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This is a simple and hearty meal; basically a stovetop version of mac'n'cheese, but with a northern Italian style. Keep this one in mind for summer when you have zucchini to use up! 1 lb penne rigate Generous salt for pasta water 3 small zucchini, sliced into thin strips (about 3 c.) 1 clove garlic,* 5 oz sharp provolone, grated 2 c. milk 4 Tbps. butter, divided 1 Tbsp. flour *The garlic step is optional, and a little bit fussy, but gives you more flavor Slice the zucchini into strips about 2" long and 1/4" wide. Make a roux by heating 1 Tbsp. of the butter in a small saucepan until bubbling, and adding the flour, whisking until smooth and bubbling. Add the milk and bring to a bare simmer, whisking until it thickens ~5 minutes. Stir in the cheese until melted. Set aside. Boil the pasta in generously salted water and cook until al dente . Do not drain--try to time this to coincide with finishing the zucchini. *Fussy garlic step: heat the remaining b...

If your chive plant is anything like mine, you need to hack it back so it doesn't compete with the rest of the herb garden. Also, it's going to be months before we have an abundance of basil, so here's a yummy spring pesto! 1 large handful of chives 1 medium handful of parsley 1 small handful of oregano, mint, or other fresh herbs 4 cloves garlic 1/4 c. blanched almonds or pine nuts 1/4 c. olive oil 2 tsp. black pepper 2-3 tsp. Kosher salt 1/4 c. grated Pecorino Romano cheese Wash all herbs thoroughly and remove the thickest stems. Use kitchen scissors to cut them into manageable pieces. Lightly toast the nuts in a dry pan. Remove the nuts and then lightly toast the whole garlic cloves to remove some of their pungency. When the nuts are cool, add them to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the herbs a small handful at a time until well chopped. Add the black pepper and salt and pulse. With the food processor running, drizzle in the o...

Is this the true alfredo sauce? I have no idea, as I have not been to Italy. (Answer is: No, a true alfredo is just butter and parm. I wanted to make something with reduced cream, though.) This is, however, amazingly decadent and delicious and is made with simple ingredients. It also kicks the pants off of any pre-made alfredo sauce. A meal that could possibly make vegetarianism bearable (hah!). 3/4 lb. fettuccine noodles* 1 pint heavy cream 3/4 stick butter 1/3 c. grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano 1/3 c. grated Pecorino Romano Salt for noodle water Lots of freshly ground black pepper Place the cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer until it reduces by half (about 25 minutes). Whisk in 4-5 tablespoons cold butter, alternating with the cheese. Boil the the noodles in well-salted water until firm al dente (10 minutes). Reserve one cup of the cooking water and drain the noodles. In the pan that you used to cook the noodles, heat the remaining table...

Hooray for cheezy comfort food! The key to this recipe is to slice waxy potatoes ethereally thin (no more than 1/8", ideally more like 1/16"). I accomplished this with the slicing side of my grater. I tried using the food processor, but it didn't slice them thin enough. Even if you can't get them that thin, it will still taste good, but the texture won't be as nice. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease an 7"x11" baking dish.  1 quart very thinly sliced peeled, waxy potatoes (such as red potatoes or Yukon gold) 1 can Cream of Onion Soup 1.5 c. milk 3/4 c. grated Swiss cheese 3/4 c. grated cheddar cheese (mix cheeses together to form 1.5 c) 2 Tbsp. butter 3 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp. ground mustard 1 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. seasoned salt 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. cayenne Make a roux: heat the butter in a small pan until it starts to shimmer, then add the flour. It will bubble up; stir frequently until it is a slightly browned pa...

These are delicious and a nice break from flour-based pancakes. I have noticed a nice assortment of organic and high-quality brands of cottage cheese at the coop, and had sort of forgotten about keeping it on hand. A couple spoonfuls are a great pick-me-up in the afternoon or before dinner is ready. This recipe was found on the internet, with a few adjustments, but this is how I did it: 1 cup oatmeal* 1 cup cottage cheese 4 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp cinnamon *I ran the oatmeal through the food processor first to break it down a little - if you have the quick-cooking variety you shouldn't have to do this first. Put all ingredients into food processor, blast a few times, and set aside. It will get thicker from standing. On a medium hot non-stick or lightly oiled griddle, make silver dollar-size pancakes; turn when slightly bubbly. Cook a little longer on side two. Serve with your favorite topping. I used cooked apples (baked ahead of time with a wee bit of sugar and cinnamon). They ar...

