tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25649346495849765692011-07-28T13:10:27.396-07:00Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.comBlogger891100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-40777532892715645532011-06-30T17:08:00.001-07:002011-06-30T17:34:09.875-07:00

Pancakes are an American classic, and in my house, we always made buttermilk pancakes. Thicker than normal pancakes, with a slight tangy flavor from the buttermilk, these pancakes are, in my opinion, far superior to the standard kind. In fact, they recently made me a new friend - after I made the pancakes for an Easter brunch, one of the girls there fell in love with them, and every time I saw

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-717722224784866002010-07-07T19:39:00.000-07:002010-07-07T20:03:58.221-07:00

A croque-monsieur is a French grilled cheese sandwich and, like anything whose main ingredients are bread and cheese, it's really incredibly delicious.Though I lived in Paris for three months, in the south of France for another five weeks, and have visited France numerous times, I somehow managed to get through all those visits without ever eating a croque-monsieur. On my last trip to Paris, en

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-21919907036639769192010-04-07T10:47:00.001-07:002010-04-07T11:02:49.238-07:00

I cannot think of a better way to spend a Sunday morning than eating these delicious Turkish-style scrambled eggs while sitting at a café in Istanbul's Bebek quarter and looking out at the ships sailing down the Bosphorus.But even if you're not in Turkey, menemen is a great way to start your day - or end it!! Though it's traditional to have menemen for breakfast, I think it works wonderfully for

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-25024533345615687532010-03-15T12:50:00.000-07:002010-03-15T13:02:15.229-07:00

This is an eggplant dish from the town of Bari, in Southern Italy. I was introduced to it when a friend of mine from Bari brought it to a dinner party, and in fact it's a great dish to bring to a party because it's extremely easy to make, and it is best if you let it sit for several hours before serving it, so you can prepare it in advance - even a day before you plan to eat it. And of course, it

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-6089403931489707802010-03-03T11:54:00.001-08:002010-03-03T12:29:54.556-08:00

I know I haven't updated this blog in forever - not because I haven't been cooking and eating lots of delicious things, but just because I've been so busy with other stuff like studying, dancing, and traveling! However, the second I bit into this bread/cake I knew I had to post the recipe, if only so that I can remember it to make it again!And again and again and again...For some reason, I've

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-37212766609936993842009-10-21T14:09:00.000-07:002009-10-21T15:06:31.036-07:00

For years and years and years I ate granola with yogurt for breakfast, and it never occurred to me to use anything other than pre-mixed granola. But all that changed about a year and a half ago, and since then I've been waking up nearly every morning and eating this:What happened a year and a half ago that was so thunderously life-changing? I read Michael Pollan's essay (now a book) in the New

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-77803069620892460792009-10-14T12:10:00.000-07:002009-10-14T12:31:47.513-07:00

Though I'm just at the start of my Maltese culinary adventures, one thing I have learned about very quickly is the ftira maltija - basically the Maltese sandwich. It's made with ftira, a crusty round bread unique to Malta (as far as I can tell), tomatoes, tuna, olives, and of course capers, which grow wild on the islands. I decided to turn the sandwich into a pasta dish, and the result was quite

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-55618286399992454322009-10-07T12:02:00.000-07:002009-10-07T12:22:55.341-07:00

A simple meal for complicated times...I haven't updated much recently because, well, I haven't been cooking much recently. Instead, I've been moving to Malta (after a brief stop in New York)! Briefly, I'll be studying at the University of Malta for a year as part of a master's program - not something I would have even suspected one year ago!Life has been pretty hectic these past few weeks, what

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-16479052594628347912009-09-27T09:57:00.000-07:002009-09-27T09:57:00.169-07:00

I joined the Daring Bakers exactly one year ago, for several reasons. I loved the idea of a whole bunch of people all baking different interpretations of the same thing at the same time. I wanted to challenge myself with recipes that I wouldn't have thought/dared to have made otherwise. I wanted to improve my baking and expand my repertoire. And a part of me also just wanted to be able to say

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-34185920514991694262009-09-09T21:04:00.000-07:002009-09-09T21:18:16.393-07:00

Soon I will be leaving California once again, and so it seemed fitting that before I head off on my next adventures, I should make something that features avocado, a fruit that always makes me think of California!This dish combines avocado with just a few other flavors - cucumber, lemon juice, basil, and dill - and mixes it all up with pearl couscous, which is one of my favorite grains and is

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-90259827178661863612009-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:002009-08-27T08:00:00.314-07:00

Since I almost never bake cakes, almost every cake I do make involves some kind of first for me. The Dobos Torte gave me my first experience with a layer cake (and my first experience making sponge cake), and though I envisioned all sorts of things going wrong - layers sliding off each other, a cake leaning perilously to one side - the cake-making actually went fairly smoothly.The August 2009

