I discovered this soup in an old book I had on regional Italian cooking about 30 years ago in a restaurant where we had a lot of potted rosemary and thyme on the patio. It was exciting to be able to utilize the fresh herbs in this robust vegetable soup […]
The delicious shredded potato pancakes often eaten for Hanukkah or other Jewish holidays are not just tasty but also easy to make. Using waxy Yukon gold potatoes gives you more texture then Russets but you can use either or even other types. The important part is that you cook them […]
I grew up with my grandmother making this soup after my grandfather and I went mushroom picking. We were in the woods and my grandfather would call out “houbiky, houbiky” which meant mushrooms, mushrooms while the 4 year old me ran around frantically looking for them and at the same […]
The lovely green sauce with tastes and fragrance of the summer is what I think of pesto. Most often used as a flavoring for pasta or with fresh mozzarella and garden tomatoes you can utilize this sauce for many other things. Mixed with mayonnaise it becomes a great dip or […]
Bringing out rich flavor in a vegetable dish can be a challenge. Vegetables are often cooked with bacon or pancetta, soups are made with chicken stock, split pea soup or beans are cooked with a ham bone. How can we go to flavortown without using meat? One good way is […]
With more people eating plant based diets these days, the challenge in the cooking world and especially for restaurants is how to create great vegetable dishes without sacrificing the flavor. Stocks and broths is the answer. The base for most stocks is mirepoix ,which is covered in the recipe index […]
Oh the sweet perfume of garlic roasting in olive oil, just taking the scent in is like an appetizer. Years ago I had a restaurant where we served pizza and the roasted garlic was a very popular topping, we also made focaccia bread with roasted garlic. Each week we would […]
The sweetly fragrant shallots are not a dish or meal in itself but it is very useful in other preparations, just like the delicate oil they are roasted in. I enjoy the sweet flavor when used as a topping for pizza or when you use the shallots and the oil […]
When you think of comfort food, cream of tomato soup with grilled cheese is usually close to the top of the list. This is a version that brings out the sweetness in both the tomato and the basil. I have been making it like this for many years both at […]
Eat lentils on New Years day, it will bring money! That was the saying in Czech republic when I was young and still is I believe. We would often have this lentil soup which is simple but tasty. The lentils provide both protein and a satisfying texture even when made […]
Welcome! I have been cooking professionally and for fun over 40 years and love it as ever. I would like to share some of the things I have learned over the years as well as some of the miscues.