few pork strips and drizzle with a few drops of the chili mixture. Roll up and eat!