This combination of dishes makes a nice meal and great leftovers. I like to use paneer when I can get it easily, but the recipe works well with firm tofu or even chicken (though then I guess it's a different dish). These recipes are based around Manjula's Kitchen , though I altered them a little to avoid hard-to-find ingredients. Check out the videos if you want step-by-step instructions or more recipe ideas. My most recent attempt. I didn't have cilantro to add to the aloo gobi, but it's still delicious without it. Palak Paneer 1 1/2-2 c. paneer, cubed (or extra-firm tofu, cubed and patted dry) 1 box frozen spinach, thawed, drained well, and chopped 2-3 plum tomatoes, pureed, or 1/2 can tomato puree 2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 Tbsp. salt 2 tsp. whole cumin seed 1/2 tsp. turmeric 1/4 tsp. cayenne 3 Tbsp. flour 1/4 c. water + more water 1/2 c. heavy cream or half and half 2 Tbsp. butter oil for frying tomato slices for garnish Fry the paneer or ...

Edit: I just re-tested this recipe 9 (!) years later and made a few changes: There's a time for thick, doughy pizzas and a time for thin, crispy pizzas. This is for when you have a hankering for the latter. It takes some forethought, since the dough rises overnight in the fridge, but is well worth the patience and planning. I got the dough recipe from this site and it works great if you follow the recipe just the way it's written (makes 2 pizzas). The sauce recipe is my own. The day before: 1 lb. high protein unbleached white flour (ie bread flour) 3/4 c. warm water (or more*) 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1 1/2 tsp. dry yeast 1 1/2 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt Combine all the ingredients and mix by hand or with a stand mixer. The dough will be extremely stiff and a bit lumpy. Do not knead any more than necessary to combine the ingredients. Place the dense dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl and allow to rise for 24 hours in the refrigerator. It will not get much bigger, but ...

These are a great thing to keep around for a nosh with some cheese and olives or a spread. I started experimenting with them to have a non-wheat alternative to potato chips. I have added cocoa powder and extra sugar for something between a cracker and a cookie, and it is great with coffee for a little pick-me-up in the afternoon. You can also stir in some finely grated cheese when combining the dry ingredients. Makes enough to last a week or so. If they get limp, bake em again for a few minutes. Sailors lived on things like this. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! From King Arthur Flour cookbook. Preheat oven to 400. (prepare for a couple rest periods during process) 2 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp sugar 4 TBSP butter 1 egg beaten into 1/2 cup milk (or 3/4 cup milk and no egg) stuff for sprinking on top (salt, herbs, seeds, etc) Mix dry ingredients together. Blend in the flour quickly until it resembles corn meal. Add milk and egg mixture, 1/2 at a time, stirring quickly with f...

I remember looking this recipe up on the internet in around 1998 and I had to do exhaustive searching to find a single recipe. Now there are tons, as well as several videos of how to make it. Pão de Queijo are just as easy to make as buttermilk biscuits, but are arguably more delicious. They are springy little puffs of tapioca starch and cheese and go well with virtually anything--what's more, they only take about 35 minutes to make from start to finish. The only hard part is keeping tapioca starch (aka tapioca flour, manioc flour, cassava flour) on hand, though this is easy to find at any Asian store and is usually cheap. You also need a hard, mild cheese that won't overwhelm the puffs. I used a combination of parmesan and white cheddar. 2 c. tapioca starch 1 c. milk 1 c. water 1/2 c. vegetable oil 1 tsp. salt 2 eggs ~1 c. grated hard, mild cheese Preheat the oven to 450. Place the tapioca starch in a large bowl. Bring the milk, water, vegetable oil, and salt to a boil. Pour i...