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-18296989265529481952009-08-17T14:20:00.000-07:002009-08-17T14:35:15.510-07:00

This is a sort of take-off on caprese - the classic Italian salad of mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Here the basil comes in the form of pesto, which is very useful if you have too much basil to make a normal caprese!Though I had my own basil plant last summer, this summer I've been moving around/on vacation too much to deal with having plants, so I've just been buying basil at the farmer's

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-411806747844077442009-08-10T22:21:00.000-07:002009-08-10T22:34:05.950-07:00

This pasta is certainly not traditional, but it is tasty and it's a great way to use up any extra watermelon you've got sitting around!I read somewhere that you can use watermelon pretty much anywhere you would use tomato. While watermelon is clearly no tomato substitue, the idea of using watermelon in a savory dish intrigued me, and as I have a gigantic watermelon sitting in my fridge, now

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-37531946998536412802009-07-12T20:33:00.000-07:002009-07-12T20:54:49.015-07:00

When it comes to dips, you really can't beat Middle Eastern cuisine. With their rich tradition of appetizers (meze), the countries of the Middle East have come up with a huge collection of fantastic foods to put on a pita - hummus, tzatziki, baba ghanoush, skordalia, and on and on... Muhammara is yet another one of these dips: a delicious combination of red peppers and walnuts that is perfect to

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-30036721324759160292009-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:002009-06-27T08:00:03.739-07:00

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.As an ardent lover of tarts, I was very happy when this challenge was announced. It was a recipe that was completely new to me,

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-59733726514276219712009-06-23T21:15:00.000-07:002009-06-23T21:45:08.683-07:00

I have been suffering from a surfeit of zucchini lately. Not from eating too much zucchini, just from having too many zucchini and not knowing what to do with them!Ever since the zucchini started appearing at the markets, I can't keep my hands off them. I've been buying 2 or 3 a week, which may not seem like a lot, but for one person who already has plenty of other food at home, it certainly adds

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-15758235879630272792009-06-21T13:36:00.000-07:002009-06-21T14:00:19.548-07:00

Panzanella is a classic Tuscan summertime dish. Simple to make, it requires no cooking and is best if made at least an hour before serving, so it's a great dish to bring to potlucks and parties.The version I made is the most basic one, but it's easy to make your own variations by adding whatever ingredients you want. Some common additions include hard-boiled egg, anchovies, capers, or

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-90694439049643653622009-06-09T20:20:00.000-07:002009-06-10T22:08:38.946-07:00

I know June is not usually the month when you'd think of making a hearty country soup like this, but the weather here has been unseasonably gray. Besides that, this soup is really really good. So good I think it can be made in any season, unless it's so hot that you can't even bear the thought of turning on your stove!Hearty is definitely the first word that comes to mind when you take your first

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-10291512743770835052009-06-07T21:09:00.000-07:002009-06-07T21:30:10.618-07:00

Trofie are a type of pasta typical to the Liguria region of Italy, and in this dish, which you can find throughout the region, they are served with pesto, potato, and green beans.Lately, basil has been all over the marketplace and I simply cannot resist a fresh bunch of basil. Unfortunately, you generally can't buy it in very small bunches, and even though I'll eat some pretty much every day, I

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-42449985034246344892009-06-06T10:27:00.000-07:002009-06-06T10:42:47.214-07:00

This Italian snack is a great way to enjoy fresh, seasonal vegetables. The raw vegetables are dipped in a mixture of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then eaten right away.Though pinzimonio can be made with pretty much any plant-like food, I think the two most common are fennel and celery. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the celery, but fennel in olive oil is fantastic. I also like to use

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-72664839583774013812009-05-27T10:00:00.000-07:002009-05-27T10:00:00.596-07:00

As with so many Daring Bakers challenges, this was delicious, a great opportunity to learn a new technique (strudel-rolling in this case), and most likely something I will not be making again for quite some time!Not because it wasn't absolutely wonderful, but simply because it was so much work! Thank goodness my mom was there to help me roll up the strudel (which then ended up being her Mother's

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-65158178682497818732009-05-03T17:36:00.001-07:002009-05-03T18:02:15.918-07:00

This is quite possibly the best bread in existence, and I don't think I'm the only one who would say that; I have yet to meet a person who will not happily devour a slice (or two, or three, or six) of hot tandoor-fresh naan.Of course, most of us don't have tandoors in our homes, and many naan recipes I found were quite pessimistic about the results of making naan in a regular oven. I'm not sure

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-59841287982760459142009-05-01T08:00:00.000-07:002009-05-01T08:00:01.070-07:00

Just when you think you've exhausted every possible way of combining spinach and ricotta, along comes another recipe that makes you rediscover just how good these two ingredients are together!As I was savouring these last week, I started wondering what it is that makes gnocchi (of any sort) so delectable. There really are very few sensations as satisfying as biting right into a warm gnoccho. I

