Culinary Adventures with Camilla

This month the Italian Food Wine Travel bloggers are taking a look at high quality wine from Italian cooperative cellars. Read the event invitation from Kevin at Snarky Wine: here . You'll see my official post on Friday...and another post once my wine samples arrive. I am on the opposite coast from the sponsor and my shipment was scheduled to arrive the day of event. That wouldn't work! So, stay tuned for a separate post on those wines. But I was able to track down a bottle on my own beforehand. I found a bottle of 2018 Gavi Il Forte from Produttori dei Gavi. A wine cooperative, like any other cooperative, is an organization run jointly by its members who also share in the benefits or the profits. In the middle of the 20th century, 83 vignerons started a cooperative whose current name is Cantina Produttori del Gavi . Today their membership is almost at 100 reaching every corner of the Gavi DOC area from Tassarolo to Bosio. Gavi is the town from which this wine com...

I was in charge of making desserts for the robotics team's fundraising dinner this past weekend. So, I decided to have some fun and made nine - yes, nine! - different sweets. Because we were at an Italian restaurant, I wanted to make a few tradition Italian desserts. This crostata is easy to make and relatively quick. I do use a scale for the ingredients (weight versus volume) as that it more accurate for baking. I made this version with pre-made fig preserves; and I made a version that was half fig preserves and half orange marmalade. I hear that both were delicious. Ingredients makes one 9" crostata, serves 12 100 g organic granulated sugar 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk 80 g oil (I used canola oil) zest of 1 organic lemon (I used a Meyer lemon since my parents have a tree in their yard) 280 g flour (I used all-purpose flour) pinch of salt 1 t baking powder 6 to 8 ounces of jam (I used fig preserves) Also needed: 9" tart pan with removable bottom, parchme...

I, first, made this recipe for a friend's birthday party...about three years ago. And I have never posted the recipe despite having made this almost a handful of times since then. So, it's about darn time it hit the blog, right? It's a new year's resolution of mine to clean up my drafts folder. Ingredients serves 8 3 small shallots, peeled and finely chopped 1/2 C organic dark brown sugar, lightly packed 1/2 C fish sauce  3 to 4 T unseasoned rice vinegar 1 t freshly ground black pepper six  1"thick-cut bone-in pork chops (about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds total) 1 T oil salt, as needed* 1 organic onion, peeled and thickly sliced organic lime wedges, for serving Also needed: cast iron skillet *Go easy on the salt when seasoning these chops; the marinade is fairly salty, especially after it reduces. Procedure In a small mixing bowl, whisk together shallots, brown sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, and pepper. Place pork chops i...

When I want a delicious chicken dish with low time in preparation, crisped chicken thighs - bone-in, skin-on - is usually it. The glaze or rub is so flexible and it's on the table in about an hour. Ingredients  serves 6 6 or 7 bone-in chicken thighs, skin on 1/2 C soy sauce 1 T sesame oil + more for brushing 2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed 1 T olive oil sesame seeds for garnish Procedure Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic together in a small mixing bowl and place the chicken skin-side down in the bowl. In a heavy skillet (I like to use my Le Creuset braiser), heat olive oil. Place the skin side of chicken down and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over - the skin will be browned and crisp - and cook on the second side for 25 to 30 minutes. To finish, brush each chicken thigh with a thin layer of sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately! I served these with a side of steamed brown rice and roasted broccoli ...

I think the busier my life gets, the more I lose myself in books during every spare, unscheduled moment. I juggle multiple books all year long; it just gets worse during summer vacation. This is one that I took on my son's birthday camping trip a couple of years ago. And while the kids were at the archery range, I sat by the fire and read the afternoon away. I, apparently, never hit 'publish' on this post. Fixing that now... On the Page... Blue Plate Special: An Autobiography of My Appetites  by Kate Christensen* is an atypical food memoir. It doesn't chronicle a trip around the world in pursuit of the perfect plate of something; it's not about a year-long cooking project, with a well-defined start, middle, and end. It's, as its subtitle, a story of her life informed by her relationship with food. First, there are the soft-boiled egg and pieces of buttered toast strips she’s eating in Berkeley when she witnesses her father brutally beating her mo...

This is another cookie creation that was spawned by watching an inspiring fifteen minute video by cookie artiste Susan Spungen last month. Thankfully I found the article:  12 Stunning Cookies that will Impress Everyone You Know  that featured Spungen's recipes and more gorgeous photos of her creations. But, as you can see, my marbling technique needs a little help. These were just barely swirled. But they were delicious! I'll try again as soon as I swap out the igniters in my oven. They decided to misbehave - as in not heat up enough to kick on the oven - and I'll be without an oven until the parts come in. Jake joked that my oven is on strike since it hasn't had a day off since October. Probably true... This is very slightly adapted because my black tahini dough wasn't as dark as I wanted. So, I added in some cocoa powder. I will be making these cookies again this weekend - in my parents' oven - and I'll post photos if my marbling looks better....

I already shared my recipe for this month's Food'N'Flix event: Siguemchi Namul (Korean Spinach Salad) . But I wanted to post a recipe for the Korean potato pancakes that I served alongside that salad. These were, as D commented, "less chunky, Asian latkes." Okay. Ingredients 1 pound organic potatoes (I used Yukon gold potatoes), scrubbed and cubed 1/2 onion (I used a red onion) 1/4 t salt 3 to 4 T flour (amount will depend on how watery your potatoes are) oil for frying (I used canola oil) Also needed: rimmed skillet, dipping sauce for serving Procedure Place potatoes, onions, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and blend until you have a smooth paste. Add in the flour until you get a thick batter consistency. The amount you use will depend on how watery your potatoes are; I used just over 3 T. Heat oil in your skillet until the pan is shiny and the oil moves as easily as water. Spoon batter onto the skillet a...