Culinary Adventures with Camilla

“Eating in Italy is essentially a family art, practiced for and by the family. The finest accomplishments of the home cook are not reserved like the good silver and china for special occasions or for impressing guests, but are offered daily for the pleasure and happiness of the family group.” ~Marcella Hazan  Italians are passionate about eating and family as represented in the quote above by Marcella Hazan, the Godmother of Italian cooking. Enjoying our family around the dinner table is what #SundaySupper is all about, making this week’s event a perfect pairing. From Antipasto to Zabaglione and everything in between, let’s gather ’round the family table. This week's event is hosted by Manuela of  Manu’s Menu . The Sunday Supper Italian Fest Dishes Appetizers: Cacio e Uova Meatless Recipe from She Loves Biscotti Gnocchi alla Romana from Tramplingrose Italian Rice Balls from My World Simplified Rosemary Focaccia from Curious Cuisiniere Tomato ...

While R and his friend were busy working on their science fair project, the Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf and I logged a couple of hours watching cooking shows and reading cookbooks together.  "Let's make duck," he declared yesterday afternoon. "You do the duck and I'll make the kale salad for dinner. Does that sound good?" That sounds great. I love having a partner in my kitchen shenanigans.  After making Lapsang Souchong Blondies last week - and having Jake comment that he thought the intense, smoky flavor would go better with a savory - I thought I'd make a lapsang souchong sauce for my duck. It was well-received by my three. What do you think? Do you cook with tea often? Ingredients Braised Duck 4 duck legs 2 large onions, peeled and cubed 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and thickly sliced 2 C diced celery root 1-1/2 C stock, preferably homemade 1/2 C brewed  lapsang souchong tea 1 shisho blossom Lapsang Soucho...

This is a traditional Sammarinese recipe for beef steaks coated in seasoned salt that are pan-fried and finished by slow-roasting in a tomato sauce. Typically the steaks are baked for 4 hours after pan-frying. I needed to cut that time down, so I braised ours for almost 2 hours. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender. I'll try the baking method soon. Ingredients makes 4 servings 2 pound steak (I used a New York strip steak) 1/2 C white whole wheat flour 1 t freshly ground sea salt 1 t freshly ground pepper splash of olive oil 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced 1-1/2 C fresh tomato sauce 1/2 C red wine 1 bay leaf Procedure Cut the steak into four serving pieces. Blend together the flour, salt, and pepper and coat meat with it. Add a splash of olive oil in a large, flat-bottom pan that can hold all of the meat without crowding. Add in the leeks and cook until softened and beginning to caramelize. Press beef into the pan, searing it quickly for 30 seconds. Flip it ove...

Tonight we traveled to Lesotho in our Cooking Around the World Adventure . Dylan was my kitchen elf as we made bobotie . Bobotie is a slightly sweet, spiced dish with ground meat in an egg custard with bay leaves floated on top. I've made bobotie before - for Brian's South African birthday soiree three years ago - and it was a hit. So, when I realized that this is also a traditional dish in Lesotho, I decided to bring it back to the table. I'm a more conscientious recipe recorder now; hopefully this post will be more useful to anyone who would like to try this delicious dish for themselves. Lesotho is a small landlocked nation, completely surrounded by South Africa. It's about the size of Maryland and is mountainous - more than 80% of the country is 5,000 feet above sea level. 1 lb 96/4 grassfed beef, ground 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced olive oil 1 T curry powder 1/2 t ground turmeric 1/2 t ground, smoked paprika ...

On any other day, this would be called posole ; today, I'm calling it 'doomsday stew.' I braised the pork ahead of time - to make this an easy after-work dinner. I subbed ingredients to match what I had on hand. Most of the recipes I found, cabbage and onions were used; I had chard and fennel. 3 pound of pork (slow braised in beer for three hours, left in its cooking liquid) 3 C white hominy 1 C yellow hominy 6 C chicken broth 1 C tomato sauce 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and diced 3 bay leaves juice and zest from 1 lemon freshly ground salt and freshly ground pepper paprika ground cumin 1 avocado, diced 1/2 C fresh cilantro Cube the pork and return it to the soup pot. Add in the hominy, chicken broth, tomato, sauce, fennel, and bay leaves. Bring the soup to a simmer. Cook until the fennel is softened. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and lemon juice. Serve hot, garnished with avocado and cilantro.

