Tag Archive: Italian food

Parsnip gnocchi with roasted parsnip ribbons

March 20, 2020

Looking through the outdoor fridge today I found a few parsnips that were still nice and crisp after a couple of weeks in near zero temperature. I peeled a couple into ribbons for a rice and lentil dish I was making and thought I’d make gnocchi with the rest. Parsnip are starchy vegetable but for some reason they work fine mixed in a food processor. I made the entire gnocchi dough in the food processor... View Article

Heirloom Panzanilla with basil vinaigrette

September 3, 2016

With the abundance of ripe and delicious tomatoes out now we use them every day in some form: salads, sauces, jams, gazpacho, tarts and more. We haven’t tired of them yet and by the time we do, it will be the end of their season and we will move on to something else. This is the beautify of eating seasonal food, before you have had your fill, they are gone. Since for me a meal without... View Article

Ricotta and spinach stuffed shells with quick tomato sauce

May 30, 2016

I made the previous stuffed shells recipe again, this time with a simple and quick tomato sauce. I must confess I am a tomato sauce gal more than cream sauce one, so I kinda like this one better. I thought I’d share it because we loved it. What is so appealing about this recipe is that the shells are not cooked in the sauce but rather baked al forno until they get crisp and slightly... View Article

Spaghetti alla puttanesca

April 16, 2016

I am still relieving moments from the trip to Italy so bear with me. The best spaghetti alla puttanesca we had was in Naples at the authentic Antica Pizzeria Port Alba, rumoured to have created the first pizza in Naples. The pasta was perfectly cooked, had just enough sauce and the flavours were intense and pure. That dish remained in my memory and today I thought I would try and recreate it the best I... View Article

Pasta e Ceci – Rosemary scented chickpeas and pasta soup with black kale

March 15, 2016

You will have to forgive me for still being immersed in Italian food and culture. On second thought, I shouldn’t have to apologize, it’s fabulous food and I am sharing it with you. So, enjoy. One of the soups we had in Tuscany was pasta and chickpea soup that was simply delicious and just my kind of food. When we returned home I made a lot of soups in the beginning, because they are easy... View Article

Pasta al forno (baked pasta) – pasta shells with rapini

March 6, 2016

There is something about pasta al forno that is very comforting and satisfying. Maybe it’s the slightly charred bits on top, or the creamy sauce around the pasta, or the melted cheese. Whatever it is, I sometimes crave the flavours and texture of a pasta that is cooked just below al dente, then mixed with a a sauce and baked in the oven until crispy on top and slightly charred here and there. I tend... View Article

Grilled Radicchio di Treviso with Balsamic drizzle

December 24, 2015

The radicchio here in Italy is a completely different experience than the compact round ones we get in Canada. I have been buying them and indulging in salads of all kinds and also grilled them a few times. The radicchio rosso di Treviso, the elongated one resembling a Belgian endive, is what you find here right now at the markets. If you don’t have the Treviso type use the regular radicchio but perhaps but it... View Article

Fresh ricotta on grilled bread

November 26, 2015

I don’t know if you have access to fresh ricotta made this morning but I bought mine from the cheese maker next door while staying at the off the beaten path agriturismo Palazzo del Duca in Tavernelle. A blog post about the experience is in the making but I had to use the cheese right away so here is one of the ways I used it, simplicity itself, and in the words of Leonardo da... View Article

Midnight pasta with tomato passata sauce

November 11, 2015

We are keeping different schedule here in Italy with all the comings and goings and sometime late at night we just want something to eat. Unless I have a dish ready I invariably turn to a quick pasta and use passata as a base for the sauce. Passata is a useful Italian ingredient not well known at home so I thought I’d tell you about it. It is common in Italian kitchens and frequently called... View Article

Pasta with radicchio two ways

September 17, 2015

Pasta is a comfort foods that I turn to again and again. I have learned to make simple pasta dishes with only a couple of ingredients that taste good and leave you satisfied. This particular dish makes use of the purple radicchio that we usually tear or shred into into a salad. It has a slightly bitter taste and a sturdy texture that stand up to a quick saute and goes particularly well with simple... View Article

Pizza Night: mushroom pizza, tomato pizza

May 3, 2015

I love making pizzas, and sometimes they work better than others, depending on many variables. Pizza is really about the dough. The dough needs time to ferment and develop flavour. The best pizzas are from dough I make a day in advance and let it rise in the fridge overnight, but this takes pre-planning and is not always possible. I often make a quick pizza dough and that works fine as well, but if you... View Article

Nuts about pasta (pasta with four-nut pesto)

April 13, 2015

Spring is still struggling here in the Okanagan. It has been cold and windy. I am waiting to plant my herbs for the season and bring in the perennials to brighten up the planters outside. Some herbs are coming back after the cold winter: chives, oregano, even some of the thyme. Pretty amazing to see them pop up after being covered with snow and subjected to the vagaries of a Canadian winter. I am still... View Article