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-21647111168446287592009-04-20T10:00:00.000-07:002009-04-20T10:00:00.778-07:00

This dish sort of embodies the way I think of Spring - fresh, delicate, and of course, very green!I rarely have cream or milk in the house, so I don't make things like this very often. In fact, the only times I have cream are when I need it for some special dessert I'm making. As it happens, my aunt had requested last week that I re-bake the superbly scrumptious caramel cake from November's

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-90280432988185122842009-04-19T13:02:00.001-07:002009-04-19T13:16:30.349-07:00

I love the combination of avocado and emmenthaler in a sandwich, so I decided to try it in an insalata di pasta (pasta salad), and it worked just as well!I call this insalata di pasta instead of pasta salad because to me, "pasta salad" conjures up images of elbow maccheroni smothered in some gooey mayonnaise sauce with a few sorry peas or carrot bits peeping out here and there. Since I can't

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-47071506854599044302009-04-11T20:51:00.000-07:002009-04-11T21:25:59.208-07:00

Mint and dill are omnipresent in Greek and Turkish cuisine, but in this salad they get to play a starring role instead of their usual supportive part!As often happens, I went a bit crazy at the markets last weekend. I actually went to two farmer's markets on Sunday, because the stands at my normal market had run out of a couple things I wanted and I thought maybe the market in the next town over

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-19540245959564336942009-04-09T15:31:00.000-07:002009-04-09T15:31:23.246-07:00

Light fish with capers and lemon is a combination that will never fail you. It's one of those dishes that seems almost too easy, and yet it tastes just as good as any more complicated recipe.Here, I added some leeks to round things out, but other than that I kept things nice and simple - a great meal for a day when you don't feel like cooking too much, but you still want a nice satisfying

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-38027090472574731132009-04-07T10:26:00.000-07:002009-04-07T10:26:00.682-07:00

Though I don't normally think of strawberries as a savory food, they actually work really well here, creating a salsa that is light, tangy and fruity, without being oversweet.I actually got the idea for the salsa from the website FoodPairing, which is a sort of Molecular Gastronomy-inspired website that analyzes the flavor components in different foods and uses that information to tell you what

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-45716613278188731302009-04-06T21:25:00.000-07:002009-04-06T21:25:46.829-07:00

I've had a box of black sesame seeds sitting around for months now, and this is the first time I've actually used them. As it turns out, they are delicious, and I'm sure that now that I've discovered this, the box will be gone in no time!Perhaps the flavor is the same as with regular sesame seeds, but to me these tasted extraordinarily full-bodied and satisfying - full of umami, if you will!

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-33988684834040480972009-04-04T09:16:00.000-07:002009-04-04T10:09:08.194-07:00

Though I'm not a big fan of walnuts per se, I adore walnut bread - somehow the bread part manages to bring out the best of the walnuts and the walnuts bring out the best of the bread!I've been baking a loaf or two of bread every week for awhile now, and though I try to vary it up from week to week with different types of bread, I've found that I just keep coming back to the walnut bread. I know

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-59697378003980601222009-04-01T08:43:00.000-07:002009-04-01T08:44:29.312-07:00

This mixture of potatoes and cauliflower is one of the most popular and well-known Indian dishes, and if you ever make it, you'll understand why. It's simple, satisfying, and it fills your kitchen with delicious aromas while it's cooking!The thing about Indian recipes is that there's almost never just one authoritative version. Everyone has their own particular mix of spices that they add, and

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-56993109275882435002009-03-27T08:00:00.000-07:002009-03-27T08:00:00.183-07:00

I have to say, I was pretty surprised when this month's challenge was revealed. I was expecting a dessert or perhaps something St. Patrick's Day themed, but lasagne? And not just any lasagne, but spinach lasagne! Lasagne verdi (green lasagne) as they're called in Italian*, served with ragù and beschamel (besciamella) in true Emilia Romagna style. Yum!!You would think that with all my experience

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-41042709730707711632009-03-26T22:02:00.000-07:002009-03-26T22:28:41.555-07:00

Like revenge, this is a dish best served cold.At least, that's what I think. Lately, I've had a lot of things going on in the evening, so I've been looking around for things I can cook ahead of time and then let sit in the refrigerator for awhile so that when I get back home exhausted at 9 or 10 I don't have to do anything except get out a plate and a fork!The tortilla de patatas fits the bill

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-59045977805721195362009-03-23T20:00:00.000-07:002009-03-23T20:00:00.765-07:00

You know how some recipes say "spice to taste"? Well, for these lovely little lamb pastries, please please please do not spice to taste. Add whatever vegetables, nuts and herbs you want, but I insist that if you make these you leave in the coriander and cinnamon - they work so well with the lamb and they make the pastries taste (and smell) absolutely heavenly.I don't normally think of meat as a

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-71770726080128873592009-03-22T15:16:00.000-07:002009-03-22T15:46:44.197-07:00

I made this quiche on a whim to use up half a bunch of asparagus, and I found that the combination of asparagus and prosciutto cotto worked perfectly. The slightly salty prosciutto cotto (I wouldn't use prosciutto crudo in this, as it's much saltier than cotto) was just the right complement for the sweet, mildly grassy flavor of the asparagus. A great dish to celebrate the beginning of Spring!

