Nutty whole wheat pasta. A creamy sauce made of sweet delicata squash. Some savories, and greens from the garden. A comforting dish for a rainy night. It finally rained. Not the longest rain ever, and certainly nothing to cause the flood-damaged to worry, but a sweet summer rain that sounded like music of the angels…
Category: Pasta
Calamari Imposter Pasta? It’s a delightful bowl of winter comfort!
We awoke this Sunday morning to a frost so heavy it looked like snow on the fields! The full moon was also hanging large and low in the sky amidst a pink daybreak, beautiful to behold. As the sun rose, everything glistened like diamonds, quite a site, but one very hard to catch with the…
Share this:
We often celebrate the unusual in Vermont, including our state vegetable the heirloom Gilfeather Turnip
Trumpet Pasta with Turnips and Mushrooms The official state vegetable in Vermont is the Gilfeather Turnip. A funny name for a simple root that doesn’t call attention to itself, humble in appearance, drab in color, softball sized but sweet and mild in flavor. Its ancestry is muddled, part turnip? Part rutabaga? A hybrid? Mutant? It’s…
Share this:
Farmers Market Pasta with Mixed Autumn Vegetables
It’s here! Autumn arrived at precisely 8:43 a.m. yesterday in Vermont. It doesn’t feel like fall yet, but we’ve got some color beginning and the promise of more to come. The leaf peppers are starting to arrive to view our annual colorful foliage show, in a couple of weeks our roads will be full. The…
Share this:
Tagliatelle with Chanterelle Mushrooms, Fresh Peas, and Confit of Garlic
What a perfect time of year for those of us who love to cook, and for those who simply love to eat delicious local food. A rainbow of fruits and vegetables are hitting the farm stands, and life feels just a bit easier. Quick stir-fry perhaps, or veggies tossed on the grill. Berries are coming…
Share this:
Cookbook Confidential: fast and easy RecipeTin Eats Dinner
“RecipeTin Eats Dinner,” by Nagi Maehashi, 2023, Countryman Press, division of W.W. Norton & Co. My friend Bernadette from New Classic Recipe (https://newclassicrecipe.com) came up with the wonderful idea to have an on-line cookbook club with some of her blog buddies. What a fun, and great way to choose a recipe or two from the…
Share this:
‘Ammesca Francesca’ with Wild Ramps and Mushrooms
Something different, with a lot of the familiar in a quick weeknight dish. I am always on the lookout for pastas that are a little different, something special to wake up those quick weeknight suppers. When it comes to dried pasta, there are hundreds from which to choose, so many delights are there to be…
Share this:
A Spring Treat: Homemade Chive Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Greens
The ice is out of Joe’s Pond! That means spring is really here in Vermont. There are signs of spring everywhere! Flowers are starting to bloom, the birds have all returned, including the Lake Champlain seagulls that spend a week or so feasting on bugs in the hayfields after snow melt. Now we can declare…
Share this:
Penne with Broccoli Rabe and White Beans
At this time of year, our time fills up quickly with commitments, errands, and tasks. Yet, we still have to eat! It is tempting to just nibble away at that holiday tin of cookies and call it a day. Or we pick up the phone and order take-out, which is often more time consuming than…
Share this:
Grandmother might not recognize this Macaroni Tuna Salad…especially the vegan version!
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…
Share this:
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!
