Since our first trip to Italy I have been a big fan of farro. Farro is made from Emmer Wheat, not spelt. The first time I had it was when I ordered Ribollita (a thick soup) at La Bottega, a little restaurant in Volpaia, a small town in Chianti. I’d read that the mother of […]
Tag: Chicken Stock
Barley Pilaf
An old favourite of mine; excellent served with roast pork loin, especially a juicy, bone-in roast . I also use it as an accompaniment to my hazelnut chicken breasts and anything else that takes my fancy! If I have leftovers, they will go into making a soup. You can easily make half the recipe if […]
Italian Veal Stew With Rosemary
A very tasty spezzatino (stew) made in the north east area of Italy. It’s quite simple to prepare and is braised in the oven. Traditionally it’s served with polenta (see below).I have served the stew as a second course, preceded by a pasta first course but it would also be lovely served with some veggies […]
Merv’s Carrot Pumpkin Soup
Whenever I made this soup, there were always compliments forthcoming from one of the executives I cooked for, which is why I named it after him! He loved it! It’s an easy soup to do and I have substituted cooked, pureed butternut squash for the pumpkin when I happen to have it on hand. Soup […]
Corn Soup With Roasted Red Pepper Puree
With the first fall days in September, why not make this soup? I think I should call it goodbye summer soup! Corn is usually still around, so are peppers and fresh sage is too! Yellow corn will give the prettiest colour, taste and texture. If you don’t have time to roast the peppers for the […]
Leek And Potato Soup
This is excellent soup, can be made with over-wintered leeks but is especially good when the leeks become available at the end of summer/beginning of fall and if you’re lucky, you might find some at the Farmer’s Market in December! The chives say spring to me, as once February is half way through, I am […]
How To Make Stock
Chicken, turkey, beef, veal, lamb and vegetetable stocks are like having gold in your freezer (well, not really, but you get my meaning I hope.) Normally I try to have a fair bit of chicken stock as I use that the most. And in the fall I will often pick up a large bag of […]