Spring is the perfect time of year to get things in order. Over the past few weeks I’ve re-organized the spice drawer, re-arranged the food cupboard and gone through my makeup stash (not food related but still important). All tiny tasks, but when you add them up it seems like a decent chunk of tidying.
It was during one of these cleaning sprees that I found a nice unopened bag of orzo tucked away at the back. Continue reading
Oh pasta, I can never tire of you. You’re so versatile. Not only can you jive with just about any type of sauce, vegetable, meat, legume, herb or spice, but you work so well with other cuisine styles that it’s hard to imagine sticking only to Italian flavours. Continue reading
I love dishes that are so simple they don’t need a recipe. You know the ones – you turn to them time and time again when you’re too tired, lazy or uninspired to come up with something more imaginative.
I had a lot of fun making these minestrone soups in a jar for Christmas gifts. I found the concept and recipe in a few different places on the internet, but the one I used was from a website called Prep Ahead & Dine In.
It’s a neat DIY gift idea if you’re feeling crafty and is perfect for anyone who enjoys food and cooking.
The holiday season is quickly approaching (or is already in full swing depending on your traditions). This time of year can be stressful with all the holiday parties, cocktail hours and potlucks, last-minute shopping, office gift swaps and family get-togethers. So much to do, so little time.
In the days leading up to Christmas, Continue reading
Butternut squash is my favourite variety of winter squash by a long shot. It is mild enough that it can be easily incorporated into a wide variety of different dishes including soups, sides and desserts, yet its sweet, nutty notes allow it to take on bolder flavours like curry, garlic and rosemary.
It’s no secret that pasta is one of my favourite foods. It’s hearty, filling and comforting–exactly what I’m craving on a chilly fall evening. A simple bowl of spaghetti or pasta fagioli just seems to warm your insides. Mmm.
This sauce is barely cooked and has a fresh, bright flavour because of it – ideal for summer. Toss it with summer vegetables and spaghettini for a hearty but not heavy dinner, or use it as a base for a simple margherita pizza
This pasta is quick, easy and bursting with flavour from the aromatic basil pesto, subtly briny artichoke hearts and sweet sun-dried tomatoes. Enjoy with soft bread and extra virgin olive oil (for dipping, of course) on the side.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook to al dente. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large pan and add the asparagus, peppers and onion, cooking until asparagus is bright green and tender. Reduce heat and add the pasta, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes to the pan. Add the pesto and toss until combined. Serve immediately.
Note: this dish can also be served as a cold pasta salad. Just remember to slightly undercook the pasta as the noodles will soak up extra liquid over time.
When I walk through the grain aisle at the grocery store I’m usually on the lookout for whole grain pasta. My go-to noodles include spaghettini (great in Asian dishes), penne, farfalle (my fave for pasta salads), macaroni and rotini (love how they really cling to tomato sauce).
Maybe it’s because most people still prefer traditional white pasta, but I have a hard time finding less mainstream shapes like manicotti or bucatini in whole grain form. I’m not against white pasta or anything, but I really enjoy the slightly nutty flavour of whole grain noodles as well as the extra ‘bite’ they have when cooked to al dente.
That being said, the other day I decided to go back to basics with some white pasta, specifically jumbo shells (which are known as conchiglioni–I had to look that one up!). Why? They don’t come in whole grain, at least not at my store, and I just had to have ‘em for dinner that night. I had intended to make a seasonal pumpkin-stuffed version with ricotta and sage but opted for a more hearty meat, spinach and cheese version instead. I’m glad I did…they were a hit!
I started by cooking the shells and letting them cool on a pan in a single layer (they’ll stick together otherwise). Next, I browned some lean ground beef in a pan and added canned diced tomatoes, finely chopped onion, baby spinach, chicken stock, salt, pepper and minced garlic. In another bowl I combined ricotta cheese with a little grated cheddar plus some fresh basil and more salt and pepper. Once the shells were cool enough to handle, I stuffed each one with a spoonful each of the beef and cheese mixtures and nestled them in a baking dish on a layer of canned tomato sauce. When all the shells had been stuffed, I poured more sauce over them, sprinkled with more cheddar and baked at 375°F for approximately 45 minutes.
I don’t often eat white pasta, but this time it was welcome treat. But I’m still on the lookout for whole grain conchiglioni…
My batch of gorgeous little Italian meatballs ready to be fried
With our hot, steamy summer gradually fading into fall, I’m starting to crave some more substantial eats–like a nice batch of Italian meatballs to carry me well into winter. Making freezer-friendly food in bulk has become one of my favourite pastimes, so whenever I come across a good make-ahead recipe–particularly something hearty, warm and filling–I’m all over it.
I recently decided to make a big batch of meatballs (David Rocco’s recipe, if you must know) just to have a quick, easy meal on hand after those long days at work. I also made homemade tomato sauce in the same weekend–the ultimate comfort meal!
