Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Warm Farro Salad with RayZyn’s

December 31, 2016 by Mary 22 Comments

Imagine raisins that have more antioxidants than wine!! Not that I’m giving up my wine but we could always use more antioxidants to combat all the diseases out there. These Wine RayZyn’s are a crunchy superfood in three flavors – ChardonayZyn, MerlayZyn, and CabernayZyn are really simply dried wine grapes. If you got our MARY’s secret ingredients winter box, you received two of the three flavors.

They’re delicious and super crunchy. A little different than you’d expect, the crunch comes from the seeds and the seeds have more antioxidants than the rest of the dried grape, so crunch away!!

I made this warm farro salad with the RayZyns, (any flavor will work), some sautéed onions and radishes. I’m calling this a salad because of the radishes but believe me, this was delicious and comforting, even on a cold winter night. Finishing it with the sherry vinegar adds just the right amount of acid to tie the sweet, from the RayZyns, with the savory, from the onions and radishes, together, while the lovely farro adds its own soft chewy texture. The butter at the end is a good addition as well, to tie it all together.

And don’t worry about serving this warm salad to your kids, there’s no alcohol in these RayZyn’s and they’re non GMO, all natural, and vegan!

Make this to go with any protein. You’ll be delighted.

WARM FARRO SALAD WITH RAYZYN’S – serves 4

1 cup farro
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
3 cups water
2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 small onion or shallot, minced
1 anchovy fillet, drained and patted dry
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 radishes, chopped
1/2 cup RayZyns, any flavor, finely chopped
Fine grind sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 Tbs. sherry vinegar

Warm farro salad with RayZyn's ingredients on a wooden cutting board. Combine farro, water and 1 tsp. coarse sea salt in a small pot. Being to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Test after 15 minutes. The texture of the farro should be tender and chewy, a little al dente. And the farro should always be covered with water while cooking. This will take 15 – 30 minutes of cooking time.

Meanwhile, as the farro is cooking, in a small skillet, warm 1 Tbs. olive oil on low heat and add the minced onion or shallot and the anchovy. Cover and let cook on low heat for 10 minutes to soften and sweeten the onion, and melt the anchovy, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and add the chopped radishes and cook for just 3 minutes on medium high heat. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the 1 Tbs. of butter. Swirl it around to melt the butter off heat, but keep the skillet in a warm place.

Finely chopped RayZyn's with three radishes on a cutting board. Finely chop the RayZyn’s, any flavor will be delicious.

Drain the farro when done. Shake the colander and stir the grains to remove any extra water. Lay the farro out on one-half of a clean linen or cotton towel and cover with the other half of the towel to mop up any extra water from the farro.

In a warm bowl, combine the farro, the radishes and onion mixture, the finely chopped RayZyns, plus 1 Tbs. good olive oil and sprinkle the sherry vinegar over all. Toss to combine well and taste for salt and pepper. It may not need any salt.

Serve immediately, with LOVE!

Tuscan Bean Soup with Sfoglini Spaccatelli Pasta

December 17, 2016 by Mary 6 Comments

Tuscan Bean Soup with Sfoglini Spaccatelli Pasta is a recipe based on one from my Tuscan cookbook. I have been wanting to make this soup since the summer when I received the book from my friend Cristina while in Arezzo on that wonderful trip. This Tuscan Bean Soup with Sfoglini Spaccatelli Pasta is so comforting and this pasta is to die for.

Really.

It is made with Organic Durum Semolina flour and water. That’s it! And it is so delicious, really like homemade. My husband could eat this pasta every night so if the good folks at Sfoglini in Brooklyn, NY want to send me a case of this stuff, bring it on!

The pasta shape is Spaccatelli and is sometimes referred to as Strozzapreti or “priest collars.” It resembles a rolled-up scroll or towel, smooth and tight. Legend has it that the name refers to how annoyed Italian men became at seeing their wives labor over cooking extravagant meals for the local clergy. Ha! This two inch strand of tubular pasta is a great substitute for ziti or macaroni in any dish and is superb with a chunky meat sauce as the shape envelops the sauce into the curved folds.

Rather than a chunky sauce that you can make on your own, I opted to highlight this pasta in this luscious bean soup. Plan ahead as you have to soak the beans overnight before cooking, but this is well worth it. This soup is so Tuscan, so comforting, and so perfect on a cold winter night.

I suppose you could use drained and rinsed canned beans but cooking the real thing is so much better. And it’s not much effort. It’s just time. So give this a go!