One of the great things about being a food writer: learning more about artisan foodsmiths. Today I received a package from Rancho Gordo Beans , one of the sponsors for all the Food52 potlucks coming up next month . Rancho Gordo Beans grows heirloom beans in Napa. Heirloom varieties tend to have lower yields than other beans, but the payoff is in the flavor and texture. Most Rancho Gordo beans are new world crops, meaning they are indigenous to the Americas.  Originally from Colombia, these beans - Cargamanto - have been bred around the world and have become Madeira, Borlotti, Tongues of Fire, Wren's Egg and many more. While I packaged up most of these for the potluck giveaways, I kept a pound for myself to try this recipe... Pasta e Fagioli adapted from the Food Network recipe olive oil 5  cloves garlic, smashed red pepper flakes, to taste 1 T chopped fresh rosemary 1/4 C cubed pancetta 5 canned whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand 1 C dried cranb...

When Sarah, the editor of Edible Monterey Bay , commissioned me to cover an abalone cooking class, I had no idea how much I would have to invoke some superhero skills. I had to juggle a notepad, a camera, and a knife because I needed to (1) photograph, (2) take notes, (3) interview, (4) shuck, pound, and cook my abalone! But, I did it. And it was fabulous. I even got a "Wow! Nice job." from the chef on my presentation, garnishing my dish with sea lettuce, oyster leaves, and sea grass. We even got to take home an abalone. Without a sousvide contraption of my own, I made due with a double boiler and whipped up a late snack for my love. I didn't have any of the sea greens; I garnished the dish with fresh tarragon. After I tucked the boys into bed and came back downstairs, it was gone. I guess he liked it! 2 T diced onions 1/2 C fresh corn 1/4 C freshly shelled tiger eye beans 1 bay leaf 1 C chicken stock abalone* butter 1/2 t minced garlic fresh tarragon fre...

Here we are at week nine of the Food Matters Project , the brainchild of Sarah of 20somethingcupcakes and Kate from Cookie + Kate . Each week we all - here's the ' we ' and we've grown to just over four dozen fellow foodie bloggers - cook the same recipe, from Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook, posting our interpretations and adaptations. This week Keely of  KeelyMarie  assigned us Mark's Cassoulet with Lots of Vegetables. Here's her post . And click here to see what all the creative cookers whipped up; look in the comments section. I have to be honest: I have never made a cassoulet  and I wasn't feeling very enthusiastic about this dish. Call it culinary lethargy.  Then a friend walked into my office this afternoon with a pack of wild boar sausages. I love being friends with hunters! I was now officially inspired. I started with my High ground Organics CSA box goodies: 1 celery roo...

Here we are at week eight of the Food Matters Project , the brainchild of Sarah of 20somethingcupcakes and Kate from Cookie + Kate . Each week we all - here's the ' we ' and we've grown to just over four dozen fellow foodie bloggers - cook the same recipe, from Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook, posting our interpretations and adaptations. This week Evi + Sam of  Fifth Floor Kitchen  assigned us Mark's Vegetables au Vin with Coq. Here's the hosts' post . And click here to see what all the creative cookers whipped up; look in the comments section. I have never made coq au vin , and it turned out that the night I normally whip up my Food Matters Project dinner, Sunday night, is my 12th wedding anniversary. So, I pulled out an aptly named bottle of 2007 Cabernet from the North Coast: "Monogamy - Truly Madly Deeply" and made my version for our celebration dinner. 1 eggplant, cubed 4 slices smoked bacon, sliced into 1/2" piece...

As we continue through the 'B's in our cooking around the world adventure, I realized that I don't have to only cook these things for dinner. So, this morning, for breakfast we ventured to Bangladesh for eggs and potatoes. Or, as Dylan called them, "curry eggs and French fries." Bangladesh is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma and the Bay of Bengal; and its cuisine reflects its connection to India. The most prominent spices used in Bangladeshi cuisine are garlic, ginger, lime, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and chili. So I used several of those in our breakfast dishes. Alu chorchori 1 potato per person, sliced thinly, like French fries minced garlic 1 t turmeric 1 t chili powder or paprika (I used paprika)  pink Himalaya salt flower pepper olive oil Quickly soften the minced garlic in olive oil in a large flat-bottomed pan. Add the potatoes and cook till browned and beginning to crisp. Season with turmeric, paprika, and p...

