Food Blog

Right after rigatoni, penne is my favorite pasta. Rigatoni is big and bold and that’s why I love it. Penne is more refined, but still meaty and substantial. Add a rigate to the mix and both are just about perfect. Did you know that rigate means “ridged” in Italian? There’s smooth pasta (lisce) and ridged pasta (rigate). Penne is available in both varieties. Ridges are often added to pasta to help keep each piece just a bit more sturdy. Those same ridges also help sauce stay on the noodle, so each bite is better than the alternative. In this post, I share a recipe for penne rigate with a beautiful porcini mushroom, garlic, onion, prosciutto, and Parmesan cream sauce. It’s divine. The mushrooms and prosciutto add the most flavor to this dish, with the onion and garlic coming in a close second. If you enjoy big skillets full of pasta with an awesome tasting sauce, this may be the dish for you. Click though to take a look. Continue reading…

Mussels are one of the easiest and least expensive types of seafood to prepare. They’re an excellent source of protein, iron, selenium, iodine, and omega-3. They’re also low in saturated fat, making them virtually guilt free. I’ve been cooking mussels for years; they’re a staple food in Maine. I’ve prepared dozens of mussel recipes in my day and I’ve found almost all of them tasty and well worth the effort. Oftentimes, the simpler the recipe, the better. Mussels really don’t need much help to shine. Just add some wine or beer, a few herbs, garlic, onion, salt, and that’s pretty much it. In this post, I share a very simple recipe that’s sure to delight. It calls for a dry white wine, thyme, red pepper flakes, and a few more common ingredients. The recipe produces a good dish. I’ve actually used it on quite a few occasions and have been happy each time. Click through to take a look. Continue reading…

When I think of giant sandwiches that are going to fill me up, the word vegetarian doesn’t necessarily come to mind. I usually think of meatball or chicken parmesan wedges. If I were to make a vegetarian sandwich that would hold me over for the rest of the day though, this would definitely be the one. Take a look at this photo and then click into the post to check out the rest of the pictures. I bet you can’t argue with what you see. In the hummus alone, there are 14 ingredients. We all know what ingredients equal: flavor. Beyond the hummus, there is red bell pepper, avocado, lettuce, and tomato all situated on very high quality multi-grain sandwich bread. I can tell you right now that this sandwich is as legit as they come. It’s got tons of flavor and it’s absolutely huge. It’s well worth the effort, so click through for the recipe. Continue reading…

Cod is a great fish to eat. It’s a good source of omega-3 fatty acids and is high in protein and low in fat. I usually buy a few pounds each time I visit the grocery store. It’s relatively inexpensive and it’s good tasting. And when I can dress it up on a nice looking bed of wilted spinach and cover it with an outstanding orange vinaigrette with toasted pecans – yeah, I’ll take it. If you’re into fish, you really need to check this recipe out. As I mention in the post, it’s a fast one, meaning, it’ll only take you about 20 minutes to put the entire dish together. When you see the ingredients for the vinaigrette, I think you’ll be sold; olive oil, shallots, maple syrup, tarragon, orange zest, and toasted pecans, among other things. Just the maple syrup and tarragon would have been enough for me. FYI – cod is easy to pan fry. All it takes is a few minutes on each side over medium heat in a non-stick pan. If you don’t cook fish often, I encourage you to try this recipe out. It’s just so simple. Click through to take a look. Continue reading…

I recently browsed a few websites for fresh pasta markets in Italy. I wondered if there were any, meaning, does anyone prepare fresh pasta daily and sell it to the public? Perhaps, by the pound? I was surprised to find quite a few and boy did their product look good. Unfortunately, when I saw the prices of what was for sale, I was just as surprised. Most pasta sold for approximately $9 per pound, with some varieties reaching around $20. It was at that moment the notion of my own fresh pasta making endeavors being worthwhile was confirmed. I’ve been making fettucine and ravioli for years and I have to tell you that the process is liberating. Before making my own pasta, I thought of the process as being somewhat beyond my reach, but after trying it out just once, I realized how easy and fun it can be. In this post, I share the simple process for preparing homemade pasta. I work through everything step-by-step. Click through to take a look. Continue reading…

