Is drunk cooking even a thing? It can be: Midnight Spaghetti

Olive oil, garlic, capers, anchovy fillets, red pepper flakes, Parmesan and parsley create a simple, lively sauce for late-night pasta. Recipe below.

Midnight Spaghetti

MIDNIGHT SPAGHETTI HAD US AT THE NAME. It just sounds like something that comes together quickly with things you have on hand. Something you can actually do after a night out involving wine or cocktails, and even if the wine is still flowing while you cook. When it’s midnight and you’re suddenly hungry, but for something cooler than drive thru fare. Continue reading “Is drunk cooking even a thing? It can be: Midnight Spaghetti” →

The classic Sicilian dish named for an opera: Pasta alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma, a beloved traditional dish, gets its name from a Bellini opera—and an update with Japanese eggplant. Recipe below.

Pasta alla Norma

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]W[/su_dropcap]e’ve been doing a lot of harvesting and prepping of crops from our modest city yard. Last weekend, Terry brought in all the remaining basil and put up a bunch of pesto. I froze a flock of shishito peppers. We are drying herbs, and I am pondering whether to dry some tomatoes or just continue my usual policy of eating and eating and eating them out of hand while standing next to the tomato plants. Continue reading “The classic Sicilian dish named for an opera: Pasta alla Norma” →

Taming the pesky “meanwhile”: Grilled Shrimp Scampi with Orzo

For Grilled Shrimp Scampi with Orzo, the marinade for the shrimp doubles as sauce for the pasta. Recipe below.

Grilled Shrimp Scampi with Orzo

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]M[/su_dropcap]eanwhile gets tossed around rather freely in recipes. “Meanwhile, cook the pasta.” “Meanwhile, make the biscuits.” Sometimes, that’s fine—being able to multi-task is an invaluable cooking skill. But sometimes, it can feel like you’re already juggling flaming batons and someone just tossed you a running chainsaw. Continue reading “Taming the pesky “meanwhile”: Grilled Shrimp Scampi with Orzo” →

The Korean-Italian mashup you’ll set on repeat: Kimchi Carbonara Linguine

Pasta carbonara, a bacon-rich Italian favorite, gets a cross-cultural makeover with kimchi, Korea’s national dish. Recipe below.

Linguine Kimchi Carbonara

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]C[/su_dropcap]arbonara is one of nature’s perfect foods. Whatever recipe you follow, it involves bacon (or some sort of fatty pork), vegetables and aromatics cooked in bacon fat, pasta, cheese and eggs. Sometimes cream, sometimes not. Like I said, perfect. And now we’ve discovered something that makes it more perfect. Continue reading “The Korean-Italian mashup you’ll set on repeat: Kimchi Carbonara Linguine” →

From dinner to dessert to breakfast: five ricotta recipes (and a surprise or two)

Ricotta Chevre Cake

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]T[/su_dropcap]his weekend, our daughter who bakes was in town. So she and Marion baked the traditional Italian cake you see here, made with ricotta, goat cheese, dried tart cherries and a mere seven tablespoons of flour. More about this cake later, but it got me thinking about ricotta. Continue reading “From dinner to dessert to breakfast: five ricotta recipes (and a surprise or two)” →

Lentils and pasta in one delicious, traditional dish: Pasta e Lenticchie

Pasta and lentils—pasta e lenticchie—is a traditional Italian favorite with many versions. Here’s ours. Recipe below.

Pasta e Lenticchie

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]T[/su_dropcap]his week’s recipe began with six words: Tortellini, Lentils/Collard Greens/Pork Sausage. Lifestyle website InsideHook asked six Michelin-starred Chicago chefs to name their favorite meals in town, and Lee Wolen at BOKA called out the pasta dishes at Daisies. Those six words were the full menu description of one of those pastas. Continue reading “Lentils and pasta in one delicious, traditional dish: Pasta e Lenticchie” →

Hard work, serious cravings and a simple recipe: Penne Alla Vodka with Sausage

Penne Alla Vodka, a retro classic of uncertain heritage, combines tomatoes, butter, cream and vodka to create a lively, rich dinner. Leave out the sausage for a satisfying vegetarian meal. Recipe below.

FOR A SINGLE PERSON, OUR OLDER DAUGHTER OWNS A LOT OF STUFF. We know because we just helped her move. Professional movers were hired, but there were still things to pack and label (including six bookcases overflowing with books and a surprisingly vast collection of thrift-shopped ’80s prom dresses), stuff to sort and organize, donations to haul and deliver, recycling to, well, recycle. Continue reading “Hard work, serious cravings and a simple recipe: Penne Alla Vodka with Sausage” →

A new-to-us ingredient from Ancient Rome makes Linguine Colatura di Alici sing

Colatura di Alici, an Italian fish sauce, brings savory deliciousness to a quick, simple pasta. Recipe below.

The oddest little things catch my eye in the most random places. And lots of recipes here start that way. In a recent issue of New York magazine, a description of ribs at Danny Meyer’s Vini e Fritti included “After a toss in a sticky mix of Calabrian chiles, honey, vinegar, and the Italian fish sauce colatura…” Italian fish sauce? I stopped reading and started Googling. Continue reading “A new-to-us ingredient from Ancient Rome makes Linguine Colatura di Alici sing” →

Breakfast for dinner: Breakfast Pasta with Bacon and Kale

Bacon, kale and a freshly beaten egg give this weeknight-quick pasta a satisfyingly breakfasty flavor. Recipe below.

Our younger daughter just moved to a new city and started a rewarding, but demanding, job. To her credit, she is still managing to cook at home more often than not. Sunday evenings will often find her cooking a batch of something that will serve as at least a few lunches. For dinners, she frequently improvises something like this quick pasta. Continue reading “Breakfast for dinner: Breakfast Pasta with Bacon and Kale” →

In anticipation of true autumn: Duck Ragu with Brown Ale and Pasta

Ground duck, brown ale and an international mix of umami-rich ingredients put a delicious spin on traditional Bolognese sauce. Recipe (and some substitute ingredients) below.

THIS RECIPE SHARES CERTAIN BASIC ELEMENTS WITH LAST WEEK’S: shallots, onion, carrot, pasta, bay leaf. In fact, as I was assembling it, at one point my hand strayed over to my fallback, tarragon, and I had to tell myself to make another choice. Continue reading “In anticipation of true autumn: Duck Ragu with Brown Ale and Pasta” →