Alcatraz may be one of the many legendary and attention-grabbing attractions making San Francisco a colorful destination, but Ciopinno is positively an icon there. With a name like Cioppino, it has a heavy Italian influence permeating from the Genoese settlers in the 1800’s. It is a sought after culinary sensation, offered at almost every restaurant in the Golden City, with countless chefs giving it their own spin. This is a savory and superlative brothy soup, which is very adaptable…
For most folks, soups are the soul food consumed piping hot to ward off the chill throughout the bone-numbing temperatures during the interminable winter months. However, cold soups are the perfect complement for dog days of summer as they are the ultimate solstice cooler when there’s a cornucopia of fresh veggies and we crave something refreshing. Requiring no introduction, this classic from the Iberian Peninsula, specifically Andalusia, Gazpacho demands no stove preparation and it has many variations, typically red or…
Pasta e Fagioli (Fagiol) another brilliant dish hailing from the incomparable Emilia-Romana region of Italy. The beans here are Great Northern, Cannellini or Borlotti and they are accompanied by small round pasta called Ditalini. No matter the different ways of pronunciation, Fasola, Fagiol or Fazool, it’s so swanky a dish, even Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore” has lyrics in its favor: “When the stars make you drool, just like Pasta Fazool, that’s Amore”. And drool is exactly what happens when inhaling…
“I live on good soup, not on fine words”. Moliére There’s no doubt it – soup’s approachable topic of discussion. Who doesn’t crave or give unswerving devotion to a bowl of steamy, sexy, stick-to-your-ribs soup? Hailing as far back as far back as 20,000 BC, give or take a few years, soup’s been a companion to early man and deeply embedded in the history of cooking. In French the word is “soupe” and in Latin “suppa” means “bread soaked in…
Countless Tuscan dishes have peasant origins and this recipe is no exception. Ribollita means “re-boiled” and in the old days, the previous day’s Minestrone was invigorated and given some additional girth with the addition of old bread. The classic ingredients are cannellini or Great Northern Beans, vegetables and bread, although there are countless variations – however, without the bread it is just veggie soup and not genuine. One of the secrets to an authentic Ribollita is to puree some of…
The infallible and highly sought after French fry! You may be flummoxed to learn about the misnomer revolving around this golden, crispy wonder, an age-old conflict raging between the Belgians and the French. They both want accreditation in the parentage of the fry. Belgium maintains they gave birth to this fried spud in the 1600’s, when the peasants deep-fried small fish obtained from the river Meuse and when the river froze in winter, they survived on fried potatoes. Arguably, pommes…
Make sure you get the lowdown on the art on glazing with my post For Goodness Glaze PARSNIPS WITH HONEY MISO GLAZE I found this glazed parsnip recipe in an old Canadian cooking magazine while travelling there on assignment and I immediately was anxious to put them to the test with my own spin. This particular recipe has such a wow factor you’ll be incapable of forgetting them. The miso and honey transform this melancholy root veg from dull…
Hummus authorities will tell you it’s truly calamitous to use canned chickpeas. Still, when time constraints thwarts the lengthy preparation, it’s a precipitous way of creating Hummus in a hurry. It may be a desecration of the Hummus Laws of the Universe, but you still get a pretty decent dip in my opinion, way better than any store bought. So, venture gently into the Hummus world, and know it’s fine to use the shortcut. Fair warning however, once you make…
With Super Bowl LII festivities squared off, crowning the Philadelphia Eagles as epic champions with their first ever Lombardi trophy, we’re all probably still reeling from the countless wings, nachos, burgers and dogs devoured nationwide. After yesterday’s game revelries, the foray in the kitchen loomed as an annoyance. Our stomachs were still lurching from yesterday’s buffalo wings, potato salad, pork sliders and a constant nibbling of chips and dip to boot! With that said, a thought had been lurking…
Closely related to the French Ratatouille and the Spanish Pisto, Caponata is the soul and essence of Sicilian cuisine. It’s a sweet-sour Italian chunky veggie jam, where the star is the mellow flavored eggplant, making it a perfect vessel for absorbing all manner of splendid flavors. Raisins and toasted pine nuts are thrown in which reflect the Arab overtones ever present at the Sicilian table, although, there are recipes of Caponata that exclude these two ingredients, so each seasoned chef…
Although Pisto is associated with the Spanish region of La Mancha, the land of Don Quixote and sun-bleached windmills, it’s a revered staple all over Spain. It consists of a rustic medley of peppers, tomato and zucchini, characteristically served with a fried egg on top and it’s also utilized as the filling for Enpanadillas (Spanish Empanadas). You can make a couple of holes in the center of the pisto, about 5 minutes before it is done and crack a couple…