TUSCAN BEAN SOUP WITH SFOGLINI SPACCATELLI PASTA – serves 8

8 oz. Sfoglini Spaccatelli Pasta
1 lb. dried cannellini beans
8 oz. of ripe or canned tomatoes, crushed
8 cups of vegetable stock
3 cloves of garlic and 1 clove of chopped garlic
1 onion, chopped
3 sage leaves
Chili pepper flakes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Rinse and cover the beans with 3 inches of cold water and soak overnight. The next day, rinse, drain and cover with 1½ inches of fresh cold water. Add 3 wholes cloves of garlic and sage leaves and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 1.5 – 2 hours, partially covered, until very tender, making sure the beans are always covered with water. Add salt to taste when done.

Puree the beans in a blender with some of the water until you achieve a smooth puree.

In another saucepan, sauté the finely chopped onion and garlic in a little oil. Add the tomatoes and chili pepper flakes and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the bean puree and hot broth. Add salt to taste and bring to a simmer.

Fill a separate large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add coarse sea salt and the Sfoglini Spaccatelli Pasta and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and add to the soup, stirring for 1 minute to combine and to let the pasta finish cooking. Taste the pasta to be sure it is done. It should be al dente.

Ladle the soup in bowls, drizzle with olive oil and top with fresh ground pepper and serve with LOVE.

Enjoy!!!

There are a few boxes left with this special pasta and you can buy a winter subscription box here and receive all of the great products. Remember better pantries make better meals!

Additionally your purchase helps in our partnership with Feed The Children. No one should go hungry.

Make Nonna’s Pomarola Sauce Recipe Now!

October 3, 2016 by Mary 14 Comments

Tomatoes galore!! It’s the season and with the abundance of tomatoes from my garden, right now is the time to make Nonna’s Pomarola Sauce Recipe that I learned from my friends in Italy when we visited in July for Bianca’s wedding.

It was funny, when I first tried to make this, we were all texting back and forth running from Warsaw (with Agata) and Milano (with Bianca, the granddaughter) and Arezzo (with Tiziana, the daughter) on ingredients for the recipe but I had already started with carrots and onions before I learned from Tiziana, that Nonna only uses garlic, oil, tomatoes, salt, chili flakes and a little bit of butter at the end. That’s it! Simple is always best, isn’t it? Although I met Nonna at the wedding, she only speaks Italian, not my strong suit.

So make this simple clean tomato sauce, called Pomarola Sauce, that just lets the richness of the tomatoes shine through. Think of this as “summer in a jar” ‘cause that’s what it is!

Of course you skin the tomatoes easily after a dip in boiling water, but then you have to remove the seeds by hand. This takes time!! But it is worth it because I made it again this past week, cooking the tomatoes with skin and seeds and then putting it through the mill to remove it all and you know what? The resulting sauce was not as sweet and it was much thinner.

Woman deseeding fresh tomatoes outside in the yard.

Notice the wine to get through this process of deseeding the tomatoes. Luckily it was a beautiful day the weekend before last!

Deseeded tomatoes in a plastic bowl on the grass.

Here’s a whole bowlful of deseeded tomatoes!

So it’s up to you but the work beforehand does pay off.

Here you go with the official recipe from Nonna!

NONNA’S POMAROLA SAUCE – makes four 14 oz. jars of sauce

¼ cup of olive oil
5 large cloves of garlic, minced
11 lbs. tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
Salt, preferable French Grey Salt, to taste
¼ – ½ tsp. red chili flakes
1 Tbs. unsalted butter

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop tomatoes in and leave in for one minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain. When cool enough to handle, peel the tomatoes, remove all of the seeds (it is tedious but worth it) and chop.

Heat the olive oil and add the minced garlic and salt. Saute for just a minute and smash down the garlic with a fork, just like Nonna does it. Stick your nose in the pot and breathe in the delicious garlic aroma.

Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to a boil, lower to a simmer. Simmer slowly for two hours, uncovered, stirring every so often. When thick and lovely, or as Nonna says, “It is ready when the tomatoes are ready.” Ha!

Add the chili flakes and off-heat, stir in the butter until melted. That’s it!

Store in clean glass jars and freeze or you could actually can them if you want to. Follow the specific canning instructions for that.

Nonna's Pomarola Sauce on fusilli in white bowls.

Have a dinner like this in the winter – Pomarola Sauce on fusilli. Simple, clean and rich tasting all at once!

My apologies to you for being out of commission for a bit. Our son got married on September 9^th with a big reception at their house in Brooklyn on September 10^th!!! Here they are leaving City Hall in a rice shower.

It was quite the party, delicious cheeses and appetizers followed by Turkish food and a huge spread of homemade desserts. His new wife did such a sweet thing. She went on Facebook, found and printed photos of everyone who made a dessert and put it as a stand-up card next to their creation, so everyone knew who made what. Isn’t that so SWEET??!!

