Posts by The Culinary Chase
Polenta Sticks with Mozzarella and Salami
I love simple ingredients as they tend to work symbiotically to create great flavors. Less is more…I know this sounds cliché but it’s true and not just in the food world. The more ingredients you use the greater the risk of losing the essential flavor of your food. When the ingredients are good, they need…
Read MoreBaby Eggplant with Gruyère and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
For whatever the reason, I was having difficulty planning dinner last night. My brain was all over the food road map! So instead of trying to figure of what to have I decided on a tapas-style evening of little plates of food. Tapas are appetizers enjoyed by the Spanish. It allows for everyone at the…
Read MoreCarrot Marmalade
Homemade marmalade has been a long standing tradition in my family. Both my paternal and maternal grandmothers were fruit preserve queens! My mom also made her fair share, too. I’ve dabbled a bit but lost interest while we lived in Asia as storage was limited and cold rooms were non-existent. While fruit such as orange…
Read MoreBlack Bean Salad
Beans. They’ve been around since time immemorial and while there are thousands of varieties, only a tiny fraction are mass-produced for our enjoyment. The only beans I knew growing up was my mom’s baked beans usually made from navy beans and sometimes she’d throw in kidney beans, much to my chagrin. I really had no…
Read MoreBlackberry Sorbet
It’s the subtle changes in the weather when I start to notice a shift as we slowly drift out of summer and into autumn. I know, shhh! not so loud but it’s true. The sunlight looks different as it lands in areas of the house and the air smells different. As I was rinsing the…
Read MoreBaked Fontina Dip
I was on the train into the city and caught a glimpse into my future. I spotted an elderly couple who were deep in conversation. They looked so cute together; her silver hair was a bit disheveled and his white mane slicked back. Both were in great shape. He pulled out two books from his…
Read MoreCaprese Salad (insalata caprese)
Insalata caprese is a tomato and mozzarella salad from the island of Capri. This simple yet delicious Italian antipasto makes perfect use of local heirloom tomatoes which are available now in grocery stores and markets. Extra-virgin olive oil highlights the sweetness of the heirloom tomatoes and is the only dressing needed. What makes this salad…
Read MoreQuinoa Salad
Ancient grains…two words that conjure up something you might find in an archeological dig! They’ve been around for a millennium and include quinoa, amaranth, spelt, and kamut. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a grain that comes from the Andes mountains of South America and its origins dates back to that of the Inca’s. There are more…
Read MoreHomemade Pesto
Almost every cuisine on our planet has found an important role for garlic and is among the oldest known horticultural crop. Egyptian and Indian cultures referred to garlic 5000 years ago and by the Chinese 2000 years ago. Pesto hails from the northern region of Liguria and is a Ligurian superstar! Pasta isn’t the only…
Read MoreEasy To Make Cinnamon Rolls
As much as I enjoy making things from scratch, the truth be told there are times when I just can’t be asked! I was craving something sweet the other day and cinnamon rolls popped into my head. My mom used to make them and I have too, all from scratch. To satisfy this craving I…
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