Tag: vegetables

Stufato di Manzo: Italian Beef & Vegetable Stew

Stufato di Manzo: Italian Beef & Vegetable Stew

Beef stew was my favorite lunch when I trudged home from elementary school on a cold wet winter’s day. I liked to squash all of the tender ingredients together to form a shepherd’s pie mash-up on my plate that I scooped up with a spoon. 

Pork Chops with Peppers, Onions & Potatoes

Pork Chops with Peppers, Onions & Potatoes

Don’t miss the next recipe video: Subscribe now to my YouTube channel. If you’ve been on the East Coast for St. Joseph’s Day or any other feast day where they had the outdoor parade and set up the booths, you probably had a version of this dish 

Black Kale Steam/Sauteed with Garlic & Chili

Black Kale Steam/Sauteed with Garlic & Chili

Don’t miss the next recipe video: Subscribe now to my YouTube channel. I love leafy vegetables cooked using this easy steam/saute method. You can have delicious and healthy vegetables on your table in about 15 minutes. Heat up olive oil, garlic and chili flakes in a 

Tortellini in Brodo: Homemade Stuffed Pasta in Broth

Tortellini in Brodo: Homemade Stuffed Pasta in Broth

I always have to satisfy a variety of diets at my table. A recent lunch gathering was no exception – vegetarians amongst the meat eaters! But, I had a strategy… My method for vegetable sides, sauces or soups is to start with the universal base. 

New Year’s Hearty Bean, Ham & Cabbage Soup Recipe

New Year’s Hearty Bean, Ham & Cabbage Soup Recipe

I’m just back from Christmas in the redwood forests overlooking the Pacific on the northern Sonoma coast a few hours north of San Francisco. Our Christmas dinner on top of the ridge included roast turkey and baked ham. When I got ready to head back 

North Beach Shopping Spree Ends with Shadow Ravioli

North Beach Shopping Spree Ends with Shadow Ravioli

“Make homemade ricotta ravioli for Saturday’s dinner,” my Seattle friend told me before she boarded her plane. And so started a day of shopping and eating in North Beach with friends. Those are my shadows on the dining room wall. I’m holding a tray of ricotta 

Roasted Beet Salad Recipe

Roasted Beet Salad Recipe

The Virginia branch of the family gathered at my nephew’s beautiful new house on Smith Mountain Lake in the Blue Ridge Mountains. No one but my sister and brother-in-law knew I was joining 3 generations for this Thanksgiving gathering. As each wave of the family arrived 

Start Thanksgiving Dinner with Crab & Vegetables in a Hot Bath

Start Thanksgiving Dinner with Crab & Vegetables in a Hot Bath

The dungeness crab season started a couple of weeks ago and the harvest is superb. So here’s a simple delicious start for your Thanksgiving dinner, steamed crab and vegetables with bagna cauda, a flavorful anchovy-garlic hot dipping sauce. This is a super easy dish. Buy 

Mighty Minestrone–A Hearty Vegetable Soup Recipe

Mighty Minestrone–A Hearty Vegetable Soup Recipe

There’s been a chill in the air so I decided to make my first soup of the fall season. Minestrone was at the top of my list. It’s easy to make, delicious and good for you. The most difficult part of this recipe is chopping 

Artichoke, Leek & Potato Soup

Artichoke, Leek & Potato Soup

The large artichokes at the farmers market were beautiful. I grabbed 3, heavy and still tightly closed. Should I stuff them, bake them, steam them? Nope. I wanted something quicker to prepare so I decided to make artichoke soup instead. The hardest part of this 

Cabbage Steam-Sauteed with Pancetta

Cabbage Steam-Sauteed with Pancetta

Desperation one night led to this tasty dish. I bought a head of cabbage intending to make an Italian-American cole slaw. It didn’t happen. Now what? As I looked in the fridge for something to eat when I got home from a long day at 

Fettuccine with Squash Blossom Cream Sauce

Fettuccine with Squash Blossom Cream Sauce

Are you afraid of squash blossoms that are flooding farmers markets now? Don’t be. The blossoms are versatile and easy to cook up. Grab some if you can. Stuff the blossoms with mozzarella and anchovy and fry them coated with a light batter. Use them as 

Eggplant “Meatballs”

Eggplant “Meatballs”

An old woman in a soiled white apron stood at the top of the stairs leading to a basement trattoria a cigarette dangling out of her mouth. We were wandering around the backstreets in Naples behind the big fancy hotels facing the marina and Castel 

Broccoli Rabe and Italian Sausage

Broccoli Rabe and Italian Sausage

Here’s one of my favorite dishes that’s easy and quick to make for a weeknight dinner. You’ll be eating in a half hour or so. Roast the sausage in a hot 425 degree oven until they’re golden brown. While the sausage is roasting steam/saute the broccoli 

Italian Braised Beef Brisket

Italian Braised Beef Brisket

Slow braised beef brisket served with aromatic vegetables is a simple and favorable one-plate lunch or dinner.