It’s Spring!
Here’s the Pasta Primavers Recipe I used as a guideline. By Giada Delaurentiis
Rainbow carrots, zucchini, garlic, broccoli, green beans, cherry tomatoes- halved, red onion, garlic cloves, tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and a sprinkle of Italian Seasoning a mixture of herbs. Roasted in a hot oven. The green beans and broccoli were leftover from the past two nights so added the warmed beans towards the end.
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dc, the Florida guy, is a blog follower and frequent commenter. His words make me laugh out loud! He’s the one who doesn’t care for mushrooms. 😉
dc was inspired by the Minnesota Hotdish blog post (thank you Audrey!)
Here’s what happened after he read the collaborative post I did with the help of Audrey H of Minnesota Prairie Roots blog.
dc wrote
What is the difference between hotdish and casserole?
Definition: Casserole is the name of the dish used to cook with, whereas hot dish is the meal itself. Ingredients: Casseroles can contain any ingredients under the sun practically, where hot dishes have set ingredients they have to have.
“Today’s post was an inspiration. Photos to follow.”
Here are the photos dc sent me throughout the day
Thanks dc. That was fun. I know it tasted good.
A tribute to a restaurant, La Cucina Flegrea– opened in the late ‘90s. now permanently closed. This print is when it was located on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill.
Rigatoni alla Vodka Spaghetti alla Rucola (Arugula) Tagliatelle Zucchini, and the soups!
Steve bought this print in Bloomfield years ago. It’s on my kitchen wall. I was thinking about all the delicious meals I had eaten over the years. My family celebrated my fiftieth birthday at this restaurant in 2002. I took a cooking class with Chef Anna Fevola in 2010 (click to see blog post)
Greetings from Zagreb.
It’s Lješnjaci season. Hazelnuts. Do you like hazelnuts? I’ve never seen them sold like this in the USA but they grow and are harvested here in Croatia. These lješnjaci are out of the shell and sold in net bags. .
“Corylus avellana. Hazelnuts are sweet with characteristic slight notes of musty and earthy. One of the significant flavor mixtures found in hazelnuts is fiber tone. Filbertone is a naturally occurring ketone found in hazelnut oil. It has a roasted, marbled, sweet, and long-lasting character”
https://youtu.be/w9NY1rTnALo video of harvesting hazelnuts in Croatia
When I was Arizona, I saw this unusual (to me) products
Nopalitos marinated Cactus recipe for cactus salad
Prickly Pear Cactus paddles Yes or No?
“Are nopales in a jar good for you?”
“Nopales and prickly pear fruit are high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. They are a nutritious addition to a balanced diet and may help decrease blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and lower cholesterol.”
The kind of peppers where you might need gloves to handle them when you cut them and you never ever touch your eye!
Here’s an article how to use them without getting burned
These were given to me a few weeks ago.
I let them dry out. Pretty soon, with the change of weather, it’s going to be chili season. A big pot on the stove’s back burner on a chilly afternoon could be a little spicier this year. I have a jar of dried red Chile peppers I use to add some zip to dishes. Sometimes they can make your lips sing.
Red hot pepper was what we used to call out when cranking a jump rope, speeding it up, seeing how many jumps you could do at a rapid pace.
This broccoli on the stovetop was sautéed with garlic and olive oil. .
Growing up I never really cared for the taste of it.
I feel differently now.
How do you feel about this vegetable? how do you like it prepared?
Origin- Italy. Broccoli is an edible green plant in the cabbage family whose large flowering head, stalk and small associated leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Broccoli is classified in the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica oleracea.Wikipedia
Grown hydroponically by the Lettuce Ladies Ambridge PA.
I used arugula microgreens for the first time in the Spaghetti Arugula dish I learned how to make when I took a cooking class at La Cucina Flegrea taught by chef Anna Fevola. (Click to see links)
The micro greens are fragrant. Delicate but flavorful. Delicious! Have you tried microgreens?
Added some freshly grated Parmesan on top
I put the micro greens on top of the spaghetti arugula mixture at the end. Don’t cook the micro greens for this dish. Just toss the arugula throughout your portion!
