Food, Travel, and Cooking!
This pasta is absolutely to die for! We grow extra Sun Gold cherry tomatoes just so we can make it a few times during the summer. Sometimes it only takes a handful of wonderful ingredients to make something so yummy! I am counting the days until our Sun Gold’s are ripe; they are so sweet […]
There is nothing like making this famous Sicilian pesto with ripe cherry tomatoes and fresh basil from your own garden! Failing that your local farmer’s market is a great choice. The “sauce” is so easy to put together and the pasta is the only thing that requires cooking. Thanks goes to “Lidia’s Italy” for this! On […]
Fresh marjoram has such a sweet and fragrant scent and flavor. I love it! It’s a herb I always grow in the garden. You can dry it for use in the winter. It adds a lovely taste to chicken or pork dishes. This salad is just so refreshing on a hot day with perhaps Joe’s […]
A terrific summer pasta on a hot day; freshly cooked pasta tossed with a room temperature sauce. So perfect! We grow Sun Gold, Red Cherry Tomatoes and San Marzanos for summer cooking. I love the idea that the sauce sits and marinates on the counter until dinner time! Makes 4 Servings ¼ cup EVO 1 […]
You’ll love that you can make your own homemade pasta, trust me! Years ago a neighbour loaned me her hand-crank pasta machine. I was a little nervous but the fettuccine turned out so well I was really impressed! This meant, that we had to rush out and get the machine! We used it for a […]
Gnocchi only needs a light touch with sauces such as the following ones. Sage Butter Sauce (Version 1) 12 Tbsp. unsalted butter 8 large fresh sage leaves (or the equivalent if leaves are smaller) Freshly ground black pepper This will make enough butter sauce for 1 batch potato gnocchi Put butter into a sauté pan […]
This recipe for pesto uses roasted hazelnuts, a nice change. Local hazelnuts are always available at Farmer’s Markets in the Lower Mainland. But you could use toasted slivered almonds, or Mediterranean pine nuts (they are pricey) or pistachio nuts. I can’t recommend using Asian pine nuts due to their weird, unpleasant aftertaste. The addition of […]
A simple Tomato Sauce that is the perfect thing to dress either potato or ricotta cheese gnocchi. But…don’t hesitate to dress other pasta with it too. I like it on “shapes” (my name for short pasta). 2 cups tinned Italian plum tomatoes, chopped 2-3 Tbsp. each EVO & butter 1 small clove garlic, minced 2-3 […]
Up until I received “Lidia’s Italy” cookbook as a Christmas gift a few years ago, I had never tried to make gnocchi. We used to buy gnocchi from an Italian store/deli made by the owner’s wife. Delightful little pillows; so no need for me to! Sadly the closed and we were forced to give it […]
While I was at the farmer’s market I saw stinging nettles, right then and there I decided to create a fresh pasta dish for dinner. I call this spring in a bowl! It’s very important that you wear gloves while working with unblanched nettles! Besides the sauce given here, a fabulous ragu would be great […]