When I was growing up, macaroni tuna salad was a simple affair: a pound of elbow macaroni, probably a store brand, a can of tuna, ditto, a cup of peas, a minced onion, and lots of gloppy mayonnaise to extend that can of tuna as far as it could go. We loved it, and for…
Category: Pasta
Roasted Ratatouille with Red Lentil Pasta
All of a sudden, you have too much of everything! This time of year, when the peppers, squash, eggplant, and tomatoes are staging their grand finale, and we feel like we have more than we can deal with, the urge to mix them all together is strong. Thoughts often turn to ratatouille. A humble peasant…
Share this:
Those Funny Little Fiddlehead Ferns Play Nicely with other Spring Treasures
Fiddlehead ferns are a ritual in the northeast, and with a fleeting season, you have to be quick. From my youngest childhood, I remember foraging fiddlehead ferns with my Uncle Leonard. The appear only for a few weeks, and then become the beautiful fronds of the ostrich fern that greens our woodlands. They are delicious,…
Share this:
Salmon with Roasted Corn, Fusilli, and Chèvre
Friday night special: In the time it takes the pasta to cook, you have everything else done and you’re ready to eat. I love having folks over for Friday night dinners. It is fun to make this meal a bit special to mark the close of the week. The weekend seems longer and more festive…
Share this:
Stuffed Pasta Shells with Summer Squash & Herbs
This vegan version of stuffed shells is a little lighter, but still full of flavor and satisfaction, you won’t miss the original. Right now, I have tons of herbs in my garden, so I’ve made green goddess dressing, herb salads, and garnished and infused just about everything with their wonderful flavor. Let’s stuff some shells!…
Share this:
Ramp and Spring Radish-Top Pesto of Possibilities
Spring is here with great flourish, and we’re celebrating every minute. It’s been a cold spring, so we’ve had to wait a little longer than we’d like for our early seasonal delights. Wild ramps and fiddleheads are now here in abundance, spring-dug parsnips of course, and the first of the seed-planted radishes and their beautiful…
Share this:
Baked Tofu with Mustard Cream Succotash and Fregula
Heavenly. Creamy. This dish made with veggies tucked in your freezer is good for you too! The garden is offering up a few chives right now, and this weekend I’ll tuck some lettuce in the cold-frame to at least give the illusion of gardening season starting. The squill is blooming, the daffodils are budding, and…
Share this:
(Today’s)Yankee Bean and Macaroni Soup
A New England classic that stands the test of time – inexpensive, quick, and really tasty. When I was growing up, Mom often put together a “Yankee Bean Soup” using leftover beans from another meal and a ham bone for flavor. It was a quick meal, tasty, filling, and usually served up with biscuits. There…
Share this:
Shiitake Mushroom Noodle Soup with Peas Three Ways
Shiitake mushrooms are the star here, but peas three ways are perfect supporting actors. Growing up, my uncle Leonard and Aunt Mary were neighbors. He was a great forager of many wild delights, especially mushrooms. From a young age, I learned to love the flavor of chanterelles, hen of the woods (maitake), morels, and other…
Share this:
Lemon Garlic Shrimp over Spaghetti Squash, something light for the new year
We’ve indulged, and now it is time to think about a little lighter experience at the dinner table! The stars were with us, and our family was able to gather together and celebrate the holidays this year, only the second time we’ve all been together in over two years. This being Vermont, with its unpredictable…
Share this:
Rigatoni with Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic
Autumn flavors combine with pasta for comfort food delight! The weather finally turned this weekend to crisp and cooler, and then rainy and dank. Lulled by a long, warm early Autumn, we’re all scrambling now to finish those yard chores before snow. Although the thermometer dipped and hovered close to freezing, and the chilly rains…
Share this:
Sugar Snap Peas with Orzo and Lemon Dill Vinaigrette
This is not your mother’s macaroni salad! Sugar snap peas are in! I was delighted to find them on the shelf of my local farm stand this week. These spring treasurers are as delicious as they are fleeting, so we eat them as frequently as I can at this time of year. They are at…
Share this:
Tempting Trio of Spring Treasures
Could there be anything more perfect than finding wild fiddlehead ferns, ramps, and asparagus all in the same day? The blossoms on the trees are just popping out in lacy, pale green wonder. The grass in the fields is beyond green as well, and the odd freshly tilled field scents the air with earth and…
Share this:
Cherry Tomatoes and Grilled Artichokes over Couscous
A quick meal that is filled with flavor and nutrition! I love sauces made from cherry tomatoes. They are easy to make, sweet and delicious, and taste quite a bit different than their larger cousins. When shopping this week, I found some beautiful yellow and red cherry tomatoes, stems and all, and they just begged…
Share this:
Jacob’s Cattle Beans with Pasta and Greens
I love a bowl of beans! We grew up with Mom’s baked beans, a staple side at every family gathering, and often a weeknight supper. We also loved her creamy stewed yellow-eyed beans, cooked with salt-pork and served with milk to add an even creamier finish. I’ve cooked just about every bean I could find…
Share this:
New England Bay Scallops with Penne
New England bay scallops are the best in the world, and for a brief period, if you are lucky, you can find them!
