Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

I like farro - who knew? In one of the recent cooking classes I took at Carol's Cafe , one of my classmates recommended this recipe. It came out pretty nice. I think it needed some more tomatoes. I did not have the suggested grape tomatoes (and you know I am totally unopposed to substituting things) so I used just regular tomatoes from the garden. I used about 3 medium size. Next time I would definitely up the tomato amount. There is a lot of detail regarding the farro in the notes for the recipe. I'm quite undecided about which type of farro I had. I do think it might have been pearlized but the whole "ready in 10 minutes pre-cooked" thing sort of threw me. Good old reliable Trader Joe's This is not a blurry photo this is actually steam coming off the farro.

Want to build up those arm muscles.  There is no better way than to do up a good risotto. You will get tired of stirring but it is oh so worth it. Tomato Risotto 1 onion, chopped olive oil 2 clove garlic, minced 1 1/2 c Aborio Rice 1/2 c white wine 4 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled about 1 cup warm vegetable stock (may need additional) 1 t fresh oregano 1 T fresh torn basil 2 T fresh parsley salt/pepper Parmesan cheese In a dutch oven, saute chopped onion in olive oil.  Add a little salt to help the onions along.  Meanwhile prep the tomatoes. Squeeze tomatoes gently just to rid them of the seeds. You do not need to get rid of all the liquid. Chop the tomatoes into large cubes. Cook onions until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add rice and saute for a few minutes until the rice smells toasted. Gradually add white wine and stir until almost all of the wine is absorbed. Add tomatoes to the rice. Add the oregano and basil. Stirring cons...

So here's what I made with the fresh pasta. Tomatoes & Cream Pasta (Adapted from 365 Ways to Cook Pasta ) 1 lb fresh tomatoes (preferably plums or grape tomatoes) 1 T fresh basil 2 clove garlic, minced 1 1/2 c heavy cream 1 lb pasta salt/pepper Boil water for pasta. Peel, seed, and rough chop the tomatoes. If you are using grape tomatoes, there is no need to peel and seed them. Just cut them in half. Place the tomatoes in a skillet and a little salt to help the tomatoes release their juices. Cook off some of the liquids from the tomatoes probably about 10 minutes. If you are using regular tomatoes, it may take a little longer. If you are using grape tomatoes, it may be less time. Add garlic and continue to cook until garlic is fragrant. Add the heavy cream and basil. Cook over low until the sauce thickens slightly. Add salt and pepper. Pour over fresh pasta. There was a lot of liquid from the tomatoes, so I really cooked them down more than usual This is a ver...

This looked like such a pretty dish to serve for Easter Brunch. They didn't have any heirloom tomatoes, as the recipe recommends, so I used just regular tomatoes. Tomato & Eggplant Terrine (Adapted from Cooking Light ) 4 medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1 c water 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 medium leek, chopped 1 medium tomato, quartered salt/pepper 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin 12 (1/4-inch-thick) slices medium eggplant 1 1/2 T extra-virgin olive oil 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices 1 T fresh thyme, divided ...

I've made this a few different ways - using fresh tomatoes, using canned fire-roasted tomatoes, or just plain canned tomatoes. Well and this time it turned out I used crushed fire-roasted tomatoes.  After I opened the can, I realized that they were crushed tomatoes.  I let the tomatoes strain through a sieve for about 10 minutes to get some of the extra liquid out. It's a nice side dish but you could use it as a main course also. I've made it a few times for the Easter Buffet. Potato Torta (adapted from Cooking Light ) 2lbs of potatoes cubed 3 T olive oil 1t basil 1t oregano salt/pepper 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese 1 egg 1/2 c flour 14.5 oz canned tomatoes, drained 2 clove garlic, chopped fresh basil 1 c mozzarella, shredded Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain. Add seasonings and Parmesan cheese. Mash potatoes adding olive oil as needed to keep potatoes moist.  Add egg and flour. Mix.  Spread in greased 9" pan.  Add garlic an...

When I was a kid, pierogies were something that we always made for a special occasion-at least the homemade kind. We usually made them for Christmas Eve.  I remember it always being such a project with perhaps a little bit of yelling involved. But now I don't think they are such a project (hey I make my own cheese right?). They are well worth the work. I can usually knock them out in less than an hour, as long as the mashed potatoes are cool. Potato/Cheese Pierogi For the dough: 2 c flour 1 egg 2 T sour cream 1 T butter 1/4 t salt approx 1/2 c water 1/2 c cold mashed potatoes Potato/Cheese Filling: 1 T grated onion (or shallot) 2 T butter 2 c cold mashed potato 1 c cottage cheese salt/pepper Mix the ingredients for the filling and set aside. Mix the dough ingredients and knead - do not knead too much or dough will become tough.  Divide dough in half. Cover and set aside 1/2 of dough.  Roll dough thin on a floured surface.  Cut into 2" circles ...

Never thought I would cook pasta in a pressure cooker, until I stumbled onto this recipe . I just got home at 3:30 am from a marathon delayed flight from Aruba and wanted to have a nice home cooked Sunday meal. I really wasn't in the mood for something that took too much time.  This was the perfect recipe. But before I go into that, let me allay your fears of pressure cookers. I grew up being totally petrified of pressure cookers (thanks Mom). My Mom had one of those old ones where the little ever-threatening thing on top jiggled back and forth-taunting me with every jiggle. That thing could blow at any time.  If she was cooking in that beast, we stayed clear of the kitchen. This is yet another of the fears that she instilled into us as kids. (Since this was a sibling/Mom vacation we also discovered other foibles that she instilled in us - fear of hotel carpets, bedspreads etc and having basically a comment about everything. A few Christmases ago we discovered that all thre...