Penne with broccoli in almond milk béchamel

That's how we like to eat broccoli...

Pasta and chickpeas or "Pasta e ceci" with bell peppers and tomatoes

"Rice and beans" is a frequent thing in this home. Then now and then and quite often, Hania demands pasta. I'm glad she does. And I'm glad Italians invented (did they?) and we tried for the first time "pasta e ceci"... 

Whole carrot spaghetti

Cooking with whole foods...

Asparagus carbonara

Everybody from La Prova del Cuoco show (an Italian cooking program that I watch whenever I can) is making this at home now, they said, so I had to try it too.  Introduced by a fabulous redhead chef from Tuscany and a frequent guest on the show, Luisanna Messeri, a couple of days ago...

Penne gratin with asparagus alla carbonara

Lately, I've putting together meals without plans for posting and then when they are ready, I can't help it: I take the camera out and start clicking. Others can't help it and start eating...

Tagliatelle with asparagus and Pecorino

I didn't want to look for a better background, napkin, pot, light or angle. All I wanted to do was to sit down and eat a bowl of this pasta...warm, now.

Tagliatelle with oyster mushrooms

I got these strange and beautiful mushrooms on Saturday and all Sunday morning I was thinking what to do with them. I try not store in the fridge any kind of mushrooms for more than 24 hours and these caps looked especially sensitive so something had to be done. I thought I'd make a mushroom soup... Hania answered she'd just have pasta instead. Well...that's no fun. So I made pasta with the oysters, added onions...and everybody was happy. Oh yes...we were...

Spaghetti with lentil balls

There comes a day when we all crave spaghetti with meatballs...or bean balls...

Whole spelt Russian pierogi

Hania wanted pierogi. Can I deny anything this little, sweet 12-year old creature. Yes, I can. But not often.

Penne with asparagus

I don't have asparagieria, a long-lean pot for cooking asparagus. The point of using such a pot is to have asparagus standing, so that the tougher, lower part of the vegetable cooks in water while the tender, top part cooks in vapor. Nice idea, for someone who has unlimited cabinet space.

Spinach spaeztle

Another good recipe to use all these leaves in my fridge. Because I like eating greens, but not necessarily in a salad. For this recipe , I didn't have enough of them. After removing stems, the weight of spinach dropped by half and then some. That's OK. My spätzle were very green anyway. And very good.

Penne with mach

This is where the rest of the bechamel from the onion tart went...together with a box of greens, that, again, did not get used in a salad. Within minutes, I had a delicious lunch. Just when my hunger started calling.

Rizini with vegetables al pecorino

Winter is almost over but I don't see signs of spring on the market yet. I had an idea for 
parsnips. I have not used them yet this season. I browsed through some recipes. Ina Garten's recipe looked good, but after reading it, I decided it against. Another 2 hour recipe, more braising. Non merci. 

Lasagna rolls with spinach

I just saw that Lasagna Rolls by Giada De Laurentiis is the most popular pasta dish on Foodnetwork. I didn't find out about it till after I'd made it a couple of times. I've had the recipe in Giada's book ever since...I got the book. Lasagna rolls is a great idea, better than a traditional lasagna. Each sheet of pasta is individually covered with a filling and rolled, which makes each serving look very attractive. The two sauces, white and red, make the whole dish come together perfectly. I tripled the amount of tomato sauce.

Bechamel sauce

I have never had a problem with this béchamel recipe. No clumps, no over-whisking, no stress. The consistency is between thick and thin. It changes quickly though if not used immediately. It thickens and a film is formed on top. If I use the sauce in lasagnas, or anything that would end up in the oven, OK - béchamel can wait. But if I want to serve right away on a plate (goes well with just about anything), I try to avoid reheating. It never seems to regain that desired smoothness. 

Lemon spaghetti

A very refreshing lunch. Clean lemony taste, light and enjoyable. A nice surprise for your senses. And all in 10 minutes.

Baked penne with vegetables

So, I had an early lunch. Very much unlike me and I very much liked it. This hearty Italian dish is full of Italian flavor not to mention vegetables that actually taste good.

Marinara sauce

Marinara sauce is a staple accessory in my kitchen. If it has marinara sauce on it, my daughter will eat it. Let it be fish, vegetables, meatballs and, her most favorite, pasta penne. Penne rigate (with ridges) works the best. The sauce is not creamy, so it needs some help (ridges) to stay on the pasta instead of on the bottom of your plate. Nothing worse than a watery sauce.