Italian Recipe Chatter

When I get home from work, I like to unwind by clearing my head and filling the kitchen with the therapeutic smell of freshly cooked food. I cook so much, in fact, that I’ve begun to exhaust my personal repertoire of recipes. I have a photographic memory for recipes, and most of them have been firmly lodged in my mind since childhood. My Italian grandmother taught me everything I know about cooking, but still long to learn more.

As a result, I’m constantly on the lookout for Italian cookbooks. Just a few days ago, I paired a tender veal cutlet with a delicious scampi dish that never would have occurred to me otherwise. Cookbooks also provide me with pointers for baking desserts, which is my one true weakness in the kitchen. In general, cookbooks have made me a more well-rounded chef.

Having a few great cookbooks around the home is the best way to plan those last minute dinners when the usual just won’t do it. There are a few essential cookbooks all cooks should own. While it’s not proper to start with dessert first, a dessert cookbook is perhaps one of the most essential cookbooks to own. A proper dessert cookbook should have baking recipes for cookies, cakes, pies, and custards. For dinners, pasta cookbooks and seafood cookbooks are essential. For people who don’t like seafood, substitute this for a barbeque cookbook, although barbeque is more about technique than it is ingredients. It’s also a good idea to have at least one great cookbook for a favorite ethnic food group. For example, an old fashioned Mexican cookbook is great for fast dinners on the go.

No cook should be without at least a modest collection of cookbooks, and for people who know a cook that doesn’t have their own collection, make sure to think of a cookbook as a great gift for the next special occasion!

       It’s  summer, my favorite time of year! Summer makes me think of salads for dinner. Fresh vegetables from local farmers are found in grocery stores, roadside stands, and farmers markets. I prefer the roadside stands.

Pasta salad is great in the summer. The only thing that would be cooked is the pasta. So while the pasta is cooking, get a bowl, rinse the vegetables, and start chopping! By the time the veggie’s are cut up, the pasta should be done cooking. Place the pasta in a strainer and rinse pasta in cold water and add with the veggie’s. Then, add some salt and pepper to taste, and Italian dressing. There you have it, a simple pasta recipe!

There are so many variations of pasta salad, depending on what you want to put in it. Here are two examples:

1. Pasta, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, zucchini, tomato, black olives, diced provolone cheese, diced pepperoni, salt, pepper, sliced radishes, Italian dressing. (This one’s a hit at any get-together!)

  2. Pasta, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, zucchini, tomato, salt, pepper, Italian dressing; or you can simplify it more. What if you only have tomatoes and cucumber? Try it, it works! (Easy, for a quick meal!)

There you have it, two simple pasta recipes! Enjoy!