Roasted Haricots Verts with Olive Tapenade

November 27, 2025 No comments

Roasting thin French green beans helps them to retain their natural crunch while tenderizing them just slightly.  My favorite way to cook haricots verts, roasting requires little effort and is the ideal way to cook a number of veggies. For this recipe, I topped the simple roasted haricots verts with a homemade olive tapenade: a coarse chop of mixed, pitted olives, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, olive oil, vinegar and some fresh parsley.  Wonderful on its own, but this dish is made even lovelier when served over white wine-braised leeks.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

‘Spaghetti Carbonara with Parma Ham’

November 26, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Delicious Magazine

A bowl of classic Roman Pasta Carbonara always contains a handful of specific ingredients: pasta (obviously), bacon, eggs and cheese.  More often than not, specifically spaghetti is used, guanciale or pork cheek for the meat, and Parmesan for the cheese.  Such a simple and satisfying pasta dish and it seriously only takes about 5 minutes for it all to come together (once the pasta cooks of course).

Here’s how you do it: you cook the meat with some minced garlic while you cook the al dente spaghetti noodles, then you stir into the cooked noodles the eggs mixed with the grated cheese, some black pepper and some pasta water to make the sauce thicken slightly. Next comes the cooked meat, garlic and sprinkling of chopped parsley. The egg-cheese-pasta water mixture makes for a creamy and naturally smooth sauce that is out-of-this-world tasty.  I liked this specific recipe from Delicious Magazine because it used slices of Parma ham instead of pancetta or guanciale, which is lighter on the grease and crisps up beautifully in the pan.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/healthier-spaghetti-carbonara-with-parma-ham/ )

‘Vietnamese Grapefruit & Pork Salad’

November 25, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Eating Well Magazine

The beauty of Vietnamese cuisine lies in its fresh ingredients, colorful combination of ingredients, and the complex flavor of its sweet-spicy-and-salty ingredients.  This salad first featured in Eating Well magazine is no exception.

Flavorful, tender pork tenderloin is sliced and served over a healthy salad made from watercress, cucumbers, sweet bell peppers, and carrots.  For the salty and crunchy component, roasted peanuts; for the spicy and sweet components, a dressing made from fish sauce, sugar, grapefruit and lime juices, and minced hot red chilies. All of this, plus tangy segments of the seasons best grapefruit. (Yum!) We couldn’t have loved this Vietnamese-inspired salad more, and hope you do as well.

Mushroom & Fennel Salad with Shaved Pecorino

November 24, 2025 No comments

This is one of my all-time favorite Italian salads. Thinly sliced, crunchy fennel is combined with sliced cremini mushrooms, shaved Pecorino Romano cheese and a lemony Dijon vinaigrette studded with chopped, fresh parsley.  Simple, healthy and a perfect accompaniment to just about any entrée idea; serve it alongside your favorite pasta dish, roasted pork or chicken dish, or even a simple seared fish dish with sautéed broccoli rabe.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

‘North African Spiced Salmon over French Lentils’

November 23, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Fine Cooking Magazine

Oh what a glorious dish! Flaky salmon filets coated in a mixture of Moroccan spices that are served over a hearty serving of French lentils.  Salmon and lentils is a classic French pairing, but what I loved about this version are the North African touches. The spice mix (which would also be great on pork, a roast chicken, even a skirt steak) included cumin, turmeric, allspice, paprika, cayenne pepper, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger.  (Can’t you just smell the spice mix already? ) And the lentils were flavored with sweet dried apricots, onions, lemon zest and briny capers.  Such a wonderful updated version of a classic French flavor combination.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

Rustic Fig & Raspberry Crostata

November 22, 2025 No comments

One of the most wonderful fruit pairings I can imagine is that of ripe, fresh figs and tart, fresh raspberries; the phrase culinary harmony comes to mind.  For this elegant (and easy) dessert idea, I used a store-bought pie crust and the fresh fruits to make a rustic Italian crostata.

Similar to a French galette, a crostata is simply a rustic fruit tart that can be either savory or sweet, and filled with whatever your heart desires.  To the fruit I added a touch of orange flower water, a smidge of cane sugar, and fresh thyme leaves for a lemony, herbal taste.  On the crust I sprinkled buttery pine nuts to help round out the Italian nature of the dessert.  This decadent dessert is perfect when served on its own, but I can see a scoop of vanilla gelato going nicely, or even a dollop of mascarpone or vanilla-scented ricotta cheese.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

‘Smoked Salmon Salad with Dill Sauce’

November 21, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Food & Wine magazine

 Filled with colorful, Swedish-inspired ingredients, this salad starts with a base of mixed greens, sliced scallions, blanched haricots verts, and fresh herbs–followed by cherry tomatoes, radishes, and two sauces.  The first, a simple crème fraiche-fresh dill sauce, and the dressing which is a unique browned butter and caper vinaigrette.  The star of the show is flaked, hot smoked salmon. Which you can find in some specialty market’s seafood sections, or you can smoke the salmon yourself if you are in the mood to grill with some nice oak wood chips.  Try serving this delectable salad with a warm slice of a potato-zucchini tian, along with a glass of Sancerre or your favorite dry Rosé.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/smoked-salmon-salad-dill-sauce )

‘Winter Salad with Halloumi ‘Croutons”

November 20, 2025 Comments: 2

Recipe Courtesy of Eating Well Magazine

Recipe Courtesy of Eating Well Magazine

Oh what a delight!  I have adored halloumi cheese ever since my family would frequent Zorba’s, a fabulous Greek restaurant in Baton Rouge. They would bring the cheese out in a heat proof dish, light it on fire in front of you, and put out the flames with lemon juice.  Halloumi is a cheese made from a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk, it is semi-hard in texture and because of its high melting point can be (like I said) grilled or heated with minimal melting.  It has a wonderfully salty flavor and when cooked, gets a lovely brown texture on the outside.

I was thrilled to make this recipe that highlights cubes of halloumi cheese as a substitute for croutons on a hearty winter salad.  The cubes of cooked cheese add a lovely texture and salty taste to the salad that believe me, you will  adore.  A hearty salad that could be a main course all on its own, it truly was a memorable addition to our dinner menu last night. Opa!

Romaine & Sugar Snap Salad with Creamy Basil Dressing

November 19, 2025 No comments

The crunch of Romaine hearts holds up very well to a creamy, thick dressing—a hearty blue cheese , buttermilk Ranch or even creamy Caesar dressing come to mind.  For this simple salad, I tore some Romaine hearts and tossed them together with sugar snap peas and sliced, multi-colored carrots. And for the dressing, a simple yet decadent buttermilk-based dressing flavored with chopped, fresh basil, lemon juice and a touch of salt and pepper.  (Any soft, fresh herb like tarragon, cilantro, chives, or even parsley would sub in nicely for the basil.)

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

‘Lentil & Roasted Vegetable Salad with Green Goddess Dressing’

November 18, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Eating Well Magazine

This hearty roasted vegetable and lentil salad could easily stand in as a vegetarian main dish.  A bed or sliced kale and escarole are tossed with cooked lentils, roasted broccoli and crisp, roasted green beans. The entire dish is flavored with a homemade green goddess dressing made with fresh herbs, buttermilk, a touch of mayonnaise, lemon juice, and a surprise ingredient: white miso paste. Whirled together in a food processor or blender, this creamy herb-flecked dressing really brings this tasty green-hued side dish to life!

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/257114/lentil-roasted-vegetable-salad-with-green-goddess-dressing/)

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