Monthly Archives: December 2010

Roasted Root Vegetables

Dec

If you want to take your favorite oven roasted potatoes to the next level, this is the way to do it. Adding any root vegetable along with an aromatic herb will give them an extra depth of flavor.

Watercress Salad with Shaved Fennel and Pears

Dec

I have a very strong belief that we should cook and eat food that is seasonal, local, and sustainable. It is a great wonder and at the same time a shame that in our contemporary lives, stores provide us with watermelon and tomatoes grown in chile during December. They just don’t taste the same. This is a crisp, delicious, and seasonal salad for winter time.

Risotto with Peas

Dec

A good friend of my husband’s and mine, Cristina, would always whip up risotto for us when we were guests in her home. She’s Italian, so making risotto was something of a second nature to her. Cristina is a wonderful cook of all things, but her risotto has always been the standout. Years ago we went to stay with Cristina and her family at their home in Cape Cod during the winter holidays. I was 4 months pregnant, it was bone-chilling cold outside, and nothing was more satisfying than a piping hot bowl of her risotto. So satisfying that I asked for a tutorial. Five years later I am still following her instructions. I make it for my children all the time. They like it made with peas and it is, hands down, one of their favorite meals. We had a little kiddie pajama dinner party one evening for our kids and their friends. My children requested Risotto with Peas to be served forth. Surprisingly, it was well received by the group. They all had a funny look on their faces when the steamy bowls of rice were placed in front of them. In the end, each kid gave it a try and some of them even liked it.