Some recipes are full of surprises - White Pesto Liguria

When I saw this recipe, I was like, WHAT!? I re-read it five times trying to determine where they typo ended and the insanity began. I'm not accustomed to preparing potatoes with pasta. If you're going for authentic, the original recipe should be prepared with Trofie pasta, but it's a bit scarce in Paris, so I'm substituting quinoa penne.

1/2 pound (500g) Trofie pasta (or penne pasta)
4 red potatoes
1/4 pound fresh green beans
1 tbsp (càs) olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup pesto
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Put the pasta on to boil.

Quarter the red potatoes, and trim the green beans. Sauté the veggies in the olive oil. Near the end add the crushed garlic.

Stir the sauce together : yogurt, pesto, parmesan. Toss with pasta and veggies.

Bubba's Traditional Polish Pierogi

Bubba is Polish for Grandma. My Bubba was my Grampap's mother. She made homemade pierogis every week for the entire family, and extended family!

I loved my Bubba. She was a petit firecracker of a woman. She loved to play games, her favorite was Yahtzee - and she cheated at every game!

Bubba's Traditional Polish Pierogi

Makes about 8 dozen. Can be made ahead and frozen.

FILLING
8 to 10 potatoes
1 onion, finely chopped
6 tbsp margarine or butter
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper

Peel and cut potatoes into cubes. Boil until tender. Reserve cooking water for dough. (aha! That's why we had you make the filling first!)
Meanwhile, saute onion in butter, set aside to cool.
Mash potatoes, add onion with butter, cheeses, season to taste and mix well. Set aside.
This is our family's traditional filling. In the old country you just used whatever cheese was around the house. If you had cows, you made fresh homemade soft cheese. If you happened to have goats in the backyard, you'll use goat cheese. You can also use cottage cheese, or even sauerkraut in your mashed potatoes.

DOUGH
2 1/4 cups reserved potato water, cooled to lukewarm
2 eggs
6 T veg. oil
6 to 7 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 t salt

Combine potato water, eggs and oil; mix well.
In a very large bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Pour water/egg mixture into well and stir until mixture is smooth.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times.
Place dough in well greased bowl, turning once, and cover. Let rest for at least 20 minutes, 2 hours is better.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut dough into circles with a jelly glass.
Place dough circle in the palm of the left hand. Plop a teaspoon of potato filling into the center of the dough circle. Fold one half over the potato mixture and pinch the open edges together. Experienced Bubbas do this with a little twist. Be sure they are tightly sealed or the filling will ooze out during the boiling.

IF YOU ARE FREEZING SOME FOR LATER: Place on baking sheets lined with wax paper. Once frozen, place in a large zipper-style plastic bag to store in freezer.

COOKING: First bring a large cooking pot of water to boil. Cook pierogis in batches of 6 in boiling water. They are done when they rise to the surface.
Then fry them in butter and onions until golden.
Serve with a generous dollop of sour cream.

Köttbullar "Mom's Meatballs" - Swedish Meatballs From Scratch

Growing up, swedish meatballs were a staple in our family. The recipe has been perfected over centuries, then promptly ruined by commercialization. Now we're getting back to the roots of a real, hearty, good for you, swedish meatballs from scratch recipe.

Swedish meatballs are essentially beef, onions and mushrooms in a sour cream and parsley sauce. Any dish called "Mom's Meatballs" is bound to have variations inspired by each household, that's why Köttbullar or Swedish meatballs must be prepared, above all, with love. So if you're trying your hand at this timeless recipe, don't feel intimidated by the variety of choices, just go with your gut and make a dish you would enjoy. Apparently, in southern Sweden many people prefer their meatballs with a little more fat, but the further north you go, the less pork you will find in the meatball mixture. Some things remain constant however, bread dipped in milk is a must!

KÖTTBULLAR MEATBALL
2 pounds of hamburger (preferably 1 1/2 lbs. beef and 1/2 lb. pork)
3 slices of bread - your favorite grain
1 cup milk
1/2 onion
2 eggs
salt, white pepper
Butter or lard for frying

SWEDISH CREAM SAUCE
1/2 onion
10 oz (300g) mushrooms
1 tub of sour cream
1/2 bunch of fresh parsley

First dice the entire onion and soften it on the stovetop, set it aside.
Then sauté the sliced mushrooms - don't crowd the mushrooms!

Meanwhile, stir together half of the onion and all of the meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl. Tear up the bread and get it wet in the milk, it will mix more easily. Frying the meatballs might be the most authentic method, but you can also bake them in the oven on a sheet of parchment paper, less mess, less fat.

Chop the parsley with scissors and mix the sauce ingredients together, perhaps in your mushroom pan to heat the sauce one last time before serving.

Tradition would have you serve the meatballs separate from the sauce, and generously pour the gravy over the meatballs. Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Always accompanied by lingonberries on the side.

