“Pasta primavera” is Italian for “springtime pasta”. It is a festive and colorful dish made with pasta and lightly sautéed spring time vegetables. Contrary to popular belief, pasta primavera is not Italian in origin. While there is some controversy regarding the originator of the recipe, it is generally agreed that the recipe was first developed [...]
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 Claudio in [...]
This is the time of year when the prevailing image is a cornucopia overflowing with the bounty of the harvest. In keeping with the concept of abundance and plenitude, stuffed meats, poultry, fruits, and vegetables are ubiquitous. A colorful medley of bell peppers, filled to the brim with brown and wild rice pilaf is the [...]
Ratatouille is a classic French vegetable stew with origins in the city of Nice located in the Provencal region of southern France. It almost always contains a savory mélange of garlic, onions, eggplant, peppers and zucchini, which are first sautéed in olive oil and then simmered together with tomatoes and an aromatic blend of Provencal [...]
Summertime and the livin’ is easy…and the corn is sweet and bountiful. As residents of New Jersey, we are blessed with some of the best corn in the country. New Jersey’s sweet corn is one of the reasons for its well-deserved “Garden State” moniker. Sweet corn is in season from May to September. While the [...]
Here is a tasty recipe for a quiche-like vegetable pie that lends credence to the saying “easy as pie.” Once you’ve prepped all the ingredients, you simply place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth. The mixture is then poured into a prepared pie plate [...]
I am often asked for suggestions for Thanksgiving side dishes. This recipe for roasted autumn vegetables is one of my favorite side dishes to make for Thanksgiving and other festive autumn and winter get-togethers. It has a beautiful array or autumn tastes, textures, and colors and is a great accompaniment to turkey, chicken, or beef. [...]
A Salade Nicoise is a classic French composed salad. The salad has its origins in Nice, a city in the Provencal Region of southeastern France. Many of its ingredients such as tuna, tomatoes, green beans, olives, anchovies, and capers are indigenous to the region. Because Salade Nicoise is composed and not chopped or tossed, its [...]
We Americans are an independent lot. Imbued with free spirits, we embrace individuality, creativity, and self reliance. Since we so admire the self-made, do-it-yourself attribute, a burger bar is the way to go for your July Fourth festivities. Essentially, you will provide your guests with burgers and all the fixings, so that they can create [...]
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 [...]