Salmon is one of my favorite summer meals. It’s flavorful, healthy and takes just 15 minutes to prepare. Growing up in Washington State, fresh salmon is always plentiful during the salmon season that lasts from spring through fall. Read more!
Ever heard of monkfish, frog-fish or sea-devil? Although the same fish, you’ll find it listed in menus under different names. Here in Italy it is called “coda di rospo” or “rana pescatrice”. Inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea, this delicious anglerfish is quite popular in dishes throughout Italy.
In the past monkfish was considered the “poor man’s lobster” for its similar taste and texture. Unfortunately, it has gained popularity in the food scene and prices are now much more elevated, although still less expensive than lobster. I love monkfish for its meaty texture and how easy it is to cook. Have your fishmonger skin the fish :: pesce and you’ll have it in the pan and on your plate in less than 4 minutes. If you can’t find monkfish, and your budgets permits it, substitute with lobster, scallops or another firm fish with similar characteristics.
Although tested and eaten in my kitchen at 9:00p.m. on a weeknight :: serata feriale, this monkfish with shaved asparagus and leeks is a recipe destined for special occasions. It begs to be served on a beautifully decorated outdoor table on a warm spring day. It’s the perfect main course to be shared with friends that you love or for a romantic meal for two.
I adore this decorated table by Dalani. It would be perfect for this fish recipe! (Photo by Dalani.)
These gorgeous spring days :: giornate primaverili make me yearn to eat outside. I love being kissed on the face by rays of sun, listening to the birds singing a melody and feeling completely relaxed when a warm breeze brushes over my nude arms. Finally the new season has arrived…happy spring everyone!
Here’s a video for you!
I’m not a good baker; I have a hard time following recipes where I have to have precise measurements and follow instructions. My first baking flop was when I was 8 or 9 and I made brownies using a box mix. There were three ingredients required: an egg, oil and the mix. I forgot the oil. The result was disastrous; my oldest brother Cliff still teases me about it to this day. Embarrassing? Absolutely.
Flash forward 22 years later, and I’m still not a good baker. Certainly I won’t mess up a three ingredient recipe, but throughout the last year of blogging, I have definitely had a lot of baking disasters (photos to come). Baking is chemistry. Things don’t work if you put in too little of one ingredient or not enough of another.
I like to experiment and create: a pinch of this, a dash of that. Unless I am writing a recipe for the blog, I don’t use measurements. It becomes a 100% engaging sensory process. I tried to recreate this same sensation with baking and gave it a go by inventing a whole wheat crust; let’s just say, I haven’t yet learned enough about the nitty-gritty elements of baking chemistry—my crust was absolutely inedible! Really, it was bad. I ate the filling but since I used 100% whole wheat flour and reduced the amount of butter to try to make it healthier, it turned out to be a flavorless hard rock. (If someone knows a good book or website on baking 101 or baking chemistry, leave a comment below.)
I really wanted to make this rustic swiss chard, feta and gorgonzola tart for a dinner party. So, to help me with my baking dilemma, I headed over to Food52, one of my favorite cooking blogs, for some advice on a whole wheat rustic tart crust. The recipe I found uses whole wheat and half all-purpose flour as well as a good portion of butter. I adapted this recipe ever so slightly and was impressed by the results: a delicious flaky buttery crust.
The thing I like about rustic tarts is that their imperfections are what make them simply beautiful. The crust is higher in one spot, the filling overflows in another, there are cracks or maybe uneven brown spots on the surface. All of these little flaws create a simple, rustic masterpiece; like life itself.
If you want to make a sweet tart with fruit, just add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar to the dough or sprinkle some sugar on top of the dough after you’ve added the egg wash. And, you? Have you ever had some baking disasters?
Although love :: amore should be celebrated 365 days a year, I think it is more than merited to have one special day dedicated to making a conscious effort to show your affection, love, and gratitude for another person. Today we should take a moment to think about all of the love we have in our life: family, friends, significant others, pets and even that kind stranger who did something nice to make your day. So, go wild with love this Valentine’s Day!
To start with, I would like to thank all of you for the support you have showed me during this past year. I always feel overcome with gratitude :: gratitudine each time someone leaves a kind comment, or just simply reads these words. Without each of you, this blog would not exist, so thank you. 🙂
I have some exciting news to share with you! I am returning back on the Italian national TV cooking show, La Prova del Cuoco, with Antonella Clerici. I have been invited to participate in a new segment of the show: “Master Blog” where I will be competing against another food blogger. I leave for Rome :: Roma tomorrow and will be on live TV on Monday February 16th from 12:05-12:20. You can vote on the Facebook page of La Prova del Cuoco during that time frame. Just find my picture on the page while I am live, and click “like”. I am so excited for this opportunity. I really enjoyed my experience the last time I was on La Prova del Cuoco and I was truly thankful for all your kind comments and support during that week.