All you need is some ground beef and pork, Parmesan cheese, chopped herbs, eggs and seasonings. Then just get your hands in there and start mixing!
The recipe I used for my meatballs, courtesy of David Rocco's cookbook
I’m always amazed that something as simple and perhaps unappetizing as a raw meatball can be so beautiful. But honestly, check out how gorgeous these glistening “meat-a-balls” look in the photos!
Time for your close-up! I don't think a meatball has ever looked better
I decided to pan-fry my meatballs to brown them, but you can just bake them instead
Look at these babies sizzle
Cooked and ready to be frozen on a tray before packing into a ziploc freezer bag
The ultimate comfort food: a steaming bowl of gnocchi and meatballs
A little while after I made this recipe I ventured out of my comfort zone and went for another type of meatball: a southwest-style chicken meatball with bacon, jalapenos, chili powder and cumin. Sounds a little unconventional but boy were they good!
My signed cookbook from David Rocco. Thanks for the recipe--you really know your meatballs!
Warm, filling, stick-to-your-ribs pasta fagioli (more correctly, pasta e fagioli, Italian for “pasta and beans”) is the ultimate comfort food. Sorry, mac ‘n’ cheese! So is hearty minestrone soup, for that matter, which is what I actually intended to make the other day. Instead I ended up with a dish that looked and tasted a little more like pasta fagioli. Hmm.
I grew up with my mom’s version of pasta fagioli which was a simple dish consisting of macaroni, homemade tomato sauce and what I think were navy beans. Nothing fancy about it, to be sure, because my siblings and I wouldn’t have eaten anything with chunks of vegetable or even onion back then. But the taste was pure heaven. Tucking into a bowl of pasta fagioli in the dead of winter–and I’m talking Timmins winter–was like wrapping yourself in a warm, toasty blanket. I really think that my exposure to pasta fagioli was the beginning of my love affair with beans.
I initially wanted to make some sort of light soup the other day as a side to go with some leftover pizza. I contemplated making gazpacho, but wanted to use up one of my many cans of beans. So I immediately thought of minestrone, one of my all-time favourite soups, which would surely go nicely with a slice of pizza.
I didn’t have any bacon or pancetta lying around, so I started by cooking onion and garlic in olive oil. For fun I added fennel seeds–a flavour I don’t normally cook with–and then poured in some canned diced tomatoes (my garden tomatoes aren’t ready yet), red kidney beans and chicken stock. After seasoning it and letting it simmer away for several minutes I tossed in some whole wheat macaroni along with a handful of chopped green bell pepper.
I was trying to follow a minestrone recipe but found myself making substitution after substitution and omitting key ingredients: green pepper instead of swiss chard, no potato, no bacon and no raw fennel, red kidney beans instead of cannelini beans, mixed herbs instead of just parsley. Pretty soon the dish didn’t look anything like the recipe. I guess I didn’t add enough liquid or something, because the pasta soaked up so much of it that I was left with a chunky stew rather than a soup. Instead of adding more stock, I just went with it and stirred in some chopped fresh herbs from the garden.
After topping it off with a bit of fresh parmeggiano-reggiono (thank you, Costco) and a drizzle of olive oil, I dug in. The dish ended up being so filling and aromatic and flavourful that I didn’t even bother heating up the leftover pizza. Isn’t it great when a mistake turns into something even better?
How my mother managed to cook dinner every single night, maintain a pristine household and take care of three kids while casually managing a simmering pot of pasta sauce on the stove, I will never know. It is now 6 pm and I have been cooking since noon, something I’ve seen her do a million times. So how come my feet ache, I have flour splattered all over my Lulu yoga pants and the kitchen smoke alarm is now dangling by its wires?
I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I’m not an amazing cook; I just love doing it. But I don’t think I’m a terrible cook, either. At least I didn’t think I was before today. Don’t get me wrong—the tomato sauce I made turned out great, as did the batch of Armenian pizzas I whipped up (more on that in an upcoming post). But through trial and many an error this afternoon I’ve gained a whole new appreciation for women before my generation who slaved away in a hot kitchen for hours on end, day after day, to feed their families. Thankless job, indeed!
I decided to start simple with my family cookbook quest, and homemade tomato sauce fit the bill nicely. The family cookbook lists several variations made by different relatives, but I chose my mom’s recipe because it is the most familiar to me. Plus, it’s quite simple and straightforward. I won’t divulge the specifics here (it’s a family secret, after all), but all it called for was some chopped vegetables, canned tomatoes, herbs and spices and a browned pork chop for added flavour. Easy enough, right?
Wrong. The problem wasn’t the sauce recipe but the fact that I was trying so hard to make the most of my Saturday that I took on too many things at once—two, to be exact. Number one: make sauce. Number two: while sauce is simmering, make Armenian pizzas.
