Stuffed foods are a tradition for Sukkot. In keeping with the concept of abundance and plenitude, stuffed meats, poultry, fruits, and vegetables are often served as a meal in the Sukkah. A colorful medley of bell peppers, filled to the brim with brown and wild rice pilaf is the quintessential side dish to serve on [...]
My recipe for lasagna is vegetarian. I use spinach and mushrooms and part skim ricotta and mozzarella to make a lighter, healthier dish. With a rather lengthy list of ingredients and several components to the instructions, this is not a quick and easy recipe. Yet, no intricate techniques are required, and there is nothing inherently [...]
Here’s a great recipe for veggie burgers. Composed of healthy veggies, grains, and beans, these burgers are sure to please the vegetarians. Tasty, wholesome, and filling burgers, the meat eaters may come around and enjoy one of these as well. I like to serve my veggie burgers on my homemade buns with curly lettuce, tomatoes, [...]
March 2016 Last October, during our travels in Tuscany, Italy, my husband and I boarded a train in Florence and headed 29 miles southeast to the charming medieval town, Figline Valdarno, to take a private cooking class with one of the great chefs of Tuscany--Claudio Piantini. It was just the two of us with Chef [...]
November 2016 This 5-star recipe for Potato Gnocchi with Sausage Ragu is from Davide Odore, Master Chef at the Castello di Guarene, a magnificent restored 18th century palazzo/hotel overlooking the Langhe hills in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Potato gnocchi are tiny potato dumplings. They are light, pillowy and delicate in flavor—a perfect base [...]
April 2016 True story: I learned how to make this scrumptious pasta dish from a Duchess! Early one morning, last October, a group of about ten of us met Duchess Nicoletta Polo Lanzo Tomasi at the Vucciria Market in Palermo, Sicily to begin a day of shopping, cooking, dining and touring a 17th century palazzo. [...]
Halibut is my go-to fish for grilling season. It is a mild white fish with a firm, meaty texture that holds up well on the barbecue. I marinate the halibut in a soy honey mixture infused with citrus juices, and brush on the reserved marinade to glaze the fish while grilling. I like to serve [...]