Using Leftovers: Fried Quinoa Cakes with Mushroom Ragout

The other night, while my husband made a delicious roast pork loin, I was in charge of cooking the side dish.  I followed the German instructions on my package of quinoa (which called for too much water and cooking time) and ended up with a soggy, risotto-like pot of mush. So much for stereotypes about [...]

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Chili con Carne with Pan-fried Polenta

It’s official:  all this cold, dark weather has put me on a comfort food kick.  If the forecast is to be trusted, sunset hits Berlin at about 4:30pm. Honestly, I haven’t seen the sun make an appearance on any recent afternoon.  It’s just been gray, gray, gray.  Then pitch dark.

As close to a sunny day [...]

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Toasted Treats for Biscotti-Haters: Russian Sukhariki

I’ll never forget the first (and last) time I made biscotti.  I was a budding young bakestress of 16, eager to whip up some of those exotic-looking cookies I’d seen at the new Starbucks in my town.  I slaved all afternoon, digging out the anise seeds from the pantry depths and laboriously stirring the thick dough, toasting [...]

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Shortcut Pasta alle Vongole (with Clams)

Credit: Jean Allsop
I’ve been trolling the internet for low-cholesterol recipes and recently discovered that clams are heart-healthy, especially if you’re not restricting your sodium.  The following is a quick recipe that hits the spot when you don’t have $20 to drop on a restaurant dish.  It could be improved with a splash of white wine and fresh [...]

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Julius & Rachel’s Fennel Sausage Pasta

I’ll be the first to admit: this is not the most photogenic dish to ever appear on Culinspiration. But although it’s not much to look at, this sauce is so good it had me pestering my friends Rachel and Julius for the recipe for weeks. Weeks! I couldn’t get the perfect melding of flavors out of [...]

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Minimalist Brussel Sprout Salad di Parma

Credit: allotment.org.uk
My fellow blogger, Eric Hason (of I Am What I Eat) finally relented and gave me his über-simple recipe for brussel sprout salad, pictured here.
1.  Grate raw brussel sprouts
2.  Dress w/ olive oil, lemon juice, S&P,
3.  Grate in lots of Parmesan cheese

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Not Quite Carbonara

Cooking for one is sometimes an (unexciting) necessity.  To me, it’s much more fun to cook imagining someone else groaning in pleasure after taking a bite.  (Hey, a girl can dream, right? )  But anyway, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to cook up a big pot of soup or whole roast when there’s just one mouth to [...]

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Vicky’s Vodka Penne

My dear friend, Vicky, lives in Michigan, and every so often, I cajole her into visiting me in D.C.  She’s great company and a good cook, too!  One of the highlights of her last visit was this rich vodka penne.  (I swear, I don’t eat pasta all the time, despite my recent posts.)  Vicky sent in her [...]

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To Try: Adult Macaroni & Cheese

I think I’m in love:

Credit: jamieoliver.com
Kudos to Jamie Oliver’s food stylist/photographer.
Doesn’t this look scrumptious?  I don’t often use that word, but I’m pretty sure it fits this Tagliatelle with Spinach, Mascarpone, and Parmesan.
Check out the list of ingredients:
-455 g/1lb. tagliatelle or spaghetti
-olive oil
-2 tsp. butter
-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
-a few pinches of nutmeg
-400 [...]

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Italian Wedding Soup

This soup is all mine, and is pretty damn good, if I say so myself.
Base:
-2 c. soffrito (small-diced carrot, celery, onion)– about 2 lg. celery ribs, 2 medium carrots, 1/2 an onion
-olive oil for sauteeing
-2 bay leaves
-2 small cloves garlic
-1 tsp. Italian seasoning
-salt and pepper to taste
-dash seasoned salt
-32 oz. chicken broth
-lots of fresh chopped parsley
-dash of [...]

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Penne with Roasted Tomatoes, Feta & Kalamatas

If you haven’t guessed, I’m a food blog junkie, so it’s no surprise this recipe started with one from a charming blogger, The Wednesday Chef.  Chopped, sauteed zucchini might make a nice addition.
-1/2 c. olive oil, divided
-1 lb. good canned plum tomatoes (or whole, peeled plum tomatoes), halved lengthwise, seeded
-1 tsp. dried oregano, 1/2 tsp. Italian [...]

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Olive de Castelvetrano

Olive de Castelvetrano, along with Kalamata olives (their polar opposite), are my favorite olives.  Giant, pale green, buttery orbs, these babies are mild and utterly addictive.  There’s none of the usual bracing acidity—eating one is almost like biting into a lightly salted, firm slice of avocado.  Olive de Castelvetrano are served at two great Italian restaurants in [...]

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To Try: Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs

My good friend, Chris, recently made these for her husband’s birthday.  He loved them so much, he uttered that treacherous phrase for an Italian boy, “Better than mama’s!”
I haven’t had the chance to make them yet, but isn’t his reaction inspiring?
The recipe essentially follows one by Giada de Laurentiis, except substitutes regular for smoked mozzarella.
-1 small [...]

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Best Bolognese Sauce

This is the real deal: beef ragu with tomatoes (not tomato sauce that happens to have a little beef in it). Delicious, and one of my favorite recipes to cook AND eat.
-1T olive oil
-3T butter
-1/2 c. finely diced onion
-2/3 c. finely diced celery
-2/3 c. finely diced carrot
-3/4 lb. ground meat–meatloaf blend (beef+pork+veal). Omit veal if [...]

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Tortelloni & Kale Soup

A good way to use up the turkey carcass stowed away in your freezer after the holidays.
 
-6-8 cups turkey or chicken broth (homemade with leftover carcass, innards, celery, carrot, shallot, water, seasoned salt, pepper, bay, sage, thyme and rosemary, parsley — or good quality prepared broth)
-1/2 yellow onion, peeled
-1 med. shallot
-2 stalks celery, including tops
-2 [...]

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