Tag: italian cuisine

Polenta Crostini with Mushroom

Polenta Crostini with Mushroom

For this week’s recipe, we’ll make Polenta Crostini with Mushroom Crostini, a golden, crisp polenta medley topped with sauteed mushrooms and fresh herbs. This appetizer effortlessly combines rustic simplicity with gourmet elegance, promising a delightful burst of flavors in every bite. Perfect for any occasion, […]

Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata

Another fast dinner recipe for days I don’t have time to go shopping and come up with elaborate dinner plans. Tonight is Chicken Piccata, a sublime marriage between sauteed floured chicken breast cut into thin cutlets and a lemony-buttery-garlicky sauce topped with lemon slices, capers and parsley. I bet you would pay thick for this dinner at a five star restaurant. Here is your chance to make it yourself!

Pasta Pesto

Pasta Pesto

Pesto Rigatoni

In hot and humid Chicago summer days, when the AC is almost always on, (don’t remind me of the electricity bill), the last thing I want to do is spend the afternoon in the kitchen having the oven or stove on. I admit, I need an effort to become creative at whipping out dishes (decent ones, mind you) under one hour. I usually take refuge doing something on the grill, but there are days when I couldn’t bear the sight or smell of barbecued meat (as much as I love it!). So then, what do I do? Start by opening the fridge veggie bins for some inspiration. That quickly turns me off since sometimes all I find are some pathetic wilted scallions or forgotten half bell peppers. I am a very clumsy meal planner, so most of the time I have to improvise with what’s at hand. And oh look! What’s on our counter!! A beautiful bouquet of fresh basil that my brother in law brought over from his garden! My creative wheels start to turn. I open the freezer, there lies a package of walnuts. A jar of sun dried tomatoes in the fridge. Enough garlic to feed an army. I look at the clock – it’s 5:15 p.m. Heck, I might be able to pull it off too feed them for our religious 6 o’clock-dinner-on-the-table time. It’s Pesto!

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Home Cured Pancetta

Home Cured Pancetta

Pancetta or pork belly (aka bacon for us in the West), is the easiest meat that can be cured at home even without the need of a curing chamber. Inspired by Jason Molinari’s Cured Meats blog, I mustered enough courage to get this project running along with the others ones that are still sitting in the curing chamber.

Panettone – Not Your Momma’s Fruitcake

Panettone – Not Your Momma’s Fruitcake

Merry Christmas to all Mamaliga fans! Here’s another try at baking Panettone from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice book for the BBA Challenge. I didn’t blog about it initially since there were some things I wanted to tweak and adapt from his original formula. Quite a few changes.