I started by heating some olive oil in the biggest pot I own, only to have it reach its smoke point by the time I could unwrap the pork chop. Now that I think of it, I should’ve chopped the vegetables and opened the tomato cans before turning on the stove. Rookie mistake.
I browned the pork chop while fumbling with my camera to get a nice shot of the hot crackling oil. Bad idea: I was forced to take a brief time out to clean the oil spatter off my lens before I could move on to the next step.
In the only large bowl I could find I combined the vegetables with one tin of tomatoes and pulverized them with my immersion blender. What a great invention, by the way—no muss, no fuss! However, things did get a little messy when I attempted to flip the pork chop with my one free hand while blending the sauce at the same time. My kitchen tiles were now speckled with red.
No matter. I added another can of tomatoes, then another, and continued mixing until the bowl couldn’t hold any more. I poured the mixture over the sizzling pork chop and reduced the heat to low. It was only then that I realized I forgot to add the spices! Good thing I thought of it when I did—that would have been one bland sauce.
Once the sauce was safely simmering I switched gears and starting making my Armenian pizzas. About fifty minutes into the process—yup, that’s how long it took me to roll out store-bought dough into mini pizzas—I noticed that the sauce wasn’t bubbling as much as mom’s always did. Should the temperature be higher or something? My guess was yes, so I turned up the heat to medium-low. After several minutes it no longer tasted tomato-y and overly acidic. Much better!
I let the sauce work for about two hours, stirring it with my wooden spoon every once in a while. And by every once in a while I mean in between rolling out balls of dough and fanning the smoke alarm with a tea towel. Why one little blackened drop of Armenian pizza mixture sets off every single smoke alarm in my house is beyond me.
In the end I managed to cook a large batch of delicious tomato sauce which I froze in small containers for later use. Even though I had a couple of mishaps along the way, I’m glad I made the effort to cook one of my family’s favourite recipes. After all, what’s gnocchi without the sauce?
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m heading upstairs for a hot bath. Real cooking is hard work!
This faux pasta dish was fun to make and as simple as whipping up a basic salad. If you don’t own a mandoline, use a vegetable peeler to thinly slice the zucchini. The noodles won’t be as uniformly shaped, but no matter—the dish will just look more rustic!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and basil and heat for 5-10 minutes or until sauce is warmed through. Add zucchini noodles to the pan and toss until coated with sauce. Sprinkle with feta cheese and freshly ground black pepper and serve warm with garlic bread.
Oh boy. Gnocchi tonight!
It’s Boxing Day afternoon, and after taking an 8-day hiatus from my blog (busy with holiday parties, family dinners and travelling) I couldn’t wait to get back to writing. So what better way to wrap up the year than with a short-but-sweet post on my family’s favourite and most requested meal: gnocchi.
Even though our family lives pretty spread out these days, some of us still manage to make time for visits around the holidays. This year my parents, sister and I travelled up to Ottawa to stay with my aunt, uncle and cousins. My younger brother goes to Carleton so he lives close by, and my eldest cousin, his wife and two beautiful little girls drove up from New Jersey to visit. Needless to say, it’s a very busy household at the moment!
The one thing we always request when we get together for a big family dinner is an Italian meal featuring Mom’s homemade gnocchi. My cousin even called ahead before Christmas to make sure Mom had a gnocchi meal planned!
Gnocchi are soft, small Italian dumplings made from potato-based dough. The heavy, perfectly formed ones you see in restaurants made a decent hearty meal once in a while, but they are a far cry from the gnocchi Mom makes. Our family recipe originated from my great-grandmother Rosa Santone from the Abruzzo region of Italy and was passed on by to my mom and aunts by my grandfather. I remember Poppa at the kitchen counter teaching my two-year-old brother how to chop ropes of fluffy dough into bite-sized dumplings.
It takes hours to make enough gnocchi for thirteen people, but I know Mom doesn’t mind; in fact, she describes the process as therapeutic. Each dumpling is like a fluffy little pillow, with a finger-sized dimple pressed into each one. In our family gnocchi is always served smothered in homemade tomato sauce. And sometimes, like tonight, homemade meatballs are included in the mix–I can see them thawing in a bag in the sink as we speak!
I’ve seen recipes for butternut squash gnocchi, pesto gnocchi, gnocchi with cream sauce, pumpkin gnocchi and spinach gnocchi. This year’s holiday Food & Drink magazine even featured a delicious-looking sweet potato gnocchi with blue cheese. As good as these inventive variations sound, I’m quite certain they wouldn’t stack up to the Del Villano family recipe.
With the hustle and bustle of Christmas now behind us, I am lucky enough to still have something to look for: tonight’s gnocchi feast!
