pasta
poppy seed pappardelle with sage & prosciutto
If you have eaten herbed laced pappardelle, then you’re gonna love it with poppy seeds. Making pasta is easier than you think and therapeutic, too! Kneading the dough helps to unwind from the day and acts as a vehicle to vent any frustration. From the time it takes to mix, knead and let the dough…
Read Morepasta and fiddleheads – hello spring!
Ever take a walk in the forest in the Spring and notice young shoots of unfurled ferns? If you have, it’s a fern getting ready to open up. Before the fern opens it’s called a fiddlehead (resembles the scroll end of a violin). It is at this stage when the fiddleheads are picked and cooked. …
Read Morepasta with basil sauce
After three weeks overseas, I am happy to be back home. Mr. S and I love to travel almost as much as we enjoy being in our humble abode. When away, I encounter (stumble upon) new ways to dress up old dishes. Stumble upon; another word perhaps for getting lost. Not that we are frequently…
Read Moretuna noodle casserole
I don’t know why, but of late I am drawn to nostalgia and in particular food. This nostalgic feeling is all good and although I am not one to dwell in the past, there’s something so familiar about comfort food that pulls me back to my childhood. In the 1950s and well into the ’70s…
Read Moresorrel with pasta and pork
As a regular reader, you know how much I love our local farmers’ markets. There’s always something new and interesting. I have my favorite vendors I like to visit and one, in particular, is Offbeat Farm. Sarah and Jamie are an energetic and enthusiastic couple and they love what they do – farm on less…
Read Moresautéed purple cabbage with pasta
Do you ever wish you could turn back time? I do, not to alter events but to be more inquisitive with my elders thus being able to pass the story-telling torch onto my children. My great, great paternal grandmother, Anna Marie Schmeltzer (Nanny Kent), died when I was 11 – she was 86. My memories…
Read Moremacaroni and cheese – with a slight twist
I grew up on macaroni and cheese both in the homemade version and the boxed one. Both are comfort foods but it’s been years since I had the boxed one. Every cook has their own version but is it possible to improve on a classic dish? At first thought, no way, but after considering the…
Read Morepasta salad with roasted chickpeas
I’ve had this package of multicolor farfalle (Italian for butterfly) pasta for weeks now and every time I open the pantry door, there it is, waiting for me to do something with it. The colors of the butterfly pasta are all natural using beetroot, spinach, turmeric, paprika and black squid ink. I wanted something special…
Read Morepasta with haddock
I am the first to admit that we don’t enough fish (mea culpa). The Mayo Clinic recommends two servings a week. Some weeks we eat that and some weeks we don’t…especially when we’re on a vegetarian kick or the carnivore in me takes over. The fish balance is a thin line for me. I need…
Read MorePasta e Patate (pasta and potato)
Pasta e Patate is a recipe from a dear friend of mine. I met Francesca in Singapore back in 2001. I had heard glowing accounts of her Italian cooking classes and was eager to meet this culinary wizard. Francesca did not disappoint. Her kitchen was light and airy and her cheery disposition made all who…
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