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-53748770397046903102009-03-22T09:56:00.001-07:002009-03-22T13:09:24.483-07:00

Rather than writing out the recipe for this every single time I post a recipe for a quiche, tart, pie, etc., I thought I'd write it out just once here and then refer back to it in a link as needed.Shortcrust pastry is a very basic foundational sort of thing that everyone should know how to make - it takes less time and work than bread dough, and it always turns out wonderfully. I use this recipe

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-27569273351830948132009-03-03T08:30:00.000-08:002009-03-03T08:32:35.241-08:00

I love the flavor of cardamom, which is so unlike any other spice I've tasted. I particularly like the way it tastes in sweet baked goods, and these biscuits really give the cardamom a chance to shine through.A couple weeks ago I made something similar with a bit less cardamom and some orange peel added in, but I like this version much more - the cardamom is so good that when you add other

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-6231608514167716552009-03-02T08:46:00.000-08:002009-03-02T08:46:23.212-08:00

Since I can't seem to stop myself from buying spinach, I have to keep finding new ways to eat it! These spanakopita-inspired pastries were a delightful new discovery; the addition of herbs and freshly ground nutmeg livens up the spinach, and the triangles themselves are actually much simpler to make than you might think.I had always thought that making your own phyllo dough was some crazy,

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-51275172374587428122009-03-01T09:42:00.000-08:002009-03-01T09:42:38.427-08:00

Castagnaccio is a chestnut cake/bread that comes from Tuscany but can be found in pasticcerie all over Italy. It is an Autumn sort of a food and is usually covered in nuts, but when it isn't it can be easy to mistake for a chocolate cake, so be careful!If castagnaccio is an Autumn sort of a food, then what am I doing baking it in March? Well, procrastination partly, but to be fair, I couldn't

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-7974551411821838622009-02-28T09:38:00.000-08:002009-02-28T09:39:14.534-08:00

Of course, for Valentine's Day you have to have chocolate! And what could be more chocolatey and more Valentine's Day-ey than a super-rich flourless chocolate cake, baked into a heart shape and served with a heaping spoonful of pink raspberry cream and homemade vanilla bean ice cream?Not too much, I think!The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker &

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-35827736337394479292009-02-25T18:44:00.000-08:002009-02-25T19:37:38.882-08:00

The asparagus have arrived!! I know it's only February, and it's still gray and rainy (at least on some days), but to my mind Spring begins the same day those wonderful cylindrical bunches of asparagus stalks start appearing at the markets, and this past Sunday there they were!Of course, the stand with asparagus was all the way down at the end of the market, so by the time I saw it, I had already

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-55658063201752129742009-02-23T21:00:00.000-08:002009-02-23T22:24:21.868-08:00

At its most basic, this salad is a simple mix of fennel and orange slices drizzled in olive oil and served with a bit of salt and pepper. The combination of fennel and orange is delightful and quite different from your usual salad flavors.Because I wanted to make this salad a main meal and not just a side to something else, I decided to liven it up with some olives and sweet onions. I added a

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-38734617134098519692009-02-17T20:52:00.000-08:002009-02-17T22:26:25.750-08:00

This is the quintessential Milanese dish and, you might also say, the quintessential risotto!For me, it typifies the cuisine of Northern Italy perfectly - rich, creamy, simple to make, and delicious to eat! Risotto is especially common in Lombardia, as the short-grained rice used to make it grows well around the Po valley. Be sure to get high quality (Italian if possible) rice for this - Arborio

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-34875764543582974652009-02-15T15:01:00.000-08:002009-02-15T15:28:31.435-08:00

Sharp pecorino sardo and sweet honey complement each other in this super-tasty toast - a perfect snack for a cold, wet afternoon.I got the idea of pairing pecorino with honey from a friend of mine who in turn got it from a friend of his, who said the combination was incredible. Unfortunately, this friend couldn't remember what kind of pecorino to use and so I had to do some experimenting to

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-1746174664563917402009-02-08T21:13:00.000-08:002009-02-08T21:41:32.832-08:00

This must be the simplest and easiest bread I've ever made. I was a bit worried about the fact that no salt is used in this recipe, but the chickpea and whole wheat flours add enough flavor to make up for that, and the bread is a great and quick-to-make accompaniment to a meal, especially a spicy one!This bread is unleavened and is made by rolling the dough into thin discs and heating them