There’s pizza and then there’s pizza. When I make pizza, I don’t mess around. That’s probably because whenever I’m in the mood for pizza, I’m extraordinarily hungry. In this post, I share a recipe for a pizza that’s loaded up with veggies (carrots, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, onion, and an awesome olive tapenade) as well as basil, sesame seeds, and two different types of cheeses. It’s a no-nonsense pizza that’s not made for the faint of heart. You’ll discover this very quickly when you pick the pizza up to place it in the oven. It’s got some definite weight to it. The best part is, it tastes incredible. Yes, the vegetables are delicious in their own right, but really, it’s the olive tapenade that brings the flavors home. If you’re a homemade pizza lover like I am, click through to read the recipe and to check out the pictures. Continue reading…

I’ve enjoyed a wide variety of dessert types in my day – most usually having to do with some sort of cake or ice cream. I’ve even dabbled in a few different types of fruit desserts, but nothing quite as unique as this peach and pecan dish. I pulled this recipe from my America’s Test Kitchen Mediterranean cookbook, so I knew it would be something I wasn’t familiar with (I haven’t prepared all that many Mediterranean dishes in my life). That was okay because I’ve had such good luck with every other dish I’ve made using the book. This dessert is excellent. It reminds me of other baked, grilled, or roasted peach desserts I’ve seen. There are similar recipes floating around out there – some of them incorporate cinnamon, ice cream, and even goat cheese. This dish is rich and sweet and if you like peaches and pecans, you might want to give it a try. Click through for the recipe and photos. Continue reading…

There’s a dish out there called Spaghetti ai Carciofi. It translates from Italian to “Spaghetti with Artichokes.” Simple enough, right? One would think that adding artichokes to a spaghetti dish would be super straightforward. It almost is – the only thing you need to do is really beef up the tomato sauce with some carrots and celery and then fry the artichokes for a few minutes in olive oil. Add the artichokes to the sauce and you’re all set. This is a hearty dish that’s robust in its own right. The flavors are there and I have to admit, I just liked this dish. It hit the spot. What I was most impressed with was the carrots and celery. I know, that’s strange. But it’s true. And yes, the artichokes were wonderful as well. Click through to check out the recipe for this fine dish. Continue reading…

This is another winner from Mary Berry. As I mentioned in this post, I would’ve never considered using Roquefort cheese in a quiche, but after giving it a try, I’m quite pleased with the result. I’ve always eaten Roquefort on small pieces of toasted French bread, which I think is more traditional. By the way, if you aren’t aware, Roquefort is a sheep milk cheese from Southern France and is one of the world’s best known blue cheeses. It’s made from fresh and unpasteurized sheep’s milk and gets its blue veins from Penicillium Roqueforti fungus, initially found in the soil of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon caves, where the cheese comes from. It is, hands down, the best cheese I’ve ever tasted in my life. It’s like no other, so if you haven’t tried it yet, please do. In this post, I share a recipe by Mary Berry that includes a Roquefort cheese infusion. The recipe offers instructions for an outstanding quiche, so please click through to take a look. Continue reading…

I tend to make a lot of pizzas and through the years, I’ve found that buying pre-made pizza dough from the store isn’t the best use of my money. Making homemade pizza dough is a fairly simple process and I encourage you to give it a try if you haven’t already. There are a few benefits to making your own dough; you can choose the type (i.e. whole wheat) and you can choose how much you’d like to prepare and use for your recipe (double up for Sicilian or deep dish). You can even make a few balls and store them in the freezer. That’s what I prefer to do, since the ingredients and mixing bowl are already in use. The question is, why spend a few dollars buying pre-made dough at the store when you can spend just a few cents making your own dough at home? In this post, I share a very good dough recipe that’s easy to understand and follow. Click through to read. Continue reading…