Hope you have a great week and get your tomato sauce made for a little summer in a jar this winter.

Joseph Joseph Rotary Peeler & Grilled Eggplant, Prosciutto, Tomato & Arugula Sandwiches

July 25, 2016 by Mary 20 Comments

My husband has a thing about peelers. He wants the sharpest one so he can get the thinnest peel – no pith – for his twist for his perfect Manhattan. Yes! These are the important things in life.

Me? I like raw julienned vegetables.

I love eggplant and butternut squash but hate to peel it. They’re so large, it’s uncomfortable and clumsy trying to peel that big thing with a little itty bitty peeler and then you get frustrated so you peel quicker so it’s over with faster and then you slip and cut yourself.

Sound familiar?

Well the twin boys over at Joseph Joseph have done it again with this very neatly designed tool! Because it’s round and large in your hand, you can get a firm grip on it, stand your squash or eggplant upright (cut a flat bottom first) and peel big wide slices off.

There.

Isn’t that better?

This tool has three different blades – a regular peeler, a serrated edge and my favorite, the julienne side. Just think of how quickly I’ll be able to make this chicken dish now. Yippee!!

Take a look at the luscious Grilled Eggplant, Prosciutto, Tomato & Arugula Sandwiches I made for lunch last Saturday. Here, eggplant is the star, along with the peeler, and just one slice of prosciutto gives you the hit of flavor you need. You don’t need a ton of meat, just enough to make it work!

The eggplant had plenty of fresh garlic bringing heat, while grilling it gave it smoky goodness. The just-picked arugula from the farmer’s market along with the juicy tomato – total yumminess!!

My husband was not excited about this sandwich to start. He wanted more meat but then, he loved it. It wasn’t necessary.

Make this and enjoy!

GRILLED EGGPLANT, PROSCIUTTO, TOMATO & ARUGULA SANDWICH – serves 2

1 medium eggplant
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 tomato – on the vine variety
1 handful arugula, washed and air dried
2 large thin slices of prosciutto
One long loaf of Italian bread or a baguette, cut into sandwich size and in half

Cut a flat bottom to the eggplant and trim off the top. Hold eggplant upright and peel a large swath off of two opposing sides. Slice the eggplant in 1/4″ – 1/3″ slices.

Combine the olive oil and minced garlic and brush on both side of the eggplant and salt and pepper both sides. Grill on high heat until softened and you have some nice grill marks.

Lightly brush cut sides of the bread with olive oil and toast on the grill.

Assemble the sandwiches with two slices of eggplant first, then the prosciutto, arugula and tomato. Close the sandwich and cut in half.

A little bit of heaven!!

And so easy to peel that eggplant with the Joseph Joseph Rotary Peeler!

You can still get your very own peeler in our summer box. We have a few left – but hurry before they’re all gone!

POURfect Measuring Spoons & Curry Pho with Veal & Veggies

October 16, 2015 by Mary 7 Comments

My mother used to say, “You must have the right tool to do the best job.” How true that is – for anything! Well for cooking, there are measuring spoons and then there are these POURfect measuring spoons. Completely accurate – perfect for bakers where that accuracy really matters – a dream to use in that each spoon easily snaps on and off of the holding ring so you don’t have all of these dangling spoons all around while you’re trying to measure something, and all the sizes!!

First, there’s the 2 tablespoon size! Simple, but genius, because how often do you use 2 tablespoons? All the time!! Then, there’s the 11/2 teaspoon size and ¾ teaspoon – again genius. And I haven’t even gotten to the dash, pinch, smidgen, or drop measurements. Who knew there were real standard measurements for these? All these years, I just guessed!

And then there’s the leveling tool and the shiny surface area of the interior bowl of the spoon so ingredients slip out easily yet the rest of the spoon is matte so you have a better grip on it. The depression in the middle of the spoon is also so clever – a pourfect thumb grip! (couldn’t resist.)

Do I like these spoons?

You bet!

These spoons were designed when owner, Randy Kaas,unfortunately lost his sight in 2001. He had been in the kitchen utensil business since 1978 and was inspired by the TV show, The French Chef starring Julia Child. The need for a mixing bowl that wouldn’t spill when you couldn’t see what you were doing was recognized. POURfect Products solve common cooking problems making your life easier, less messy and more enjoyable.

POURfect measuring spoons are the only, Made in USA, 100% accurate spoons that snap off one at a time, have markings in English, Metric and Braille and are comfortable to hold. There isn’t another set of 12 measuring spoons that include all of these hard to find sizes.

Take a look at this luscious recipe I made recently featuring these spoons upfront as this has a lot of different ingredients, yet this soup comes together very quickly. I made this on a weeknight and it was perfect!

