Culinary Adventures with Camilla

While it definitely feels like Fall in the mornings, California's central coast is still getting warm enough during the afternoons that it feel like it might be appropriate weather for a pink wine. A few months ago, for the August Italian Food Wine Travel blogging event, I posted: Italian Pinks, Sardinian Native Grapes, and Gamberi all'Aglio . In the Glass I initially bought a bottle of Cantele Negroamaro Rosato 2018 (purchased at wine.com for $17) to share that month, but then decided to focus on native grapes from Sardinia. So this wine from Puglia didn't fit my theme. I held on to the bottle and have decided to share it with you today.  map from winefolly.com Puglia is, if you look at Italy's boot, the heel. A little history: At the end of World War II, most of Puglia's population migrated North to find factory near Milan and Turin. Instead of following the exodus, Giovanni Battista Cantele, a wine merchant living in Imola, in the Emilia-Romagna, moved to S...

This is a sponsored post written by me in conjunction with the May #WinePW skin-fermented event. Wine samples  or wines  at an industry discount  were provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. This was a pairing I created for the skin-fermented wine event for May's Wine Pairing Weekend with a wine from Two Shepherds Winery.* You can read the tasting notes in my post: Diving into the Skin Fermented Wine Pool of Two Shepherds Winery. Once it goes live, on Friday, May 9th, I'll link to it. But here is the recipe for this simple dish with lots of seasonal flavors.  I was inspired by a bunch of mizuna, or Japanese mustard greens, that I received in my CSA (community-supported agriculture) box. You can use any leafy green that you have! That's one of the things I love about this recipe: you can swap out the protein and the veggies easily. It's the sauce that makes this dish really sing. On the side, I served brocco...

Hi and welcome to day 5 of #PumpkinWeek hosted by Terri of  Love and Confections . We are celebrating our love of the season with a whole week of pumpkin goodies, leading up to National Pumpkin Day. 17 Food Bloggers have come together to share over 65 recipes with you. In addition to homemade pumpkin puree, pie, and cookies, we are also sharing savory pumpkin dishes like hummus, chili and pumpkin corn chowder. Come back every day for #PumpkinWeek recipes. You can also find these great recipes and more on  Love and Confections' #PumpkinWeek Pinterest Board ! For this fifth day of #PumpkinWeek, I have a funny story. Last year, my then 9-year-old had a pet pumpkin. He had gotten it at a market at the beginning of the month and it slept on his pillow and watched him do his homework. One day I jokingly threatened to cook his pumpkin. I  was  joking, but D was not amused. So, needless to say...when I served this dish, the first thing he did was run to his ro...

We're pushing ahead in our Cooking Around the World Adventure with a tabletop trip to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This eastern Caribbean nation is comprised of one volcanic island, Saint Vincent, and thirty-two smaller islands and cays, the Grenadines. Saint Vincent is mountainous with rich volcanic soils, and its volcano, Soufrière, last erupted in 1979— year of their independence from the United Kingdom. Two hydroelectric plants help power Saint Vincent's diversifying economy which has been dependent on exports of bananas and arrowroot. Tourism has been growing steadily, too. Other Facts + Their Flag Population: 111,000 Capital: Kingstown Area: 150 square miles Languages: English, French, Patois Religion: Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, and other Protestant Currency: East Caribbean dollar Literacy Percent: 96 For this dinner, I only made one thing! When researching traditional recipes I kept seeing three recipes pop up - Curried Goat,...

Petit Piton refers to two different things on Saint Lucia: a mountain and a national dish. I don't quite get the connection, but I'm going with it. Petit Piton is one of two mountains overlooking Soufrière Bay in southwestern Saint Lucia. It lies towards the middle of the bay, south of Soufrière, north of the larger mountain Gros Piton in the Piton Mitan Ridge. Petit Piton measures 2461 ft tall while Gros Piton is larger by about 150 ft. As for the national dish...it's basically a stir-fry with some herbs and brightened by a squeeze of citrus before serving. The recipes I found specified "meat, potatoes, and mixed vegetables." I used what I had - carrots, green beans, asparagus, and cabbage. 1 lb ground meat (I used ground turkey) 1 onion, peeled and diced 2 T butter splash of olive oil 2 carrots, chopped 2 C asparagus, chopped 1 C green beans, chopped 1/2 C shredded green cabbage 4 potatoes, diced 1/2 C freshly chopped parsley 1 T marjo...

