Chef Mimi is my oldest blogging friend (oldest as in for the longest time). We’ve followed each other’s blogs since 2012, and we’ve had the pleasure to meet in person in 2014 when we were both visiting our mutual friend … Continue reading Thai Squid Salad
I created this dish to use up what was in my fridge — so I could also call it pasta svuotafrigo. I had some leeks, left over prosciutto, and left over ricotta that all needed to be used up. I … Continue reading Pasta with Leeks, Prosciutto, and Ricotta (Trofie ai Porri, Crudo e Ricotta)
Ricotta and spinach are a classic combination in Italian cooking, especially as a stuffing for ravioli. It also works great with a ‘pink’ tomato sauce, which means a tomato sauce that is mixed with either cream or white sauce (besciamella). … Continue reading Spinach, Ricotta, and Tomato Lasagna (Lasagne di Magro)
Yellowtail is one of my favorite types of fish. It goes by many names, like hamachi in Japan, ricciola in Italy, as well as amberjack and kingfish. It is a white fish but more fatty and therefore more flavorful and … Continue reading Yellowtail Sous Vide With Smoky Jus
For Easter dinner I wanted to enjoy a nice bottle of Barolo from the 2006 vintage, that I had acquired at the winery in 2010 and had been aging in my wine fridge ever since. It was easy to select … Continue reading Fresh Pasta with Beef and Porcini Mushroom Ragù (Tajarin al Ragù di Manzo en Funghi Porcini)
My friend Melvin had enjoyed Spaghetti V.G.P. at a restaurant in Sicily, and suggested we make prepare this. Pasta with vongole, gamberi (shrimp) and pistachios is quite common in Sicilian restaurants; it uses local ingredients and is a great flavor … Continue reading Spaghetti V.G.P. (Spaghetti with Vongole, Shrimp, and Pistachios)
A popular dish from Yucatán (Mexico) is Poc Chuc. “Poc” means roasting in Mayan, and “Chuc”, means charcoal. The name doesn’t specify what food is being roasted, but if it just says Poc Chuc it will be charcoal roasted pork. … Continue reading Poc Chuc Sous Vide
Since I really liked the flavor profile of a Portuguese dish I made of rice with lobster and clams (Arroz de lagosta), I thought it would be nice to turn it into a risotto. The Portugese arroz is much more … Continue reading Risotto Astice e Vongole (Lobster and Clam Risotto)
Six years ago, I studied the Modernist Bread books, and greatly improved the bread I was baking. I’ve been baking bread this way ever since and everyone loves it. I’ve been directing people who wanted to bake the same bread … Continue reading My Bread
Coda alla Vaccinara is a classic dish from Rome that is oxtail stewed in tomato sauce with lardo, wine, garlic, and the holy trinity of Italian stews (onion, carrot, celery). Some recipes include more ‘exotic’ ingredients like raisins, pine nuts, … Continue reading Ravioli di Coda alla Vaccinara (Oxtail Ravioli)
This is what we had as secondo piatto for our Christmas dinner this year. This dish is very suitable for a special occasion, as you can prepare almost everything beforehand and to serve you only need to quickly brown the … Continue reading Venison Rolls Stuffed With Porcini Mushrooms and Red Wine Sauce
This is the appetizer I prepared for Christmas dinner this year. It was very loosely inspired by a dish I enjoyed at Michelin-starred Bistro de la Mer in Amsterdam. The flavor combination is quite unique but works very well. The … Continue reading Shrimp and Celery with XO Shiitake Mushrooms
Did you know macadamia nuts are produced in Tasmania? I didn’t, but I found out when I visted Tasmania and had blue eye trevalla (a local fish) with macadamia butter and broccolini at restaurant Aløft. I really liked the combination, … Continue reading Cod with Macadamia, Lemon, and Broccolini
My friend Mark made some very nice chicken with shiso and umeboshi skewers for lunch when I visited him in Adelaide recently. He did this poolside, over charcoal on an authentic looking Japanese grill. I really liked this and decided … Continue reading Chicken Skewers with Shiso and Umeboshi
This recipe for pasta with pumpkin is from Campania and Calabria, where it is made using the local elongated variety of pumpkin called cocozza (cucuzza in Calabria). Since pumpkin doesn’t have a very strong flavor anyway, you can easily substitute … Continue reading Pasta with Pumpkin (Pasta e Zucca)
