Food, Travel, and Cooking!
In honour of dear Marlena Spieler, who left this world on July 6, 2023, I would like to share with you this recipe she told me about a few years ago, told to her by a chef friend. She and I both adored tomatoes! Marlena was a whirlwind! A food writer and author of […]
When my friend Deb. Mele posted a recipe for Lentil Bolognese I have to say, it got my attention! I’m always on the lookout for interesting pasta sauces and vegetarian meals. I’m that woman who stuffs Castelluccio lentils into her luggage when packing to come home from Italy. Castelluccio lentils are grown in Umbria and […]
I was probably about 12 and this was my very first experience with the flavours of Italian cuisine and I have to say it was love at first bite. I simply had to have the recipe so I could make it. Now…my parents and siblings were not big into garlic and certainly nothing spicy…so that […]
Years ago I read how Fettuccine Alfredo was first made in Italy, using only butter and cheese. There’s no cream in Alfredo sauce! So you can imagine my delight when one day I saw Italian butter at our favourite cheese shop, Les Amis du Fromage! Wow, I could hardly wait to get home and make […]
Here’s my “take” on a Lorenza de’Medici recipe. We think the addition of pancetta and a splash of white wine to the sauce makes it even more delicious. I often make half the recipe for our primo which goes especially well with lamb marinated in my go to marinade for lamb. Local leeks, which are so sweet and delicious, make […]
When the garden puts forth wonderful basil each summer, there are so many delicious things to be made! This version of cavatelli has ricotta cheese in the dough and is not quite as soft as potato gnocchi. This “pasta” is another end of summer, last of the basil, dinner in our house! If you have […]
Years ago I read an article about ramps in Gourmet Magazine. I was really curious, what the heck are they? Turns out they are foraged in spring and are also known as wild leeks. So this recipe is for those of you who live where Ramps grow wild, whereas I have to rely upon our […]
This is my take on “ramp” pesto as no matter how hard I look, I never seem to be able to find local ramps here in B.C. To get them they need to be to bought in from eastern Canada, which I have done but it’s expensive even if they are amazing! What you are […]
I was inspired to create this pasta after tasting my husband’s lunch at Trattoria Da Leo in Lucca, Italy. It’s not exactly the same but it’s still damned good. I like to use cauliflower when it’s in season because I think it’s sweeter, but this can be made anytime and it will still be a […]
This is the best version of Cacio e Pepe I have made so far, although in Rome, where the dish originates, we found they use tonnarelli aka alla Chitarra. a thick spaghetti and usually it’s fresh. I would recommend the Spaghetti alla Chitarra pasta made by either Rummo or good pasta from the Napes/Gragnano area. […]