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-35451420866388964882009-02-04T21:32:00.001-08:002009-02-04T21:57:13.011-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, the San Francisco Chronicle Food section ran a big article on bulgur, complete with 6 or 7 bulgur recipes. Always attracted by an interesting grain, I immediately clipped out all the recipes and vowed to buy some bulgur on my next grocery shopping trip.Well, either I was looking in the wrong places, or the markets I went to were just out of bulgur, but it took until this

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-14584039727976622202009-01-30T21:59:00.000-08:002009-01-30T23:07:55.684-08:00

I love samosas, but I definitely do not love deep-frying, so for those who share a similar fear of the messiness, perils, waste of oil, etc. involved in deep-frying, these baked samosas offer a perfect solution!The story of how it even occurred to me to make samosas is rather long and winding. You see, I have a sort of New Year's resolution to start cooking from a wider variety of cuisines and

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-38339878552644919992009-01-20T21:03:00.000-08:002009-02-02T22:39:43.208-08:00

I don't think I had ever consciously eaten a parsnip before making these, but after hearing my mother and grandmother rave about them, I decided I had to try some myself and now I'm wondering why you (or at least I) hear so little about them and see them so rarely at restaurants - they're amazing!Really, you barely need to do anything to them, and you get this delicious sweet, starchy, nutty

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-13207761361055589842009-01-18T20:34:00.000-08:002009-01-18T20:52:55.550-08:00

I was a very picky eater as a kid, which made meal preparation a rather tricky task for my parents, especially considering that my brother, who was generally pretty accepting of various foods, absolutely refused to eat cheese (which was one of the few foods I would eat of course). However, whenever my mom made this salad, my brother and I would both happily eat it all up and even ask for seconds!

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-29773975994909418352009-01-17T21:08:00.000-08:002009-01-17T21:56:10.341-08:00

Potato is not something you usually see on pizza here in the U.S. - at least, I've never seen it, though I have friends who claim they have, so I suppose it does exist somewhere in the country. In any case, it's definitely not as common here as it is in Italy, where, after my initial surprise, I soon got used to the sight of pizza with cubes or, more frequently, thin strips of potatoes on top.I

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-79727282867160351792009-01-09T20:35:00.000-08:002009-02-23T22:27:55.209-08:00

A classic, this soup is perfect for a cold January day. The croutons take about 5 minutes to make and are about 500 times better than the store-bought kind. The soup itself takes a little longer, but it's definitely worth it!You will need:200 g dried peas50 g prosciutto1 small yellow onion, or 1/2 a large oneA large hunk of high-quality bread (definitely not kleenex bread)Olive oilHerbs/seeds for

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-50252694000540193372008-12-28T09:49:00.000-08:002008-12-28T09:49:00.187-08:00

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux.They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege GourmandAnd, as you can see, my yule log is very French!!The yule log is not the typical genoise/buttercream roll. It's more of a layered frozen mousse cake, and it's incredibly delicious. Below you

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-22478316331821713862008-12-22T21:00:00.000-08:002008-12-22T21:29:38.433-08:00

This is one of those dishes where you take one bite and immediately think "Oh my goodness! Why haven't I been making this before and how soon can I make it again?!" Yes, they are that good.I don't know if I've ever eaten cannelloni before, yet alone made them, but I can guarantee that after these, I'll be making (and eating) them again soon! The idea to make cannelloni occurred to me mostly

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-81866319405655559532008-12-19T20:33:00.000-08:002008-12-19T21:04:46.820-08:00

Now that it's cold and wintry, it seems that practically every evening the only thing I want for dinner is a nice hearty bowl of soup. Since the beginning of December, I think I've made 4 or 5 different types of soup, which translates to 8-10 soup dinners in 19 days since I always make too much for one night!Anyways, making soup is easy and almost always works out well, and it's even nicer when

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-40605886166550129332008-12-16T20:42:00.000-08:002008-12-16T21:15:29.181-08:00

I like tarts. A lot. And I make tarts a lot. Perhaps because I've only had an oven since I moved into this apartment in July, I've filled up the months since then eagerly making anything that involves baking, roasting, etc. And now that it's practically Winter and the world is cold cold cold, baking is a cheap way to heat the house with the bonus that you get to eat something delicious at the end

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-62119913965366262642008-11-29T08:00:00.000-08:002008-11-29T08:00:02.441-08:00

Since my dad's birthday falls in November, as soon as I saw this recipe, I knew this would be his birthday cake, and I was quite excited and also quite apprehensive. This cake represented many firsts for me - my first caramel syrup, my first browned butter, my first cake with icing... in fact it was only my second cake! So I was pretty nervous about it, and I warned my parents to have some ice

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-14065174098210045342008-11-28T11:01:00.000-08:002008-11-28T11:20:45.377-08:00

