I am on a lemon-bender. These fragrant yellow orbs are hobbling into grocery stores everywhere for the season. I couldn't be happier. It's no secret I love citrusy things. Biggest problem is usually that I can't decide which of it is my most favourite. Besides having to ...
JANUARY The citrus obsessed that I am decided away with diets and and that pink grapefruits were way underused: Red Grapefruit Curd Filled Donuts Every winter likes the cold and every winter I battle it with something extra warm:...
The way this homemade stuff pops up and ends up in various pastries and the like, you'd think that absolutely almost everyone loves Nutella. Almost. I had hazelnuts on hand and I've been itching to use my cocoa nibs in everything, I just had to, ...
Or should I aptly rename it: An Introduction to My New Best Friend Michelle. Michelle hosts the blog Sugar and Spice and sent me the most wonderful package. You see, there's this lovely event that takes place amongst some bloggers, so nicely organized ...
1/2 Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour 1/2 Cup Semolina Flour 1/4 teaspoon Salt 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Head Roasted Garlic*, squeezed to remove the skins 1/3 Cup HOT Water * To roast garlic, preheat the oven to 350ºF and cut off the top of the bulb to reveal the attached cloves. Placed in aluminum ...
Who doesn't like pizza? I am yet to meet a single soul who would turn down a slice.... Except when it was going to be me with the notion of no cheese. I was always of the mindset that pizza had but one basic construction - a crust (perfect blend of thin and chewy ), sauce (very important) and cheese. - Everything on top of that is really up to an individuals discretion and craving. That was until I had a bite of my first "real European" pizza experience. Being 15 and at the height of my pizza connesseur training, I was in the south of France on exchange. My host mother would pack my lunches complete with a little Mom note, a chocolate and something often mysterious to try; there was infrequent PB&J in Provence. While out in the countryside, our group was left to remark on the construction of Romanesque Aqueducts. Removed from any civilization able to spare me of my brown bag filled with cold and cheeseless pizza with peppers and black olives (with pits!) Starving and only armed with my Orangina, I dug in and discovered a new, old, delicious world of pizza. From that moment, my eyes were opened, my pallet was cleansed and my nose had been lifted to new a pizza snob height never known before; and I was yet to arrive in Italy! Flashing forward 15 some odd years, when trying to capture the best vegan version, I knew that one of those important and very expected elements - cheese, would be missing. Making up for the lack of gooey dairy was actually easy and created a more flavourful pizza than I'd usually eat. The secret of a good crust is always important and the hint for vegan pizza is just to pre-bake the crust a little longer to insure the crispness and then you're free to go to town on virtually any topping you could imagine. Pizza for breakfast? Check out 80 Breakfasts, who is hosting HHDH. I'm sure it will be quite the round-up.
Thrusting from a vacation back into the continual chill known as November in my part of the world, rejolted my need for hibernation. Part of this ritual naturally consists of no longer wanting to venture outside for long walks along the beach or having bird like meals made up of crunchy vegetables. Rib sticking, hearty, soft and warm is what I crave, and so what if all I want to do is have a nap afterward? With my onslaught of deliciously sweet pumpkins awaiting my arrival, I've made my share of sweet treats. If anything, I've noticed from my humble, hearty gourds is that, as wonderful as pumpkin is with sugar and nutmeg, they go fantastically well with the acidic punch of a tomato. So in meeting my hibernation qualifications, I concocted this little twist on a traditional cheese stuffed manicotti. So, after a bit of an absence, I'm about to check in with Ruth and my other Presto Pasta lover's to see about the transition from salads to soups and sauces. I'm positive the round-up of dishes will be rib stickingly delicious, as usual.
Upon returning from vacation I couldn't help but notice one of my pumpkins from my collection. The skin of my Marina Di Chioggia had turned much darker than its original green and although I don't know a whole heck of a lot about pumpkins and their various shades green, I do know that my prized Marina Di Chioggia is one of the most delectable of all the gourd breeds. From the coasts near Venice, love is in the air for the pumpkin aptly nicknamed "Deliziosa". The hard, green shell of this heirloom pumpkin may be a pain to peel, or even get into for that matter, but it's sweet, subtle flavour and silky flesh certainly make it worth it. To claim victory over the tough to surrender peel, just make one cut around to get in and clean out the seeds, then simply roast the pumpkin in a short depth of water for about 90 minutes at 350ºF. Of all the heirlooms gathered from the patch this season, the glorious Marina Di Chioggia is perfect for just about any recipe. It's sweet yet delicate and can hold it's own beautifully in pies, pasta and of course, gnocchi. Perpetually intimidated by making gnocchi, with or without eggs, I found that this pumpkin is a great addition to the delightful dumplings. Typically worried about them being gummy and dense or at worst, falling apart in the cooking water, I found nothing of the sort. The dough was quite soft, so depending on the extent of draining you do, climate you live in and any other moisture factors, you may have to adjust the amount of flour to create a workable dough. ...And with a terrific yield, everyone can look forward to a few great pumpkin recipes to add to autumn and holiday collection.
I'm not sure when I first had a sweet potato with tomato, but I do know I've always liked it. The sweetness combined with the slight tang of tomato sauce creates such a delicious balance. When I first decided I was going to make this for presto pasta ...
I may have insulted one of the growers from the farmer's market once. She was explaining how she has an heirloom variety of beets and how they had tasted different than regular beets, although she wasn't able to fully articulate how. Apparently I wasn't able either when I ...
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