Biba Caggiano was an Italian-American cookbook author, television chef, and restaurateur. It was through her books that I mastered the basics of Italian cooking about twenty years ago, before I learned the language and increased my knowledge of Italian cuisine by … Continue reading Calamari in Inzimino (Braised Squid with Swiss Chard in a Spicy Tomato Sauce)
Italian cuisine is very regional. Italy has 20 regions that are further subdivided into 107 provinces. The provinces are usually named after the main city or town. Each province is proud of its culinary tradition and has its own piatti … Continue reading Tordelli al Ragù (Ravioli from Lucca)
An unusual dish I enjoyed in Yucatán Mexico was Tzic de Venado, which is also written as Tsi’ik de Venado. Venado is Spanish for venison, and Tzic means something like pulled meat. So this is pulled venison. What makes it … Continue reading Tzic de Venado Sous Vide (Maya Style Pulled Venison)
Recently I’ve enjoyed a seafood dish that featured a bisque at two different Michelin starred restaurants. The first was sea bass with a bisque at Ciel Bleu and the second was raw shrimp with bisque and carrots at Aqua. This … Continue reading Turbot with Carrots and Bisque
One of the nicest meals during our vacation in Yucatán, Mexico, was a lunch at La Palapa del Tio Fito in Campeche. From the large reed shack at the waterfront it is not immediately apparent that they really know how … Continue reading Octopus Poc Chuc
Ceviche was often on the menu in restaurants during my trip to Yucatán, Mexico. Ceviche is raw seafood that is ‘cooked’ by marinating it in citrus juice. What surprised me most when I ordered it in Yucatán, was that it … Continue reading Black Ceviche
Melanzane a Scabecciu is a typical sweet & sour eggplant antipasto from Sardinia, which I enjoyed at Agriturismo Oasi Blu in Calasetta. There it was made with lovely red eggplant from the agriturismo’s garden, but it is also very nice … Continue reading Melanzane a Scabecciu (Sweet & Sour Eggplant Antipasto)
During our vacation in Yucatán in Mexico I thoroughly enjoyed the local food. For lunch we often went to a taquería to have tacos. Taquería Honorio in Tulum has become famous due to René Redzepi’s praise when Noma had a … Continue reading Tacos with Relleno Negro Sous Vide (Black Filling of Pulled Turkey with Roasted Chiles)
Birria is a popular dish from the Mexican region of Jalisco. The taco version, also known as quesabirrias, has become popular in the US, which was probably why quesabirrias were on the menu in Cozumel (Yucatán). A lot of American … Continue reading Birria Tacos (Quesabirrias)
In Sardinia braised mutton is a regular item on restaurant menus. It has more depth of flavor and is more unctuous than lamb. If you can’t find mutton, you can also make this with lamb or even beef. You can … Continue reading Sardinian Mutton Sous Vide (Pecora in Umido)
I got the idea to combine a lemon risotto with clams from our dinner at Taverna Estia, where the dish was more elaborate and also included raw shrimp and pistachios. I had never prepared a lemon risotto before, which I … Continue reading Lemon Risotto with Clams (Risotto al Limon con Vongole)
At A Casa di Nonna restaurant in Pula in the South of Sardinia I enjoyed Fregola al ragù di pecora con vino rosso, which is fregula/fregola with a mutton ragù with red wine. Fregula is a Sardinian version of couscous, … Continue reading Fregula with Mutton Ragù (Fregola al Ragù di Pecora)
The inspiration for this dish came from a dish we enjoyed at the Librije. Usually when I use a restaurant dish for inspiration I do not try to make an exact copy, but try to simplify it to get to … Continue reading Foie Gras Sous Vide with Shrimp and Lime
Manfrigole are comfort food from Valtellina, a valley in the North of Italy near Switzerland. I encountered them for the first time during the wine trip to Lombardia last fall, where we enjoyed them for both lunch and dinner. Manfrigole … Continue reading Manfrigole (Buckwheat Pancakes Filled With Casera Cheese)
Dutch cuisine does not have a great reputation like Italian or French cuisine, but the comfort food Hutspot met Klapstuk can be taken to the next level by preparing it sous vide. Hutspot, literally hotch-potch, is carrot, onion, and potatoes, … Continue reading Braised Beef Short Ribs Sous Vide with Carrot, Onion, and Potato Mash (Hutspot met Klapstuk)
Stefan's Gourmet Blog 