I know I'm a day late with these, but yesterday was very busy with preparations and these muffins are good even when it's not Thanksgiving!In my family, it's a tradition that either my brother or I always makes the Thanksgiving cornbread. We also always use the same recipe which comes from an old, yellowed kid's cookbook we have where all the recipes are accompanied by little sketches showing

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-1964582759016216972008-11-26T21:12:00.000-08:002008-11-27T09:46:10.341-08:00

I've been meaning to make butternut squash soup for about six weeks now, and somehow I just haven't gotten around to it. It hasn't been for lack of ingredients either - the squash has been sitting patiently on my kitchen table for ages, reminding me at every meal that it needs to be used. Well tonight, inspired by the delicious butternut squash soup my grandmother made this past Sunday, I decided

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-83844505227650512832008-11-25T20:56:00.000-08:002008-11-25T21:20:06.733-08:00

This Tuscan bean dish is perfect on a cold, gloomy day, like the ones we've finally started having here in California!Fagioli all'uccelletto, which means something like "beans in the style of the little bird" is a Tuscan and particularly a Florentine specialty, which is generally made with cannellini (the white, kidney-shaped beans). It's ridiculously simple, but I always forget that often the

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-70994581536845506722008-11-24T15:39:00.000-08:002008-11-30T09:23:53.179-08:00

This Catalan "dish" is about as simple as you can get, and yet it's one of my favorite appetizers because it's so fun to make, especially with a big group of people.I was introduced to Pan Tomate (literally "tomato bread") while staying with the family of a friend in a little village way up in the Pyrénées. They were wonderful people with a very lively family full of small children and animals.

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-7998818215239161332008-11-16T19:57:00.000-08:002009-08-19T18:40:44.106-07:00

The other day I was discussing cooking with a friend of mine, and he asked me what was in season right now. I mentioned various vegetables, and then I added that I had been seeing pomegranates all over the markets lately. I almost never eat pomegranates, but my friend got really excited and told me I absolutely had to make chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds. "You get the sweet, dark chocolate

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-23890515580027051522008-11-15T21:02:00.000-08:002008-11-15T21:53:32.963-08:00

Pizza tonno e cipolla, that is, pizza with tuna and onions, is one of my all-time favorite pizzas.Unfortunately, it's a pizza that isn't too popular here in the U.S. Even though we're willing to put just about anything on our pizzas, some of them quite horrendous, tuna does not seem to be a topping people think of when writing their pizza menus.So, of course, I decided to satisfy my cravings by

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-11752192365538936922008-11-12T21:13:00.000-08:002008-11-12T21:34:49.733-08:00

It's always nice when you make something for the first time and it actually turns out pretty decent!I had some eggs and vegetables to use up and I realized I had never made a quiche before, and it might be fun. I wasn't really in a pastry-making mood (I also didn't have time) so I decided to make a crustless quiche and, in addition to being very tasty, it was so easy!You will need:2 eggsAbout

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-7590014258476508552008-11-08T21:02:00.001-08:002008-11-08T21:35:49.489-08:00

I promised to post a recipe for a pasta that was not penne and so, here it is!The idea for this dish came about because of the large zucchini that had been sitting in my fridge for nearly a week and clearly needed to be dealt with. This is how a good number of my recipes come about (and I might guess, many other people's recipes as well): I think "hmmm, I need to get rid of this ___(insert

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-13924500400428641092008-11-05T21:15:00.000-08:002008-11-05T21:41:19.243-08:00

This dip was mainly inspired by Htipiti, which is a Greek spicy pepper and feta dip that I first encountered at a Greek restaurant a few months ago and loved. I looked it up online but could only find two recipes, and while they both looked good, neither of them actually had you roast the peppers and for some reason, I really like roasting peppers. So I created my own Htipiti variation, and it

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-23590111814368381302008-11-03T18:58:00.000-08:002008-11-03T18:58:58.173-08:00

I remember the first time I ate gnocchi, I was amazed that anything could possibly be so good! I was even more amazed when I realized I could make them on my own, and it's not even that difficult. If you've never made your own gnocchi, I strongly suggest you try, at least once, just for the fun of it!You will need:1 large potato per person100 g flour for every potatoYou want to use yellow

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-19529799247174041992008-11-02T13:01:00.000-08:002008-11-02T13:06:56.940-08:00

I'm not a big arugula-eater, but every so often I'm suddenly and mysteriously attracted by a sandwich or a pizza with arugula and today was one of those days when out of nowhere I decided that arugula would be the perfect thing for lunch.It wasn't quite out of nowhere actually - what happened was that as I was wandering the stalls of the farmer's market, the rain, which had been fairly light,

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-25713841810981677652008-11-01T11:52:00.000-07:002008-11-01T12:18:43.318-07:00

It seems I post quite a few pasta recipes that involve penne. This is a bit odd, since I'm sure I eat far more spaghetti than penne. And besides spaghetti I actually have three favorite types of pasta asciutta - literally "dry pasta" (this is as opposed to pasta fresca, or "fresh pasta" which includes things like fettucine and also stuffed pasta - pasta ripiena - like ravioli and tortellini).