Share this:
Lentil and Mushroom Balls
They are hearty and delicious, perfect for supper by the fire. And this recipe makes enough to tuck some in the freezer for another day. I’ve made a million meat-free meatballs, and usually I’m disappointed. Often they get mushy. Sometimes the flavor is way off, and other times they are just hard little balls sitting…
Share this:
Spaghetti Squash with Fennel, Chard, and Potatoes
Fall vegetables combine to add flavor and texture to the lovely little winter squash that disguises itself as pasta. It’s a funny vegetable. A squash that thinks it’s pasta, offering up spaghetti-like strands when scraped with a fork, or, a plastic pumpkin scraper. As winter squashes go, this one has a mild flavor, almost bland…
Share this:
Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Fregola and Summer Vegetables
We have an abundance of beautiful peppers of all sorts at the farm stands and farmers markets right now, all types and all sizes, hot and sweet, large and small. One of our family’s favorite peppers is the poblano. It carries just a little heat (although you never know, sometimes you can get one that…
Share this:
First Corn Salad with Orecchiette Pasta and Wasabi Dressing
New Englanders wait for Sweet Corn Season all year, and for two months we delight in using it as much as possible, from breakfast to dinner, and the occasional midnight snack! Of course, the absolute best way to eat that first ear is quickly cooked (steamed, grilled, roasted, boiled, your choice) and served with lots…
Share this:
Sautéed Asparagus & New Radishes over Penne
It couldn’t be more perfect. Sunshine, blue skies, first of the season vegetables and flowers and temperatures hovering at 68. We’ve earned this! Last week, we had snow, but this week, we turned the corner into Spring proper. The rains coaxed the leaves on the trees, and finally warming temperatures encouraged the stubborn asparagus spouts,…
Share this:
A Dressed Up Bowl of Sesame Noodles
A simple bowl of sesame noodles will hit the carb appeal spot most of the time, but with just a few extras, you have a meal that is as inviting as it is tasty. One of my all-time favorite comfort foods is a simple bowl of sesame noodles. They have flavor and carb appeal, a…
Share this:
Favorite Pantry Pasta
Coronavirus aside, it’s always a good idea to have a few easy, delicious recipes that use all or mostly pantry ingredients. This is one of my favorite pasta recipes. It is easy, fast, did I say easy? And it’s absolutely satisfying. Vermont is closed. The schools are closed. The restaurants and bars, library, town offices,…
Share this:
Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic Cloves and Mushrooms
Sweet and unique in flavor, roasted garlic enhances a simple dish of pasta. I don’t think there is anyone of any age in our family who doesn’t love roasted garlic. Often, we pop a whole head in the oven to roast and add the tender, sweet flesh to mashed potatoes, or smear it on a…
Share this:
Fusilli with Dairy-Free Vodka Sauce & Seasoned Breadcrumbs
With the wide range of gluten-free pastas available today, this dairy-free version of the classic can easily feed all those family dietary requirements in one quick dish! My teenage grandson loves creamy pastas with a vodka tomato sauce. At lunch recently, he ordered just that at one of our favorite restaurants, but the dish was…