Don't Crowd The Mushrooms

Pure Hearts Make Better Soup - Rotisserie Chicken Soup

"Anyone who tells a lie has not a pure heart, and cannot make a good soup." - Ludwig van Beethoven

This winter my hubby invented the best soup ever! I was feeling under the weather, and the moment he saw me miserable, the big soft teddy bear in him came out. "What can I make you for dinner?" he asked. It's uncanny, every time I catch a cold the first symptom to present itself is laryngitis. So naturally, the first thing I want to eat is a nice soothing soup. Rob's Rotisserie Chicken Soup is not super complicated but the order you cook the ingredients may surprise you. Follow his advice, start with the little veggies, their tender juicy flavor is worth the extra attention...

Rotisserie Chicken Soup
olive oil
1 onion
2 carrots
1 branch of celery
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 rotisserie chicken
18oz (500g) noodles

Heat your olive oil, simmer the diced onion, carrot, and celeri until soft. Add the chicken broth and rotisserie chicken and bring to a boil. Add the noodles. Serve when the noodles are tender.

*Looking for an extra challenge? - If you would like to make this recipe from scratch, you can start with a small whole chicken. Butter the chicken and roast in the oven using either a roasting pan or roasting bag to contain all of the juices. After an hour of roasting use all of the juices and the chicken parts in your soup.

Lasagnes à la Béchamel - French Lasagne

Lasagnes à la Béchamel
Family sized recipe for 6-10

1 batch of Simply Mouthwatering Homemade Sauce
1 box of lasagna noodles
1 onion
1 carrot
1 branch of celeri
olive oil
5 oz (150g) ground pork
8 oz (250g) ground chuck (beef 5%)
2 batches of Sauce Béchamel
fresh basil

First get your Simply Mouthwatering Homemade Sauce ready and stewing on the stove.

Then soften the diced onion, carrot and celeri in the olive oil. To these sumptuous vegetables, do add the ground pork first, and after five minutes add the ground chuck.

Meanwhile, prepare a double batch of Sauce Béchamel recipe.

When the meat is thoroughly cooked add 1/2 of the Sauce Béchamel.

Boil your lasagna noodles 8 minutes.

Layer noodles, tomato sauce, meat sauce, and basil leaves. Repeat until you run out.

End by pouring the rest of your reserved Sauce Béchamel sufficiently smothering the lasagna with a perfect smooth finish that will become golden and bubbly in cheese during the baking process.

Bake at 356°F (180°C) for 35 min.

Sauce Béchamel

Sauce Béchamel

4 tbsp (50g) unsalted butter
1/4 C (50g) flour (gluten free - replace flour with 1/4C corn starch (40g maïzena))
2.5 C (60cl) milk
fresh grated nutmeg
pinch of salt pepper

Melt butter in a thick bottomed pot. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens, don't allow it to discolor.

Add the milk progressively, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Grate the nutmeg directly into the pot, lots of nutmeg, a splash of fresh ground black pepper and just a wee bit of salt.

Simply Mouthwatering Homemade Sauce

Your tomato sauce is only as good as the ingredients that you put into it.

Welcome to the story of how one of the world's most mouthwatering, healthy!!!, tastes-like-home foods has become one of our family's most unappreciated over-processed meals.

Here's what I'm thinking, I'm thinking that when scientists study the health benefits of tomatoes, I doubt they're referring to the hyper concentrated paste mixed with sugar, artificial aromas and multiple conservatives. My hunch comes from the fact that simple homemade sauce tastes very different from the canned stuff. Everybody knows you are what you eat, right? And yet something as simple as tomato sauce has become our family's cop-out food. Listen to what we say ... "No, honey that will take too long to prepare, let's just make pasta." What was I thinking? I mean seriously? Since when did tomato sauce take on fast-food status?

Now wait a minute, I reflect to myself, tomato sauce doesn't actually take that long to make... I mean, sure, it takes longer than opening the commercial can, but someone still has to cook the noodles right? And some of you girls are already taking the time to add ground beef to your sauce, and if that's the case, I say go all the way, make your own sauce girl! You're gonna love it!

Simply Mouthwatering Homemade Sauce
Olive oil
4 large tomatoes
1 onion
1 carrot
2 garlic cloves (gousses)
Fresh Parsley

If you've never peeled a tomato, here's what you do : Bring a pot of water to a boil, drop the tomatoes in for 30 seconds or until their skins get baggy. Pull out the tomatoes and the skins should fall right off.

In a deep pot soften the diced carrot and onion and the minced garlic in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the tomatoes. Simmer for a half hour. You know the tomato sauce is ready when you see the tomato paste separate from the oil, so look for pools of oil when you stir, that will indicate the peak moment to serve your sauce. Season with parsley, salt, and pepper.

Meanwhile, you can cook up your meat separately and add it in as this sauce is simmering.