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-19157844784655712802008-10-27T20:46:00.000-07:002008-10-27T21:00:09.921-07:00

This dish is fast, easy, and supremely satisfying during these cold, dark Autumn evenings (of course, here in California 'cold' is a relative term). You can serve it as an accompaniment to a main dish or just eat it on its own with some good bread and perhaps a nice glass of wine.You will need:Brussels sprouts - the amount will vary of course by how much you want to make. I like brussels sprouts

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-46774459139366583652008-10-25T21:03:00.000-07:002008-10-25T21:37:37.211-07:00

Erbazzone is a savory pastry typical of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. I first discovered it while I was living in Milan (even though Milan is in Lombardy and not Emilia-Romagna). It was on display at my favorite bakery, and after the first time I tried it, I came back for more pretty much every week!When I decided to finally try to make my own, I started looking up recipes online trying to

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-24498843607529215442008-10-23T21:51:00.001-07:002008-10-23T22:39:28.689-07:00

I had made squash ravioli a few times before, but I'd never made the authentic, Mantovan (or Mantuan I suppose) kind, because it requires a few somewhat-difficult-to-obtain ingredients. However, this evening when I got home from work, I looked at my acorn squash which had been sitting forlornly on the counter for about a month, and decided tonight would be the night! Real, authentic, squash

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-59877709354474175372008-10-18T15:02:00.001-07:002008-10-18T15:20:14.900-07:00

I just got back from a short trip (to Rome... sigh), and since the farmer's markets are only on weekends here and I arrived in the middle of the week, my mother was kind enough to load me down with all sorts of vegetables upon my arrival, including two lovely little eggplants. I'd been meaning to make baba ghanoush for awhile, so this weekend seemed like a good time to try.Baba ghanoush is a

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-55914340986998928512008-09-27T08:17:00.000-07:002008-09-27T08:17:11.928-07:00

When I saw this month's Daring Baker's Challenge (my first!), I was thrilled. I had expected it would be some fancy dessert-type thing, and while I love dessert-type things, I make and eat a lot more bread-type things, so I figured this would be both easier and more practical (in the sense that it would be eaten sooner).And in fact, the crackers went off without a hitch. They were crisp and

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-89178745789797141372008-09-12T21:06:00.000-07:002008-09-12T22:27:04.176-07:00

This pizza falls under the category of pizza rossa which literally means "red pizza" in Italian and refers to pizzas that use tomato sauce, but no cheese (there is also pizza bianca - white pizza - which has cheese but no tomatoes). Though I have seen some recipes online that call for mozzarella, the type I usually saw on pizzeria menus in Italy did not have any cheese, so I stuck with that

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-32284850513669542202008-09-10T23:23:00.000-07:002008-09-10T23:22:37.982-07:00

While I'm a big fan of rye bread simply as is, the addition of cocoa powder here adds a richness and a complexity to the flavor that make for an almost hedonistically satisfying bread that goes well with pretty much any topping, whether sweet & creamy, sharp & cheesy, spicy, nutty, or whatever else!The first time I made this bread, I failed to document it in pictures because, after what seemed

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-69483355782552871472008-09-10T16:57:00.000-07:002008-09-10T20:00:03.941-07:00

When I lived in Italy and France, the list of foods I missed from the US was, it must be admitted, pretty paltry - good bagels, real lemonade, chocolate chip cookies, and... that was about it. Except for one food. One of my absolute all-time favorite foods and one I completely took for granted for the first ten years of my life (I was 10 when I took my first trip abroad) - good, San Francisco

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-75377465701970932562008-09-07T16:37:00.001-07:002008-09-13T22:08:12.759-07:00

This isn't really much of a recipe, I suppose, although it's more than I usually do with figs since they're so good that it's difficult for me to justify doing anything to them that might possibly interfere with their refreshingly sweet juiciness.However, figs are in season now, and I just can't help myself buying far far too many. Since ripe figs don't last very long, I realized that if I

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-64950893262379479272008-08-28T21:34:00.000-07:002008-08-29T09:04:49.357-07:00

Patlıcan Beğendi is a Turkish dish and the name translates roughly as "The eggplant pleased (someone)", and if you make this, I can assure you that the eggplant will certainly please you (patlıcan beğeneceksin for you language buffs, and note that the 'ğ' is not really pronounced, so it's more like 'beyendi' or 'beyenejeksin' depending on what you want to say)!This dish was the first meal I had

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-83260699433831623062008-08-21T13:36:00.000-07:002008-08-21T23:56:44.646-07:00