What's the saying about repaying kindness with kindness? I usually repay kindness with - what else? - food. So, when my friend Marne offered to help me with the boys this week, I offered to make her whatever she wanted. She picked meatloaf...and she doesn't eat gluten...hence, the gluten-free meatloaf. She remembered a sweet-soy glazed meatloaf that I had done versus a ketchup-glazed one. Ingredients  Makes 4 mini meatloaves 2 lbs ground turkey 1 large egg 2 T chia seeds 2 T gluten-free flour 4 T gluten-free tamari or soy sauce 1/2 onion, peeled and diced 1/2 fennel bulb, trimmed and diced 1 shallot, peeled and diced 1 T minced ginger 2 C mushrooms, sliced 1/2 C sliced raw almonds freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper splash of olive oil splash of rice wine vinegar Sweet and Sour Chili Sauce 1/2 C rice wine vinegar 1/2 C organic granulated sugar 1 T minced garlic dash of ground cumin dash of ground cinnamon freshly...

When I was searching for Russian recipes, I came across these meatballs that looked amazing. I was right...they were. I did swap out the traditional beef for turkey. And everything I read says that these are made the night before serving. I didn't do that. Next time... because I'll definitely be making these again. Meatballs 1 leek, thinly sliced 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and diced 1 lb ground turkey 2 T chia seeds freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper 3 T fresh chopped herbs (I used a mixture of chervil and parsley) dash of paprika splash of olive oil Sauce 1 C organic chicken broth 1 C organic heavy cream 2 T butter 1 t ground nutmeg freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper zest from one lemon juice from one lemon 2 T fresh chopped herbs (I used a mixture of chervil and parsley) 1 t organic corn starch mixed with a splash of cold water for thickening Mix all of the meatball ingredients, except the olive oil...

Our Cooking Around the World adventure got side-tracked last year. But we are determined to wrap up this culinary project once and for all. So, we're launching into the Rs this year...and we'll get through Z come hell or high water! Last night we ventured to Romania, via tabletop, making a traditional  Ciorba de Perisoare for dinner. That's a sour meatball soup. A little bit about Romania... Romania is located in southeast Europe. It's mountainous in the north while the south is dominated by the Danube valley. The river forms a delta as it approaches the Black Sea, creating a wildlife reserve for countless native and migratory birds. The Romanian language, like many others in southern Europe, is directly descended from Latin, although Romania is separated from other Romance-language countries by Slav speakers. Romania has considerable natural resources including oil, natural gas, coal, iron, copper and bauxite. Metal-working, petrochemicals an...

When the family festivities continued, they wanted to do a dinner at my aunt and uncle's timeshare. And they asked if the enthusiastic kitchen elf would make something. He immediately declared, "I'm going to make Lion's Head Soup for them, Mommy." And he did. He brought his own utensils, my pots, and the ingredients. It was a hit! I think the family was impressed with his culinary prowess. 2 lbs ground meat (we used turkey) 1/2 onion, diced 2 cloves of garlic, diced 4 shallots, diced 2 T gluten-free flour 2 T minced ginger 2 T minced garlic 4 T minced cilantro 1 bunch collard greens 1 C roughly chopped oyster mushrooms 1 bunch baby onions with greens, sliced freshly ground pepper 6 T gluten-free soy sauce 4 T toasted sesame oil 8 C organic chicken broth 1. Wash and dry the greens. Cut crosswise into 1/2" strips. 2. In a medium bowl, combine the turkey with the onion, garlic, shallots, ginger, and 2 T cilantro. Mix ...

Funny story: my 9-year-old has a pet pumpkin. He got it at a market at the beginning of the month and it sleeps on his pillow and watches him do his homework. One day I jokingly threatened to cook his pumpkin. I was joking, but Dylan was not amused. So, needless to say...when I served this dinner, the first thing he did was run to his room to make sure that his pumpkin hadn't been a casualty of my pumpkin massacre. Then he announced, "Pumpkin is not coming to the dinner table tonight because I don't want him to see me eating his friends." Fine by me. Somewhere along my pumpkin travels, I saw meatloaf-stuffed mini pumpkins. Maybe I was in the checkout line at the grocery store. Maybe it was in a cookbook. But it definitely wasn't pinned to any of my Pinterest boards , so I decided to wing it. How hard could it be? Turns out...it was a piece of cake...and the perfect dinner for a busy school night. Serves 6 6 mini pumpkins 1 lb ground meat (I used...