Someone just asked me for this recipe, so I figured I'd put it online as well: Kunaafa كنافة Main dessert: • Cheese- I recommend something fairly flavorless- either get special cheese at the Arab market, or mozzarella (without salt is probably best)- As much as you want. • Shredded Filo dough(probably one package is good) • 2 sticks butter Syrup: • 1.5 cups sugar • ¾ cup water • Optional: - 1 tsp. rose water - 1 tsp. lemon juice Main dessert: 1. Melt butter 2. Rip Filo pastry into slightly smaller chunks 3. Pour melted butter over Filo pastry- mix thoroughly 4. Butter baking dish. 5. Crumble cheese into pan 6. Put Filo on top of cheese 7. Put pan in oven at 425 until cheese is melted and Filo is golden brown. Syrup: 1. Mix sugar and water 2. Cook until syrupy. 3. Add rose water and/or lemon juice 4. Cook a tad longer. 5. Pour over cooked kunaafa (individually or on the same thing) Notes: - You can put pistachios over the kunaafa as well. - To keep it warm, you...

This might just be the perfect weeknight meal. Have you ever thought to yourself, "wouldn't it be awesome if there was a combination of scrambled eggs and macaroni and cheese that also contained ham and only took about half an hour to make?" Then this is the recipe for you! It's incredibly simple and deeply satisfying. Make this and a simple vegetable side and you'll be full for hours and possibly even ready to run a marathon. My version is fairly close to the original Italian style, but with more locally available ingredients. Instead of pancetta I used diced ham, and instead of romano cheese I used sharp white cheddar. Some recipes complicate things by adding peas or parsley, but really it's supposed to just be noodles, eggs, cheese, black pepper, and a little ham (you could even use leftover roast fowl instead). I'm an overachiever, so I made my pasta from scratch, but this is still totally delicious with boxed noodles. TIP: You must remember to reserv...

Is it the artist or the tools that make greatness? In the case of this macaroni and cheese, I would humbly say it's the artist. However, tools help a hell of a lot...as you will see from these photos. Dan's dad is a photography enthusiastic and today I got to have fun with macro lenses. Nothing can make my lazy food photography look so good as schmancy camera equipment, so behold! Also, below is my definitive macaroni and cheese recipe. Masterful Mac 'n' Cheese Crusty, bubbling, cheezy goodness. 1 lb. macaroni noodles, cooked al dente (don't rinse!) 1 lb. cheese, grated (use more than one kind) 1 1/2 c. whole milk 1/2 c. sour cream 2 Tbsp. butter 3 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp. seasoned salt 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. dried onion flakes 1/2 tsp. half-sharp paprika 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/4 tsp. white pepper Optional Topping: 2 Tbsp. butter 1/4 c. cracker crumbs 1/2 tsp. half-sharp paprika 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt Basically you start off with a simple bechamel sauce and add cheese...

Hello all, Here is a recipe from my friend and co-worker Kristine (there's a link to her photography on the side-bar). Looks like she measures things the same way we do! This makes a great veggie side-dish or light meal: Try this very simple recipe when you have some bok choi. I've made it twice so far and really like it! I'm calling it red wine bok choi. Coarsely chop a mound of washed bok choi and saute it with about 1/2 cup of walnuts and ~1/2 cup of dried cranberries. I was pleased using safflower oil. Add a couple spills of red wine (I'm guessing that translates to a little less than a 1/4 cup). Add salt to taste. Saute for about 10-15 minutes or until bok choi is still a little crunchy. That's it! Serve over quinoa (rinse this grain well then saute with garlic before cooking) and top with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

So, this weekend I finally tackled mozzarella. My friends Kevin and Ranae have a cow and are selling awesome raw milk to folks in the department (on the down low, of course). I didn't have great luck with making yogurt, since I had no idea what I was doing, so for some reason I decided to try an advanced cheese--mozzarella. The amazing thing is that it turned out great! I didn't take photos because it basically looked just like the ones on Dr. Fankhauser's Cheese Page . This guy is my new hero, and I urge you to check out his page before starting any dairy projects. So, the take-home message is that: yes, mozzarella can be done! Mom, you should definitely try it out because it's soooo yummy. I even got the Italian seal of approval from Toni, even though I don't have a damn water buffalo in my back yard, as the slow-foodies insist is necessary. Also, I recommend getting an old electric blanket for the incubations, because that helped me a lot and will also fix my yog...