I haven't been posting my bread recipes, mainly because they're pretty much all variations on the same theme: Mix some flour, water, yeast/starter and salt; Knead a lot, add in one or two fun ingredients, let rise; punch down, shape, and let rise again; bake, let cool, and eat!However, I made this bread last night and as I was slicing some up this morning to make my sandwich for lunch, I sampled

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-21926196056894225232008-08-19T21:06:00.000-07:002008-08-19T23:53:27.305-07:00

I still had some pastry left over from my last tart-making endeavor, and I'd been aching to try to make my own ricotta for awhile, and so I thought, what better way to take care of both of those issues than by making a lovely ricotta-filled tart?I always have lots of cherry tomatoes and I loved the mental image of little cherry tomato halves sitting pleasantly atop my tart, so there was

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-33106408113924579062008-08-17T21:12:00.000-07:002008-08-17T21:58:26.116-07:00

When it comes to cooking fish, my experience before tonight was just about zero. Apart from canned tuna, I don't think I had ever once prepared a dish that involved fish. It's not that I don't like fish, because I do, quite a bit. It's just that I have a strange aversion to dealing with any kind of raw animal flesh and so I end up eating almost all vegetarian meals when I cook for myself, though

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-1897845619640193192008-08-16T20:51:00.000-07:002008-08-19T23:55:48.917-07:00

Another yearning-for-Italy dish...Spinach is one of many foods I never realized I liked until I lived in Italy. And little wonder! As with many perfectly yummy vegetables, American culture gives spinach an unjustly bad rap, following the logic that anything that's "good for you" can't possibly be enjoyable. Perhaps this logic stems from our Puritan heritage, or perhaps people just didn't know how

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-49187867728392216402008-08-14T14:51:00.000-07:002008-08-19T23:55:25.876-07:00

This is a wonderful pasta dish to make in the summer because it involves very little actual heating. Besides that, it's super-simple and soooooo good! Though the classic tomato sauce with vegetables will always be my favorite pasta dish, this one is definitely in the running for second place.For one person, you will need:75 g of penne or other short pasta25-50 g of feta10-12 cherry tomatoesHalf a

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-89976354082927875552008-08-10T13:08:00.000-07:002008-08-14T18:44:28.278-07:00

Left with 2/3 of a block of pizza mozzarella and somewhat afraid to attempt a pizza in my 1970's-era oven (it's bright turquoise), I settled instead for a pizza-style focaccia. In other words, focaccia bread but covered with cheese and whatever vegetables I happened to have on hand.For this particular focaccia I used zucchini, green pepper, black olives, and a small red onion. The onion and

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-31465423718814758102008-08-09T19:34:00.000-07:002008-08-14T18:46:11.071-07:00

About one week after I left Italy and returned to the US, I started having terrible terrible yearnings for pizza. Hot, thin, crusty pizza with streeetchy mozarella and oozy tomato sauce... I couldn't stop thinking about it, or talking about it, as my friends and family will testify.The funny thing is, I didn't go to pizzerias that much in Italy - maybe once or twice a month on average. I'd

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-55500718838495350012008-08-08T22:06:00.000-07:002008-08-14T14:41:39.729-07:00

During my time in Italy I actually ate surprisingly little pesto. Though most supermarkets carried several decent varieties, I almost always preferred to cook with produce from the open markets (I would go to the Papiniano market which is one of the absolute best markets in Milan and makes my local California farmer's market look like a paltry roadside fruit stand - and an overpriced one at that)

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-2242501967487811272008-08-08T09:27:00.000-07:002008-08-23T16:41:32.256-07:00

If recipes came with warning labels, this recipe would have a big sticker across the top reading: Warning! Once you have made and eaten fresh hummus hot from the stove, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for you to ever eat cold, pre-packaged hummus again!It's a bit like eating your first gelato in Italy or your first croissant in France - from that point on, every grainy sugary ice cream

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-567081976518046832008-08-06T15:00:00.000-07:002008-08-19T23:56:33.059-07:00

I don't think I could ever get tired of eating spaghetti with tomato sauce. Whenever my culinary inventiveness has spent itself and I just want something easy and tasty, I stir up some of this sauce, sauté a few vegetables, throw it onto my spaghetti and voila - dinner!There are a lot of different variations of this out there - some have you add carrots and celery, others a pinch of sugar, some

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564934649584976569.post-59765076436027588252008-08-05T19:39:00.000-07:002008-08-14T14:42:27.745-07:00

Given the title of this blog, I thought my first recipe should be something that includes cheese and garlic. This spinach frittata meets that requirement and, even more importantly, it is delicious (and very easy to make)!The recipe was given to me by a woman I taught English to in Milan. She was moving to Zanzibar to help her son and son's fiancée open an Italian restaurant, so many of our

Zoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13311209358608395712noreply@blogger.com0