3 C flour (plus a little more for kneading) 1/2 C cold water 2 eggs 1 t vinegar 3 T butter In a bowl, beat the water, eggs, and vinegar together, then set aside. In another bowl, cut together the flour and butter with a pastry blender. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the egg mixture into the center. Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a fork until it becomes stiff. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 1 pound ground turkey 1 T minced garlic 1 carrot, sliced 2 C baby kale freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper 1/2 C fresh tomato sauce smoked paprika chile powder ground cumin In a large, flat-bottom pan cook the turkey and garlic in a splash of olive oil till meat is completely browned. Add in the carrots and kale. Cook until slightly softened. Season to taste. Preheat the oven to 350 deg...

I am not one of those moms who hides vegetables in things because my kids won't eat greens, but I do tend to put greens in whatever I'm making for added nutrition and fiber. And my boys really like kale! So, when I saw some leftover kale from my CSA box, I decided to add them to the meatballs I'm bringing to a potluck today. Other kids might not appreciate the kale in their meatballs. Oh, well...it's delicious! 2 t dark sesame oil 1 T crushed garlic 1 pound ground turkey 2 C kale, chiffonaded and lightly wilted in a splash of olive oil 1/4 t ground cumin dash of ground coriander freshly ground sea salt Preheat the oven to 375°. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. With moist hands, shape meat mixture into teaspoon-sized meatballs. For dinner, I make them walnut-size. For a potluck, I make them a little bit smaller. Arrange meatballs in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake meatballs at 375° for 30 minute...

It's the first Monday of the month which means one thing:  Secret Recipe Club  reveal for Group A. This month I was assigned to Jenna's Cooking Journey . Meet Jenna who admits: " I didn't really cook until I reached college, and even then had a lot of cooking mishaps.  The mishaps may have come from my inexperience cooking, but sometimes they came from cooking at high altitude.  Now that I'm married, there is someone else to eat my cooking, and I don't have to get stuck with leftovers for two weeks, so now I'm expanding my cooking horizons even further." Looking through her blog, there were several recipes that caught my eye, including a Horseradish-Crusted Filets , Better Than Sex Cake  (hmmm...I'm dubious), and her Yogurt-Marinated Lamb Loin . But I ultimately decided to make a variation of her Biscuits and Gravy . Biscuits and Gravy slightly adapted from Jenna's Cooking Journey Biscuits 2 C white whole wheat flour 2 T or...

For Jake's birthday, I planned a 'Fungi Feast for My Fun-Guy' and one of our friends gave him a Grow-Your-Own Mushroom Kit as a present. Fun. Only, he forgot about it until he noticed that a mushroom was pushing its way out of a box. Funny. So, he hung it on a hook in the kitchen and dutifully sprays it to keep it moist. Today, he told me that it was time to cook the renegade mushroom that was not 'following the directions' and was sprouting out of the top instead of out of its grow hole. Really funny. I had never seen a kit like this. Then we went to the Maker Faire Bay Area and the Far West Fungi booth had them for sale. Far West Fungi 's webstore carries a shitake mushroom kit . And you can also get an oyster mushroom kit  online at Uncommon Goods . I carefully cut off the lone mushroom, sliced it up, and included it in our stirfry for lunch. 1 T crushed garlic 1/2 lb ground turkey 4 carrots, scrubbed and cut into coins 1 celery root, peeled an...

I had never baked meatballs - until I did a book review of The Bengali Five Spice Chronicle . Now it's one of my favorite ways to cook meatballs. I whipped up a double batch for Riley's birthday picnic and served them with a sheeps' milk yogurt from Garden Variety Cheese in Royal Oaks. They were a hit! Meatballs 2 pounds ground turkey 2 eggs 1 C cubetti (diced pancetta) 1/2 C ground almonds 2 T diced shallots and garlic, sauteed in butter until softened and beginning to caramelize 1/2 t ground cumin 1/4 t ground coriander dash of paprika freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper Mix all of the ingredients together well. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil. Form tablespoon-sized meatballs - or larger if you like - and place them on your baking sheet. They will shrink, so you can place them fairly close together. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Yogurt Sauce 1 C sheeps' milk yogurt 1/2 t crushed garlic 1 T dukkah* 2...