Monthly Archives: July 2012
Cucumber Mango Salsa
These days, my kitchen is overflowing with cucumbers from my neighbor Beppi’s garden. I use at least one in every meal, slicing them thin to throw into green salads, or dressing them with oil and vinegar on their own for … Continue reading
Red Cabbage with Pine Nuts and Raisins
Red cabbage lends itself to sweet/sour preparations because of its inherently pungent, mustardy quality. It’s a good side dish to prepare for guests, since it can be cooked, then reheated at the last minute. It can be sauteed to crisp-tenderness … Continue reading
More Pizza Variations
This past weekend, we entertained a group of twenty-somethings for dinner and the suggestion of pizza seemed to meet with everyone’s approval. I looked back on my prior two pizza posts (Mom’s Pizza, and Zucchini and Ricotta Pizza) and decided … Continue reading
Easy Dinner for Eight–Gnocchi al Pesto and Grilled Shrimp
This is a weeknight dinner I made for an impromptu gathering of out-of-town guests. This meal can be pulled together with no advance preparation in as little as an hour-and-a-half. The first course was basic gnocchi al pesto. The gnocchi were … Continue reading
Wax Beans with Caramelized Fennel and Black Olives
I’ve just received the first of this summers’ stringbean crop from my neighbor Beppi’s garden. He raises three varieties–long beans, wax beans, and regular stringbeans. I love the yellow wax beans–they’re sturdy in texture but mild and sweet in flavor. … Continue reading
Golden Beet Risotto
The golden beets have been so sweet and irresistable, I’ve been serving them nonstop in one form or other for the last couple of weeks. Risotto is the perfect way to showcase them. Their sweet earthiness is the perfect complement to … Continue reading
Italian Flat Stringbeans with Zucchini and Tomato
As I indicated in my last post, my favorite meals for entertaining this time of year are those which consist of something from the grill, plus a variety of make-ahead side dishes. My mother is visiting again this weekend, and … Continue reading
italianatedotcom 