dinner

Radicchio and Pear Salad

Sanura

A sweet and savory Winter salad.

Winter’s Radicchio leaves and firm Bosc pears create a jewel of a salad lovingly enjoyed during the last few weeks of winter. Spring Equinox is about a month away. Piles of snow are melting, but let’s not rejoice too early. After a few years of living in New York, I’m not convinced the last of the snowstorms are finally in the past. It’s a bittersweet time of year full of warm anticipation, but snow flurries appear in April, too.

Most red and purple hued vegetables are honestly sweet. Au contraire for the reddish- purple and white leaves of radicchio, for it has a fresh bitter bite. Good looks fool most people. On occasion, I take advantage of radicchio’s bitter taste to fill it with generous spoonfuls of pungent blue cheese and toast walnuts. It’s an addictive snack. The strong flavors combined mellow into an honest, sweet taste. Read more →

Ground Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Shells Baked in a Creamy Cheese Sauce

Sanura
Fresh Crushed Red Pepper Cheese and Olive Oil. Visit Agrestis Società Cooperativa Agricola {www.agrestis.it/index.html} to order online.
Fresh Crushed Red Pepper Cheese and Olive Oil. Visit Agrestis Società Cooperativa Agricola {www.agrestis.it/index.html} to order online.

The boyfriend’s best friend’s wife’s family owns an olive oil business in Italy. Once a year the lovely couple crosses the Atlantic Ocean to visit her side of the family. This year, I humbly asked for just olive oil. They returned with a pound of cheese studded with crushed red pepper, olive oil (with the lot number handwritten on the container), and black olive pesto. They gave the gifts to the boyfriend, who casually said thank you, and delivered the package to me. His thank you was mild compared to my crazy delight. He would later call his friend about my excitement. To him it was just cheese, olive oil and a jar from Italy, but he was still genuinely thankful, regardless of the gift idea. He finally understood the value of these gifted ingredients when presented with a dish of Ground Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Shells Baked in a Creamy Cheese Sauce. Grazie e mangiare bene! Read more →

Stir Fry Bok Choy, Shrimp and Peanuts over Coconut Rice

Sanura
Shrimp, Bok Choy and Peanuts over Coconut Rice
Shrimp, Bok Choy and Peanuts over Coconut Rice

Morning Glory, also known as Water Spinach or Swamp Cabbage, is a beautiful green that also blooms bright flowers. Don’t become too excited and start picking leaves from vines, unless horticulture is a profession. Besides, the plant of familiarity that wraps around building and fences is of another family, and it’s poisonous to eat. The Morning Glory for this recipe is different, for it’s a semi-aquatic plant, in which it is also known as a leaf vegetable–such as kale, cabbage, and collards. It easily grows around waterways and in tropical regions, thus it’s known primarily as a Southeast Asian ingredient, especially in Thai dishes. Read more →

Steamed Salmon Served with Herbal Yogurt Sauce, Roast Fingerling Potatoes, and Green Bean Walnut Salad

Sanura

The first time I saw fingerling potatoes, I was confused in a Danish supermarket. I was looking for the large potatoes that I was familiar seeing in American grocery stores. Produce and meat in Denmark are expensive. The portions are small. The vegetables are imperfect. The taste far exceeds American food. I returned to the United States with a determined effort to shop at farmer’s market than the average grocery store, when time permits. The fingerling potatoes in Denmark had a thin paper shell, similar to an onion or a tomatillo, that needs to be rubbed or peeled off before prepping for a dish. The small size, like most produce and meat, produces a sweet and tender taste.

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