As the soup course for Ulla's birthday brunch, I made a version of my Christmas Eve Chestnut Soup minus the mushrooms because she is fungi-averse. In a large soup pot I caramelized diced onions and fennel. When they started to caramelize, I added roasted and peeled chestnuts - thank goodness for Trader Joe's vacuum packed ones! - and cooked them for about ten minutes, stirring constantly. Then I topped all of that with organic chicken broth and fresh bay leaves, bringing it to a boil and simmering for 20 minutes. I seasoned the soup lightly with sea salt and fresh pepper, finishing off the soup with some heavy cream and fresh chopped herbs (thyme, mint, and Italian parsley). Remove bay leaves when serving. *Update 11/9/2012: I added this to Katherine Martinelli's Comfort Food linky party .*

When my mom asked me to bring a soup and a vegetable for her international Christmas eve dinner, I told her I'd make a chestnut soup. What country is that from? Ummm...Italy. Really? Well, that's where I first saw what a chestnut looks like fresh off the tree - seemingly inpenetrable balls of threatening brown spikes which then reveals the shiny, still ridiculously difficult to crack inner shell. It's where I became enamoured with the Italian sweet Marron Glace (candied chestnuts). The bags of chestnut flour I buy, when I can find them, are imported from Italy. Yes, really. In a large soup pot I caramelized diced onions, shallots, and celery with fresh rosemary. When they started to caramelize, I added roasted and peeled chestnuts - thank goodness for Trader Joe's vacuum packed ones! - and cooked them for about ten minutes, stirring constantly. Then I topped all of that with organic chicken broth and added sliced brown crimini mushrooms and fresh bay leaves, bringin...

1 t olive oil 1/4 C diced carrots 1/4 C diced baby zucchini 1 C quinoa 3 cinnamon sticks 3 bay leaves 1 pinch paprika In a large pan over medium high heat, saut é vegetables just until tender. Add quinoa and saut é for 1 or 2 minutes, until lightly golden. Stir in broth, and bring to a boil. Add spices and reduce heat. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30-45 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove cinnamon sticks and bay leaf before serving. Add a splash of olive oil and season with smoked sea salt.

I decided a traditional beef pot roast dish from Terceira, one of the Portuguese-held Azores Islands, would be a great dish for Jake's real birthday dinner. Alcatra is a Portuguese recipe for a spicy piece of ass, the perfect dish for my spicy...well, you get the idea. Traditionally the alcatra beef roast is slow-roasted in a clay pot that's shaped like a flower pot with herbs and spices. The closest thing I have is a large stoneware baking bowl. Tonight was the first part of alcatra preparation: the marination. From all of my research, a few ingredients are key to the alcatra marinade - cinnamon sticks, whole allspice, onions, garlic, wine, bay leaves. So I placed all of that in the stoneware bowl with the rump roast and two nitrite-free Portuguese sausages. That will all soak overnight. Look for 'Alcatra, Part II' tomorrow night after we celebrate Jake's 36th birthday.

I started with a recipe from Bon Appetit and promptly made some adaptations, adding more root vegetables and using boullion instead of water. Ingredients 3 medium red beets 1 medium golden beet 1 1/2 teaspoons butter 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil 2 leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped 4 carrots 1 fennel bulb 1 small onion, thinly sliced 1 celery stalk, chopped ground ginger ground ancho chili powder 4 C low-sodium chicken boullion 2 T pomegranate balsamic 3 small bay leaves fresh thyme sprigs 1/4 cup whipping cream crème fraîche for serving Procedure Preheat oven to 350°F. Roast beets until tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets. Cut into cubes. Melt butter with oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leeks, onion, carrots, fennel, and celery and cook until beginning to brown, stirring frequently, about 13 minutes. Stir in spices and beets. Cook until vegetables begin to sti...