CURRY PHO WITH VEAL AND VEGGIES – serves 5 – 6

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into quarters and then 1/4” slices
1 lb. ground veal
2 Tbs. curry powder
Salt to taste
10 cups vegetable broth or vegetable pho
5.5 oz. brown rice udon noodles
4 kale stalks – main artery removed, rolled and cut in a chiffonade
1/3 of a bunch of beet greens, stalks separated from greens, greens sliced thin
¾ of an orange pepper, cut in 1/3” squares
¼ cup chopped oil-cured black olives
1 tomatilla chopped
Handful of sorrel leaves, leaves sliced, stems chopped for garnish, or use sliced scallions

Warm the olive oil with the onions in a large skillet. Cover and sweat the onions for 5 minutes on low heat. Add the ground veal and brown partially, until just pink and broken up into small chunks. Add the curry powder and salt to taste. Stir well to combine.

Meanwhile pour the broth into a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Add the udon and cook 2 minutes less than the package directions.

Turn heat to low and add the meat and all the rest of the vegetables, except for the sorrel stems. Stir for a minute or two. Add the chopped olives and the very end.

Serve immediately in bowls with chopsticks and LOVE. Garnish with the chopped sorrel stems, or you could use thinly sliced scallions. Enjoy!!

POURfect 13-piece measuring spoon set was one of the products in our MARY’s secret ingredients fall box. You can get your winter box here! Make a great gift and helps us in our support of Feed The Children.

Sauerkraut, Apple and String Cheese Salad

October 3, 2015 by Mary 17 Comments

There are salads and there are salads. I’m sure you all know I adore salads. I have one nearly everyday for lunch. And I know I’ve mentioned before my love for all of the Silver Palate cookbooks. Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins were really the first great multi-ethnic inspiration for American home cooks back in the early 80’s. (Of course Julia Child introduced us all to French cooking much earlier.) Their store on the Upper West Side in NYC provided a platform and they shared their great tasting, easy to follow recipes that were both different and delicious. Their recipes always worked. You could implicitly trust them for that. I found this Sauerkraut, Apple and String Cheese Salad recipe some months ago when I was planning Zach’s early birthday dinner before he left for Poland with his Fulbright. My husband and I thought it sounded so unusual and weird, we had to try it. We were game.

So I called Zach and described the recipe to him. He loves sauerkraut.

He said, “Eeeewww.”

OK, I still found it intriguing and made a mental note to make it some day. Again, Julee and Sheila’s recipes have never let me down.

So let’s think about this. Sauerkraut is simply pickled cabbage. They ask you to rinse and drain it, so hey, we’re moving now closer to coleslaw, right, with the sauerkraut people doing all the cutting. I like that! You combine the sauerkraut with matchsticks of Granny Smith apple, red onion and chopped cornichons – all good.

Then, you make a homemade mayo using grainy mustard – sounding better – right? Use the mayo to bind it together with the string cheese and some caraway seeds (always good with sauerkraut) and voila! This salad was DELICIOUS!!! Really different and total yum. It was hard to stop eating it!

And it was easy to make! It really came together very quickly. I did change a few things, so here is my adapted recipe.

They say this is great with a charcuterie board. I served it for dinner with some grilled chorizo and simple polenta (with no cheese added). It was so good!

SAUERKRAUT, APPLE AND STRING CHEESE SALAD – serves 6 – adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins

2 egg yolks
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. grainy mustard
¾ cup olive oil
¾ cup vegetable oil
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 lb. sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (only use bagged sauerkraut, no cans)
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and coarsely grated or sliced thin on a mandoline and then cut into matchsticks
1 small red onion, finely chopped
8 oz. Armenian string cheese, pulled apart into very small strings and cut into 3” lengths
6 cornichons, coarsely chopped
1 scant Tbs. caraway seeds
Cornichons, sliced lengthwise for garnish

Process the egg yolks, lemon juice and mustard in a food processor for 30 seconds. With the machine running pour in the olive oil and then the vegetable oil in a thin steady stream through the feed tube to make a thick mayonnaise. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Combine the sauerkraut, apple, onion, chopped cornichons and caraway seeds in a large bowl. Toss the salad thoroughly with enough mayonnaise to bind. (You will have about 3/4 of a cup left over which you can use on sandwiches or put a dab on some steamed asparagus or green beans. It will keep for 4 – 5 days on the top shelf of your refrigerator and it is delicious!) Cover the salad and refrigerate until cold.

Meanwhile, prepare your string cheese and let it come to room temperature, covered with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.

When ready to serve, fold in the string cheese thoroughly. Garnish with the sliced cornichons. Serve with love and enjoy!!