This is a tale of two culinary possibilities: turning a classic pasta dish into a pizza of sorts and how to save your summer tomato surplus without having to resort to canning. I’m all for canning, mind you, but it’s a lot easier to throw something into a bag than can it. The fact that [...]
Thinking of Italy probably makes you think of pasta…and with good reason. But in many parts of Italy, pasta isn’t the preferred culinary co-star. Arborio rice — the kind used in the famed Italian risottos — isn’t always a front-runner, either. Polenta is. The Romans adored this simple corn-mash-turned-cake and ate it everywhere, from the [...]
Continue reading about An Ancient Roman Favorite in Modern Times
You can put whatever you want on top of a pizza and still have a “pizza.” Pies can have an infinity of fillings and still be “pies.” The name is all about the structural concept of the dish, not the details. Category dishes like pizzas and pies are fun to play with — although you [...]
Continue reading about Relocating Cilantro to an Italian Classic
When it comes to produce, I’m a big fan of the “two-fer” deals: you buy beets with the greens attached and you get two veggies for the price of one, you buy one papaya and get fruit + edible garnishing seeds for the price of one. Rapini (or broccoli rabe, as it’s often called) is [...]
Americans tend to think of pizza as Italy’s national dish, but Italians — particularly northern Italians — would probably beg to differ. Wheat fields in the south give way to rice paddies in the north, and where you find rice, you’re more likely to find risotto on the menu rather than wheat-based pastas, breads, and [...]
Caponata is an Italian dish consisting of marinated eggplants and other chopped vegetables served with a healthy wedge of bread. Moroccans, too, present vegetables in a variety of ways–from stews to relishes to tagines–and they often include flatbread for dipping. Why not combine the two cuisines? And while we’re at it, let’s top the dish [...]
While we tend to pair pasta and beans in soup (pasta e fagioli, anyone?), we usually don’t serve them in a dry environment…but why not? Sprouted-grain pastas are now widely available, and they make a hearty counterpoint to whatever bean strikes your fancy. White or black, hot or cold…beans are a flavorful, inexpensive source of [...]
Technically, pine “nuts” aren’t nuts at all–they’re seeds from pine trees. You might also see them called piñones (in Latin markets) or pignolis (in grocery stores specializing in Italian cuisine). Pinenuts are an essential ingredient in an Italian dish that Americans know and love: pesto. Whether it’s tossed with pasta or rubbed into chicken, the [...]
Mirepoix is a French culinary term for three basic vegetables (carrots, celery, and onions) that are chopped or diced and then used as the base to create sauces and soups/stocks. (The Spanish version is sofrito–it includes onion, garlic, and red pepper.) In this case, I added mushrooms, red pepper, tomato sauce and herbs to create [...]
