For years I made my own pesto, a favorite summer condiment. Basil is so full of flavor and has many uses in recipes. In the past I used a lot as I could grow as much as I wanted; I always started my plants from seed too. Make a batch, top with a little olive … Continue reading
This recipe is one of Dan Pashman’s 5 Sleeper Hits from his cookbook, Anything’s Pastable. Dan doesn’t have favorites but this sleeper hit is one he says he will be making in his own home for years to come. With that kind of comment I just had to make this play on Italian Tortellini en … Continue reading
A seasonal pasta from Sfoglini, Calabrian Chili Cascatelli, is used to make this recipe which is a take on Marcella Hazan’s classic marinara sauce. Sfoglini is known for its shaped pasta such as vesuvius, reginetti and quattrotini and their flavored cascatelli and lumache with calabrian chili. Not only are the shapes fun to work with … Continue reading
It’s been said from sources such as New York Times Cooking and Food52, that this recipe might be Marcella’s most famous and one of her easiest. First I began to receive email recipes for this tomato sauce which were basically the same as Marcella’s. Then I recently bought a new cookbook, Six Seasons of Pasta … Continue reading
Leafing through some old cookbooks from restaurants in my part of the country I ran across this pesto recipe. Pesto has been a favorite sauce and no matter how big/small my garden was I always found room to grow this beautiful, flavorful, aromatic herb. I’ve been making my own pesto for 40 years which is … Continue reading
I just loved this recipe – my second attempt at cooking gnocchi. It was perfect for a 90+ degree light dinner. Awhile ago I made a recipe using gnocchi and it turned out terrible. This happens occasionally but I had never cooked with gnocchi before so it was a little disappointing; I actually threw it … Continue reading
After making this recipe a few times I decided to change the cooking directions and some of the ingredients. Cooking the basil with the garlic resulted in crispy basil where it became brittle and broke into pieces when removed. I wanted the basil flavor but not these fried bits of basil. Many times in the … Continue reading
Way back in February my local grocery store had a big display of this heart shaped pasta and being a person who enjoys “fun” pasta shapes I had to buy a box. So, what to make that would be special for Valentine’s Day and was different from all the recipes I already had made. Obviously, … Continue reading
Cheese manicotti was one of my first recipes I ever made and also posted. This was one of Gene’s favorite dishes and I would always make a big recipe to freeze for other meals. As I have mentioned in the past he requested “extra” crepes so he could make crepes suzette. I don’t know why … Continue reading
Pasta and zucchini are a favorite combo any time of the year. I have a few recipes already, but different. This one uses mascarpone cheese (yum) and a gremolata garnish. It cooks quick all in one pot and the sauce just loves the pasta shells, inside and out, and coats them beautifully. 1-inch rigatoni works … Continue reading