Back to today. One simple thing you can do to show your appreciation for another person is to cook them a special meal. This quinoa flatbread with roasted beet heats, spinach and goat cheese is the perfect main course for your Valentine’s Day dinner. The preparation is super easy to do, and can be topped with anything you like. I used blended cannellini beans, fresh spinach, beets :: barbabietole, walnuts and goat cheese. To make the beet hearts just peel the beet, slice it into rounds, use a heart cookie cutter, place everything on a baking sheet, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and roast.
This Valentine’s Day meal idea is perfect for a romantic dinner for two where you can split the heart down the middle and share. It is also great for a family because it’s something you can easily make with the kids :: bambini and they can have fun choosing their own toppings and making their flatbread hearts.
Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s day filled with love and happiness.
Xoxo
Italicana
This Maple Almond Sole with Blueberry Compote is the perfect New Year’s recipe for an easy and elegant dinner at home with friends.
About 10 years ago my oldest brother Cliff was approached at a supermarket :: supermercato in New York by a cameramen who was asking shoppers for their favorite recipes. Cliff recounted the sole almondine recipe that our mom often cooked and a few weeks later was invited on Joan Lunden’s cooking show to demonstrate how to prepare the recipe.
When I was preparing recipes for my 5 day national T.V. appearance on the Italian cooking show La Prova del Cuoco, I immediately thought about this sole almondine recipe which is made with flour, butter, heavy cream :: panna, almonds and lemon. I loved that recipe growing up, although when I tested it in my own kitchen I was surprised at how much my taste buds have changed over the past few years as I’ve adopted more of a healthier and lighter approach to cooking, and for me the butter and cream was too heavy for such a delicate fish.
Therefore, I decided to lighten up the original recipe by topping the fish with a blueberry compote instead of cream and butter and I enhanced the flavors by using maple syrup and cinnamon :: cannella. It may sound like quite an unusual combination for fish, but the end result was fantastic. Both Mr. Italicano and I couldn’t stop raving on how flavorful and delicious this maple almond sole with blueberry compote was. Thanks to my mother-in-law who is the atypical Italian cook and likes to experiment with various ingredients, I am lucky to have an Italian husband who is open to unique recipes…just as long as I don’t disturb him while he eats!
One of the things I love most about living in Italy is my weekly market :: mercato shopping. The entire city center of Correggio, a small town in the region of Emilia-Romagna, fills with clothing and food stalls and bustles with people.
On market day, I always meet my friend, Isabella, for an espresso at a café (or “bar” as they typically say in Italian) so we can do our grocery shopping together. At 8:15a.m. the small space is already packed with customers. We wait in a line as the people in front of us shoot down a shot of coffee in one or two sips :: sorsi, pay a euro and head out the door.
Usually by the time we arrive at the counter :: banco, the barista, who salutes us by name, has already prepared our drinks without us asking: an espresso for Isabella and a macchiato for me. (A macchiato is an espresso that is filled with a dollop of frothy milk. Think of it as a shot size cappuccino.)
Two minutes later we are out the door and on our way to the fishmonger :: pescivendolo. We wait for him to recommend the best fish that was caught that morning. He has a lot of fish that I have never heard of or eaten and I always ask him for recipes that I then slightly adapt like: baked sardines, striped red mullet or John Dory with capers and tomatoes.
Next stop is the vegetable and fruit stand :: fruttivendolo. As I grab a number and wait my turn, each of the six employees greet me by name, their smiles and bubbling attitude makes produce shopping one of my favorite social events of the week.
I adore how the crates :: casse are always loaded with so much attractive and vibrant colored produce; this trip in particular I walked away with so many bags I could hardly carry them.
A little sweaty and a bit stronger from my veggie workout, I made it home :: casa and put myself to work roasting my little treasures; they were to be the stars in my roasted autumn vegetable salad with turmeric tahini dressing.
And, stars they were. The roasted pumpkin and green and purple cauliflower burst with sweet and caramelized flavors, harmonizing perfectly with the bitter kale, nutty quinoa, toasted chickpeas, and crunchy :: croccanti chia and sesame seeds.
I tossed this bowlful of goodness with a creamy turmeric tahini dressing to increase the warm and bitter :: amaro flavors to create a delicious fall lunch or dinner which would also make for the perfect vegetarian and vegan side for Thanksgiving day.