Tag Archives: Italian cooking

Spaghetti (grano intero) con Broccoli, Aglio e Olio

If you’ve followed any of the recipes on this blog you know that two of my favorite ingredients are olive oil and garlic. I made this for staff lunch today…whole wheat spaghetti with broccoli, garlic, olive oil, and hot peppers. For pictures and recipes on how to cook nearly anything aglio e olio scroll throughContinue reading “Spaghetti (grano intero) con Broccoli, Aglio e Olio”

Hearty and Meaty Spring Ragout

I’ve mentioned a few times on this blog that while I am far from being vegetarian I have been making efforts to eat less meat for a variety of reasons…but sometimes I crave it. Today was one such instance. Maybe it was that I swam 1/2 mile and hauled concrete blocks about 5 miles (oneContinue reading “Hearty and Meaty Spring Ragout”

Pesce (e Pasta) Fra Diavolo

I’ve mentioned it before but I have to again…this is without doubt my favorite pasta dish. It’s easy to make and super delicious (and you can use whatever seafood you like). The recipe is below, but if you would like more photos and info about this dish (including it’s history and etymology), click here. NowContinue reading “Pesce (e Pasta) Fra Diavolo”

Asparagi Aglio e Olio (ricetta)

This is just another delicious variation of cooking vegetables in olive oil with garlic and hot pepper. It is so simple but truly delicious and you can cook nearly any vegetable in this fashion. Here’s a simple recipe; for more recipes like this click here.  (I ate this for dinner tonight with brown rice, lamb,Continue reading “Asparagi Aglio e Olio (ricetta)”

Deep-Dish Pizza with a Whole-Wheat Seven-Grain Crust, Five Vegetables, and Three Cheeses

Deep-Dish Pizza with a Whole-Wheat Seven-Grain Crust, Five Vegetables, and Three Cheeses…that’s a mouthful if I ever heard one (pun intended). This is yet another variation of pizza that I made tonight for dinner. The vegetables (onion, pepper, carrot, cauliflower, and broccoli) were cooked aglio e olio style before being placed on the dough. TheContinue reading “Deep-Dish Pizza with a Whole-Wheat Seven-Grain Crust, Five Vegetables, and Three Cheeses”

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

This is by far one of my favorite seafood/tomato sauce recipes. It’s easy to make and really delicious…and it has an interesting history also. To read more about it’s origins, the reason certain ingredients are included, or to see photos of it being prepared, click here. (And no, to some of the squeamish readers whoContinue reading “Shrimp Fra Diavolo”

Whole Wheat-Oatmeal Pizza (crust) with Rapini and Three Cheeses

This is really a variation on two themes I’ve touched on before…vegetables cooked aglio e olio and a pizza recipe. In this version I used rapini, which I cooked with oil, garlic, and hot pepper, and the pizza crust was made using a hand-kneaded oatmeal crust (click here for the recipe). The main difference withContinue reading “Whole Wheat-Oatmeal Pizza (crust) with Rapini and Three Cheeses”

Three Photos and Six Recipes

Did you know that January is NationalSoup Month? Well it is, and rightly so. It’s perfect for the cold weather and seemsto nourish both body and soul. Soup is delicious and nutritious,and it’s easy to make. If you can boil water you can make soup. Andthere’s something about a simmering soup pot…it’s the originalcomfort food.Continue reading “Three Photos and Six Recipes”

Handmade Pasta

Homemade pasta is not only simple to make but also fun. And besides that I really believe it is one of the most brilliant foods there is. Think of it’s versatility, nearly every culture has a version of it, and its most basic form it is nothing more than a paste made with flour, andContinue reading “Handmade Pasta”

Meatballs…or polpette?

Likely everyone in America has an opinion on the recipe and/or origin of classic tomato sauce and meatballs, especially if you are of Italian ancestry. Some say this is purely an American recipe that was adapted by early Italian immigrants out of necessity, while others believe it has its roots in the “old country”…and surelyContinue reading “Meatballs…or polpette?”

Spiced Brown Rice and Beans with Venison and Broccoli

I remember hearing the statement–and I’m paraphrasing, I’m sure–that if you teach a person to play a song they can play that song, but teach them to play the instrument and they can play many songs. The reason I mention this is that this is just another example of an endless number of dishes thatContinue reading “Spiced Brown Rice and Beans with Venison and Broccoli”

Super Delicious (and simple to make) Pasta con Vendure

This is a dish that I served to our staff at work yesterday. I was trying to use up some vegetables because we are closed for the first week of January. It’s really just a more complex version of any of the aglio e olio dishes I’ve posted here before. But before I start theContinue reading “Super Delicious (and simple to make) Pasta con Vendure”

Broccoli Aglio e Olio

Vegetables can be so beautiful. I’ve posted on cooking things with aglio e olio many times in the past, but I had this for dinner last night and thought it was so beautiful and delicious I thought I’d share a picture. Click here or a recipe (with pasta); click hereto see many other versions ofContinue reading “Broccoli Aglio e Olio”

I Like to Cook at Home

“Cooking is a great destresser because it serves as a creative outlet,” says Debbie Mandel, author of “Addicted to Stress.” “And while stress can numb your senses, cooking activates them. It’s a sensory experience with aroma, taste, touch, visual delight and even sizzling sound.” I could easily start and finish this post with it’s title:Continue reading “I Like to Cook at Home”

A Quick and Simple, Yet Delicious and Nutritious, Way to Prepare Eggs

If you’ve been to this blog before you know that I am somewhat of a creature of habit when it comes to preparing my own food. I like food that is not only relatively quick to make, but also full flavored and nutritious (and interesting to make, too); this is a perfect example. It’s aContinue reading “A Quick and Simple, Yet Delicious and Nutritious, Way to Prepare Eggs”

Fagiolini con Aglio e Olio

OK, firstly…I do not speak Italian, but I do know what aglio e olio means: garlic and oil, usually virgin olive oil; two of my favorite ingredients. And to cook “aglio e olio” is not just a manner of using these two ingredients, but an actual style of cooking. The traditional recipe for this isContinue reading “Fagiolini con Aglio e Olio”

How To Cook Pasta Like a Chef

Firstly, let me say that this post is not about pasta in general, nor is it about a specific recipe; it is more about how to cook in a specific style with just a few ingredients. And by this I mean cooking aglio e olio–or, with garlic and oil–which of course refers to the ingredientsContinue reading “How To Cook Pasta Like a Chef”

How to Make a Really Delicious and Nutritious Deep-Dish Pizza (and a loaf of bread, too)

Pizza is one of my favorite homemade comfort foods to make (click here for additional pictures and recipes). And while many believe it to be time-consuming and somewhat laborious–or even difficult–to make, it is neither. It’s basically bread dough with stuff baked on it. Thus, when I bake pizza at home I usually make twiceContinue reading “How to Make a Really Delicious and Nutritious Deep-Dish Pizza (and a loaf of bread, too)”

Whole Wheat Brown Rice Garden Fresh Pizza

With the weather turning cooler I’ve been baking bread at home again (opposed to taking the raw dough to work to bake it where the ovens are on all day long everyday). And is often the case when I bake at home I’ll take half the dough and make pizza for dinner…and this is justContinue reading “Whole Wheat Brown Rice Garden Fresh Pizza”