We tried this almond and corn meal recipe from Nigella Lawson: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/lemon-polenta-cake-recipe.html. The lemon glaze is a nice touch. Our cake was a little grainy due to the cornmeal texture; we recommend using a fine-grain meal. (Mar. 2016)
Tag: italian
Bucatini with bacon sauce and meatballs
This is a Beau Macmillan recipe that I have been meaning to try for a few years. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bucatini-with-bacon-sauce-and-meatballs-recipe.html. It is a great recipe, but it does not specify how much salt or pepper to add to either the sauce or meatball mixture. I added a touch of sugar to offset the acidity of the sauce.… Continue reading Bucatini with bacon sauce and meatballs
Panna cotta with fresh berries
We like this simple recipe by Giada deLaurentiis. It is straightforward, but it takes 6 hours to set. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/panna-cotta-with-fresh-berries-recipe.html (Mar. 2016) Note: The recipe calls for 1 Tbsp unflavored gelatin, which is approx. 1 ½ packets of Knox unflavored gelatin. I round up to 2 packets.
Italian spiral pasta with anchovies and kale
This is a delicious, well-balanced dish that takes less than 45 mins to make. We used whole-wheat gobbetti (a type of spiral pasta). We also used anchovy paste in lieu of anchovy fillets (½ tsp paste = 1 filet). We use about ½ bunch of kale for this dish. Recipe here: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015085-pasta-with-anchovies-garlic-chiles-and-kale (Mar. 2016)Note: To… Continue reading Italian spiral pasta with anchovies and kale
Sloppy lasagna, pressure-cooker style
This marked my first time using a pressure cooker to make lasagna, both the sauce and cooking the lasagna sheets. The recipe is from the Hip Pressure Cooking cookbook by Laura Pazzaglia. Here is a similar recipe she posted on her Hip Pressure Cooking blog: http://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-pasta-casserole-a-cheesy-meaty-mess-mezzemaniche-pasticciate/. The sloppy lasagna was very tasty, but I burnt… Continue reading Sloppy lasagna, pressure-cooker style
Italian winter minestrone soup
Recipe from Giada de Laurentiis is here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/winter-minestrone-recipe.html We used thick-cut bacon (cut into matchsticks, browned, and set aside before the first step of the recipe and the added back in at the last step) and increased the beef broth from 3 ½ cups to 4 cups. We also used a very small sprig of… Continue reading Italian winter minestrone soup
French bread pizza with pepperoni
This is a clever riff on Stouffer’s frozen pizza, using store-bought ingredients that you assemble. Preheat oven to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a baking rack on top of the foil, then lightly spray the rack with oil (the rack will stabilize the uneven baguette crust and the oil will make… Continue reading French bread pizza with pepperoni
Chicken piccata
This recipe calls for a total of 4 Tbsp olive oil and 6 Tbsp butter, each divided into 2 Tbsp increments. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut 2 chicken breasts in half crosswise (so that they are thin, like cutlets). Try to keep each breast intact. Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper, then lightly… Continue reading Chicken piccata
Roman-style chicken
This recipe is from Giada de Laurentiis on Food Network in the Kitchen. (Apr. 2013)
Italian poached whole fluke
One of my favorite Italian dishes is sapore di mare, an Italian style seafood soup with tiny pasta. While looking for that recipe, I came across this “Single Fish Cooked Fish-Soup Style” in one of my Italian cookbooks, so we tried it this evening. Wash a whole fluke (gutted and scaled) in cold water, pat dry, and set aside. Separately,… Continue reading Italian poached whole fluke
Cooking Adventures 