recipes

ideally a well-organized list of recipes.

blackberry lemon drops

12/04/2011 | Leave a comment! | Topics: food., libations

I made these recently. They might be bursting with summer flavors, but the deep reddish hue screams of fall/winter. Besides, you can make it with frozen blackberries and perhaps with a sprig of rosemary—or floating cranberries—it will look just like Christmas. For Halloween I made these in a large batch, put 1-2 drops of black food coloring to darken it—added licorice legs that hung over the martini’s edge—and it… [more]

how to roast garlic. and why you will want to.

12/01/2011 | 2 Comments | Topics: food spotlight, food., starters

Once you roast garlic you will never go back. It will be something you just have to do once in awhile—if just for the aroma. I roast garlic to put into mashed potatoes, to make Tuscan White Bean Crostini and to tuck onto an appetizer plate next to a wedge of Cambazola. I just said ‘yes’ to teaching a one hour class to a room… [more]

thanksgiving dish re-invented: sweet potato goes gnocchi

11/21/2011 | 9 Comments | Topics: holidays, Italian food, starch

I actually teach gnocchi-making, and sweet potato gnocchi is one of my favorite variations. The recipe is inspired by fellow Chef Iole. You pronounce it /ee oh lay/ and yes: she is Italian. You may or may not know this about me, but I have a great affinity for Italian food. It is one of my specialties; I like to tell people that living in Italy for a year… [more]

roasted sweet potatoes with blue cheese

11/19/2011 | Leave a comment! | Topics: food spotlight, starch

Just the other night friends came to dinner and I roasted carrots and turnips; often I roast new potatoes with shallots and wedges of fennel. Or under a big roasted chicken: fennel, onions, kalamata. You will see me lube up squash with olive oil, cut beets into uniform chunks and find thyme and fancy salts to sprinkle all over tomatoes, cauliflower or long, thick wedges… [more]

DaVinci Wine Cookbook: page 9 [of 10] DOLCI

10/09/2011 | 1 Comment | Topics: DaVinci Wine, dessert, Italian food

Dolci. Dessert in Tuscany is often a simple cake, a fruit tart or cookies. Chocolate shows up too, but my experience with dessert is beverage-forward: Grappa or Vin Santo (sweet white wine) and always espresso. Once you have the drink down and are wholly satiated on the aforementioned multi-course meal, dessert is more of an excuse to stretch time and good conversation than showcasing multi-tiered dessert cakes or layers… [more]

DaVinci Wine Cookbook: page 7 [of 10] SECONDI

10/07/2011 | 1 Comment | Topics: DaVinci Wine, entree, Italian food

Secondi. The second coarse is the main coarse of the meal: the protein climax. This is where you pull out the big forks and knives to dive into wild boar stew, tuna steaks, and fish or sausage nestled in a bed of cannellini beans with garlicky tomato sauce. This was when we were already happily stuffed to the gills with big samplings of salami and pecorino, chicken liver pate,… [more]

DaVinci Wine Cookbook: page 6 [of 10] PRIMI

10/06/2011 | Leave a comment! | Topics: DaVinci Wine, Italian food, starch

Primi. The ‘first course’ is generally a starch. Italians spread out their courses, so no two things go on a plate. Contorni are the sides, salad is separate and pasta stands alone. No piling multiple things—in Italy each course is deserving of its own plate. The Primi coarse includes everything from pasta (with ragu, seafood or just garlic and oil) to risottos, polenta, gnocchi and gnudi. Gnocchi are olive-size… [more]

DaVinci Wine Cookbook: page 5 [of 10] ZUPPA & INSALATA

10/05/2011 | Leave a comment! | Topics: DaVinci Wine, Italian food, salad, soups

Zuppa e Insalata. The soup and salad course is not to be missed: salads are home to seasonal greens plus seafood and all the trimmings—or simply lettuces with high quality olive oil, salt and pepper. A quintessential soup of Tuscany—and born out of a peasant’s kitchen—is called ribollita. Ribollita can take on many forms, from thin and broth-like to thick like stew. Its signature ingredients include day old bread,… [more]

DaVinci Wine Cookbook: page 4 [of 10] ANTIPASTI

10/04/2011 | 4 Comments | Topics: DaVinci Wine, Italian food, starters

THE RECIPES. To fully embrace the Montalbano region (of Chianti): buy some DaVinci Chianti (Trader Joe’s carries it—and many others), then make some of these recipes. And don’t worry if you aren’t used to zucchini flowers, haven’t cooked with rabbit and can’t find wild boar: I’ve got you covered. You can substitute beef for boar, zucchini flowers are easier than you think, and to Italians: eating rabbit is as… [more]

How to make Brandied Cherries

09/26/2011 | 3 Comments | Topics: edible gifts, libations

2 cups simple syrup 6 cups pitted dark sweet cherries 2 cups vodka 2 cups brandy 1 vanilla bean 1 large cinnamon stick 4-6 whole cloves 4-6 whole allspice Makes 1 quart Brandied Cherries. Bring sugar and water to boil, then boil 1 minute. Place cherries, vodka, brandy, 1 cup of the simple syrup and allspice, if using, in glass/ceramic storage container of at least 4 quart capacity. Cap… [more]