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Posts from the ‘Main Courses’ Category

Jun 27

11 Comments

Shredded veal salad with radishes, tomatoes, spinach and yogurt-mustard dressing

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I have a confession to make: there are some ingredients I just don’t know how to cook. This is was the case of – radishes. I used to eat radishes in salads, and sometimes as crudités pairing dips, but I never really understood its usage in the kitchen – or even how to make the most of it.

While scrolling down tweets from Food52 – a truly amazing food site- I discovered a simple, delicious recipe with grilled chicken, radishes pickles and greens from Caroline Wright, who creates recipes for Food52.

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Dec 26

21 Comments

A matter of cultural perspective

 

How would you eat this dish? Would you start by eating the rice first, the squid or the pesto? Would you call it fusion, creative cuisine or a concept dish? Anyway we see it, it is a matter of perspective. So is the way we eat our food. If I had to define food in one word, I’d say food is culture. When it comes to food, our preferences – and our choices of what we eat and cook – are shaped by our cultural backgrounds. Food defines who we are and where we come from: Italians eat pasta, Mexicans eat tacos, Americans eat burgers, Chinese people eat dim sum, etc.

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Aug 11

147 Comments

Zucchini Variations

Appetizer or main course? When it comes to vegetables, we think about them as appetizers, and – more often – as side dishes.

I had a bunch of zucchini romanesche at home (with their flowers) and before I was off for vacations, I had to make use of them.  Since I usually prepare zucchini with pasta or simply as a side dish, I wanted to come up with a main course (with zucchini as “main” ingredient). I thought it was a good idea because zucchinis are fresh and in season, and a meat course would have been heavy with the high temperatures we got in Rome.

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Sep 20

37 Comments

Steak n’ Bread with salad

Before coming to Italy, I used to eat red meat quite often. In my home country Honduras, meat (this includes poultry and pork) is a very important part of our culinary culture. For us Hondurans a meal without meat is incomplete. So being brought up in Honduras, I used to be a very carnivorous young girl. My diet did not changed very much while in College – in Texas!! As a student, I remember going with my friends to Somerville a small town – about 80 miles North of Houston – to eat in a steakhouse (unfortunately  I don’t remember its name!!) where the steaks were bigger that the plate!!! 

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Aug 22

16 Comments

Zucchini wraps with arugula, tomatoes and red onions

Today was one of the hottest days of the year in Rome. Temperatures were as high as 37° C (about 99°F), but it felt like 41°C (105°F)!!

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Aug 21

16 Comments

Fish Baked in Salt Crust

Before coming to Italy, I was not keen on seafood; I was a red meat and chicken lover. My seafood culture would not go beyond a great Honduran ceviche (yes we do have great ceviche!!), or grilled shrimp on a skewer.  This was probably because, despite our beautiful Caribbean seacoast, in Honduras we mostly eat chicken and red meat, specially in San Pedro Sula – the city where I was born and raised – where people do not have the habit of eating seafood (unfortunately). However, in the Bay Islands area – off the North coast of Honduras, seafood is a very common staple. It is quite interesting that despite being a small country, Honduras has a vast and rich gastronomic culture: we have influences from Africa, Mayans, and Spain. Yet, someday I am going to go deeper on this argument, hoping I can blog from my country.

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Jul 22

17 Comments

Beef tartare with arugula pesto

Last Wednesday we had guests for dinner. I wanted to cook a meat course that was fresh and perfect for these hot summer days.

I came up with the idea of making a beef tartare which was easy to prepare since it did not involve grilling or baking.

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Jun 17

16 Comments

Eggplant Parmesan – an Italian classic

Is there a definitive recipe for a traditional dish? Is it ok to claim that there is only one way to cook some classics? When it comes to Eggplant Parmesan in Italy, it is a tough call. There are three Italian Regions bragging rights to the real Parmigiana di Melanzane: Campania, Emilia Romagna, and Sicily.

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May 30

1 Comment

Baby lamb chops with spinach and hummus

Last week I was craving for lamb  (I absolutely love lamb!!). As a result,  I went  to my trusted butcher and asked him for some lamb chops. To my disappointment, he only had baby lamb chops available but since my craving was so strong, I decided to buy them.  (Look forward for my post about my one and only butcher on my Shopping section).

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May 27

2 Comments

Veal with asparagus and fava bean coulis

It’s Springtime in Rome!  This is the season to taste  asparagus, fava beans, zucchini flowers, artichokes, mint, and strawberries (yummy!). Unfortunately, Spring produce does not last long so you have to make the most out of Spring harvest products before Summer’s produce arrives into markets!

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