This is an easy and delicious variation on the classic pasta dish, pasta e fagioli (pasta with beans), which is often meatless but when it does contain meat it is usually pork. In this particular recipe I used smoked turkey which offers some of the smokiness of bacon or other pork products. I also addedContinue reading “Pasta d’oro con fagioli”
Tag Archives: Mediterranean Diet
Ratatouille!
Ratatouille is the perfect summer vegetable dish. The ingredients are at peak season, and are easily grown in a home victory garden…I in fact grew these. The main ingredients–zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and basil–need very little tending, they almost grow like weeds. With its tongue-twisting title it may come off as a somewhat intimidating recipe,Continue reading “Ratatouille!”
Asparagi aglio e olio (and a few other ingredients)
Olive oil, garlic, hot pepper, and lemon. Brilliant. Yes, I know I’ve posted this recipe before (and those similar to it), but I can’t get enough of it. It is so easy to make and so delicious I’m going to keep posting it/them until you make a variation of it 🙂 Stove-Top Braised Asparagus withContinue reading “Asparagi aglio e olio (and a few other ingredients)”
Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers (yum!)
Crispy and super flavorful. So yes, these are as delicious as they look. They are really easy to make, and can be frozen, too. Eat them on a sandwich, place them on a salad, or nibble them straight from the pan…you won’t be sorry if you make this recipe. For a southwestern black bean-cheddar versionContinue reading “Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers (yum!)”
Rice-and-beans (#1); a few thoughts on a very humble dish…
Rice-and-beans (yum!)…what is not to like about this dish. It’s simple to make, it is made using one single pot, it is really inexpensive to produce even large quantities, variations are seemingly endless, and it is really good for you…some say it carries complete nutrition (this is an interesting but brief article at NPR). ForContinue reading “Rice-and-beans (#1); a few thoughts on a very humble dish…”
Onion, Pepper, and Garlic Confit
This is really a play on the classic confit d’ail, or preserved garlic (find that recipe here). It’s a simple recipe that–especially in the case of these peppers–really packs a punch. What it boils down to (yes, the pun was intended) is that you slowly poach the vegetables in olive oil until soft as butterContinue reading “Onion, Pepper, and Garlic Confit”
Chicken and Vegetable Ragout with Lebanese Seven (or Eight) Spice Seasoning
Okay, so this is good. Really good. Delicious (if I do say so my self). It’s easy to make (about 30 minutes once the vegetables are cut) and it’s likely pretty healthy, too. It’s a basic braised chicken and vegetable dish with Middle Eastern seasoning. This, like most of the recipes on this blog, isContinue reading “Chicken and Vegetable Ragout with Lebanese Seven (or Eight) Spice Seasoning”
This is way more fun than cutting a lawn…
It has been more than ten years since I tore up my teeny front lawn and planted a teeny vegetable garden which yields big results. And over the years it–the garden–has spread to other areas around the house; the side and rear, mainly. But this year–because of various reasons–I have only planted the front yardContinue reading “This is way more fun than cutting a lawn…”
Kibbet Batata with Broccoli Cheddar Hashwa and Lentil Salsah
This is a contemporary version (fusion?) of traditional Lebanese kibbeh (pie or patties made with meat or vegetables and bulgar wheat). Most often this is made with meat (and sometimes eaten raw), but there are plenty of vegetarian versions out there as well, and this is just one of them. The vegetable recipes are usuallyContinue reading “Kibbet Batata with Broccoli Cheddar Hashwa and Lentil Salsah”
Farfalline with Asparagus, Tomatoes, Chicken Broth, Saffron, Garlic Confit, and Fontinella
This is a continuation of a previous post regarding garlic confit…here’s an example of a recipe in which I used it. I made this for staff lunch at work yesterday. At first glance this may look complicated but it is really very simple…and really delicious. Other than the chicken broth this recipe is meatless butContinue reading “Farfalline with Asparagus, Tomatoes, Chicken Broth, Saffron, Garlic Confit, and Fontinella”
