September 13, 2011

Growing up, I was what one might charitably call a bit of an odd kid. My favorite television show wasn't Sesame Street. Oh no! It was a toss up between Bob Ross' The Joy of Painting and PBS' Great Chefs. And my favorite food? My grandmother's pasta e fagioli. At the time, this bean and pasta bean dish wasn't really considered kid food. But I loved it--and that settled that.

Since going gluten-free about three years ago, I haven't eaten pasta e fagioli. Why? I'm finicky about the pasta part of pasta e fagioli. Of course it can be made with any kind of pasta. Of course it can. But when a dish is inextricably linked to childhood, you want it the way you remember. Period. And my grandmother made pasta e fagioli with ditalini--which are these little pasta tubes that are just perfect for pasta e fagioli and other soups. Without ditalini, pasta e fagioli just didn't taste right to me. For a long time, there wasn't a gluten-free version of ditalini. So I didn't make it. Silly, right?

Then the other day magic happened. I saw a box of DeBoles "Kid's Only*" Tubettini. This pasta is as close to gluten-free ditalini as I've seen. Close enough that I quickly grabbed a box off the shelf for one reason: it was time to make pasta e fagioli!

Of course, I wanted to make my grandmother's pasta e fagioli and discovered something of a family secret: my grandmother was a bit of a semi-homemade cook. YES! Long before Sandra Lee, my grandmother used shortcuts to get dinner on the table. And who can blame her? With six kids to feed, making a quick version of pasta e fagioli just made sense. So instead of soaking beans and making a special sauce, she used canned beans and leftover thinned tomato sauce.

While recreating her recipe, I found that . . . keep reading

August 11, 2011

I love tomato tarts! The other day I shared a recipe for a caramelized onion and tomato tart with a Parmesan crust in my "Gluten-Free Tuesday" column on SeriousEats.com. (Do you read my column there? I hope so!) As I said in that piece, I love (love, love, love) tomato tarts. So today I want to share another one of my favorite tomato tart recipes with you.

This time, however, it isn't a exactly a tart. Let me explain.

Galettes, sometimes called "rustic tarts" or "open faced pies" are made by piling a filing (sweet or savory) into the center of a piece of pastry. The type of pasty used is up to you. For sweet galettes (like apple or blueberry), I often use a pie crust-tart hybrid. For savory galettes, I use a sturdy short-dough. Unlike traditional short doughs which contain lots of butter, this dough contains only four tablespoons. Since a galette is baked on a flat baking sheet, and not in a tart or pie pan, the dough needs enough integrity to hold it's shape while baking. And this dough does just that. In fact, thanks to the zucchini and fresh mozzarella (which gives off lots of liquid during baking), my galette "leaked" a little during baking. The crust, however, was fine. It didn't get soggy at all--even with a little cheesy goodness running out of the top.

Here's how to put together a galette . . . keep reading

June 28, 2011

The other night I wanted to serve grilled sausages for dinner. The darn weather didn't cooperate! It-- as I am sure you guessed-- rained! Woe! While my husband has no problem grilling in the rain, I don't love standing outside getting soaked. So I did what any sensible person would do: I whined for a few minutes about the weather and then I turned on the oven. . . . keep reading

May 19, 2011

My friend mentioned that she didn't know how to cook salmon! So this recipe is for her! As you'll see, preparing salmon is easy enough to make for a quick weeknight meal.

. . . keep reading

During the week, I am always looking for an easy meal. Few things are easier than my toasted garlic shrimp. You simply toss the shrimp together with olive oil, garlic and herbs and bake. A fresh seafood dinner doesn't get any easier than this. . . . keep reading

In the middle of winter, I sometimes long for a taste of summer. Since tomatoes aren't in season, I bring out their flavor by . . . keep reading

Twelve years ago (gosh, has it been that long?), while I was a student at the Culinary Institute of America, I met Michele. She was taking a bread class from one of my favorite instructors and I was assisting the students in the class. We were instant friends.

Over the years, much has changed in the landscape of our lives but one thing has remained a constant, Michele and I love teaching people how to cook delicious food at home.

This spring, for the first time, we taught a joint class. Michele handled the main course and I taught desserts. It was a delight to teach with Michele. And the food, her food, was delicious.

During the class she shared a recipe for "Pasta with Asparagus, Smoked Mozzarella and Prosciutto." This pasta dish has quickly become one of my favorites. It is remarkably easy to make--you even cook the asparagus in the pasta water--and takes advantage of the lovely flavors of summer.

Make this pasta when you are in the mood for something "a little special" but don't feel like spending oodles of time in the kitchen. This recipe is like a warm hug from a friend: tender, soft and always just what you need. . . . keep reading

I've been tinkering with gluten-free macaroni and cheese for some time now. (Tough job, eh?) Anyway, this was my goal: I wanted a mac and cheese that was 1. easy 2. creamy 3. slightly sharp and tangy 4. Not too expensive to put together.

Let's take them one by one. Easy. When you are in the mood for mac and cheese, in my opinion, you are in the mood for something comforting. This means the dish should have lots of reward and not a ton of prep. Believe it or not,I created an over-the-top delicious gluten-free macaroni and cheese that doesn't require you to make a white sauce!

Creamy. I wanted my mac and cheese recipe to be velvety smooth. I can't stand dried out mac and cheese. YUCK!

Slightly Sharp and Tangy. The best mac and cheese has a bit of a bite. I knew a good sharp cheddar would do the trick but I wanted to make it a fairly inexpensive dish. Which leads me to...

Not too expensive to put together. Some mac and cheese recipes use five-year-old cheddar and other pricey ingredients. While there is a time and a place for indulgence that wasn't the type of recipe I wanted to create. This is a go to the local grocery store, pick up four ingredients and, boom, you are done-type of recipe.

After a great deal of tinkering, I finally created a recipe I am super, duper pleased with. The mac and cheese is soft, tangy (It reminds me of Swanson's mac and cheese but in the best way possible.) super easy to make, and best of all, inexpensive.

You must give this recipe a try. Your belly will be happy you did! . . . keep reading