Confit d’ail
The French name for this two-ingredient but flavor-packed recipe translates simply as preserved garlic, but what it is in the literal sense is garlic that has been slowly simmered in olive oil. And this has many great outcomes. The most obvious is that it removes the garlic’s sharpness (but I like that, too). It alsoContinue reading “Confit d’ail”
Put some stuff on it! (or, Pizza: history in every bite)
Pizzas Pictured (from front to back): Za’atar and shanklish; Margherita; boursin cheese with smoked trout and smoked salmon; pesto and portobello mushroom (click the image for a larger view). One of the aspects of food that I have always found interesting—besides cooking and eating it—is its history. And to study food history is in aContinue reading “Put some stuff on it! (or, Pizza: history in every bite)”
Spiced Potato, Chickpea, and Asparagus Pancakes with Roast Red Pepper Coulis
Okay, so you’re probably looking at these pictures and recipes and thinking a few things. (1) This looks really delicious…they are. (2) They and their sauce look really difficult to make/use a lot of pans, etc. to prepare….these are really simple to make and require only a knife, skillet, bowl, and hand grater to prepare.Continue reading “Spiced Potato, Chickpea, and Asparagus Pancakes with Roast Red Pepper Coulis”
Tapenade!
Tapenade. Mmmm. Delicious. I haven’t made this in a while but it once was a staple on multiple restaurant tables where I was chef. And I made this for a dinner I served this evening. It is basically an olive puree seasoned with anchovies, capers, and lots of garlic. It’s of Southern French origin andContinue reading “Tapenade!”
Shanklish!
Okay, so you’re going to love this. It’s a type of homemade Lebanese cheese that is easy to make and super flavorful. It is different from labneh (which is simply strained yogurt) in that it is cooked. It’s more along the lines of a homemade Italian ricotta or Indian paneer, only instead of being madeContinue reading “Shanklish!”
Pizza Primavera (yum!)…cooking like it’s springtime even if the weather won’t cooperate
I made this for dinner tonight and it was another one of those meals where you look in the fridge and realize there’s not much there. In this case I usually either put it (whatever I happen to have) on a pizza, make a sandwich out of it, or toss it with pasta (which isContinue reading “Pizza Primavera (yum!)…cooking like it’s springtime even if the weather won’t cooperate”
Two Mediterranean Inspired Recipes
These two recipes are both easy to make and really delicious (but don’t I say that all the time). And, other than boiling the pasta for the stew and caramelizing onions for the rice, these are both made in a single pot (easy cleanup). The stew (ragu) that is pictured below (second recipe) was madeContinue reading “Two Mediterranean Inspired Recipes”
Pan-Roast Spiced Chicken with Golden Beets, Potato, Asparagus, and Orange…
There really is nothing more satisfying to me when I cook at home than being able to do it all in one pot or skillet. This (pictured) is something I made for my son and I for dinner this evening. And this post is really more about a method rather than it is an actualContinue reading “Pan-Roast Spiced Chicken with Golden Beets, Potato, Asparagus, and Orange…”
Shawarma Chicken!
So of course I always say how easy and delicious the recipes that I post are (at least most of them) but this time I really mean it. This is a play on the classic shawarma chick (or beef or lamb) that you find at any Middle Eastern or Turkish restaurant. It is basically chickenContinue reading “Shawarma Chicken!”
A Really Simple Five Minute Recipe To Make Cauliflower Taste Delicious
Okay, so maybe this will take more than five minutes, but not more than ten. And while I made this with cauliflower this could easily be adapted to other vegetables as well. The key factors are onion, garlic, spices, and caramelizing the vegetable. It is really easy, and this is how I made it. SliceContinue reading “A Really Simple Five Minute Recipe To Make Cauliflower Taste Delicious”
Urban Simplicty 