Franci

I didn't find this thread a coulple months ago -and infact started a new post- when I was desperately trying to clean up my pantry before moving. After a couple weeks i was at loss. No way, I could have accomplished the task...now, starting from zero, i'm restraining myself from buying too much. It help thats my pots and pans are not here yet. You can do it!

I LOVE Ines Rosales http://www.inesrosalesusa.com/Pages/default.aspx

Tonight we had a childhood favorite of mine: pasta, noisette butter, sage and pancetta. One of the northerner Italian comfort food, an alternative to aglio e olio. SV salmon lightly grilled under the broiler, still not getting it right and sauté tsatsoi

Ribeye, roasted potatoes, yellow cauliflower, roasted peppers and kimchi

I grew up in the South of Italy and my mom is a Northerner. I don't know anybody in Italy who puts oil in the water for cooking pasta. Oil afterwards only for pasta salad and there is not agreement. Every once in a while people will come out with a pasta risottata (=cooked like risotto) , or "cottura passiva" ( where you let the pasta boil for 2 minutes only and then you let it finish out of the stove, covered. A lot of water) but everybody I know is just a lot of water and when boils the right salt.

Thank you, Andie! Very convenient in fact. Would you mind sharing your favorite recipe for it? Thanks

I would make a mini panini station, you can always find someone to volunteer and rotate at the task. Get a nice grill, get different kind of breads: small brioche buns, mini pittas, plain focaccia cut in small squares, piadina. Make interesting fillings and have everything ready. Write a menu with suggestions or guests can come up with their own mix. You can have also brioche with gelato, or a nice grilled pound cake on the grill to order.

Sure. I diced a big carrot, 2 celery stalks, a light green zucchini, quartered about 7-8 cherry tomatoes, sliced one onion, added a little fresh sage, salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, added 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, covered and cooked for about 20 minutes. Liquid should almost evaporate by the end and vegetables shouldn't fry in the oil. Let cool. It goes very well with a charcuterie platter. The vegetables stay crunchy and it's a bit sweet and sour.

Tonight we had a celery stock risotto. Salmon and "giardiniera di verdure", I'm making this again, addictive and very easy

Tonight we had duck legs SV (skin crisping in the broiler), Chinese broccoli and romanesco. Plus kimchi and Comte...

This is my 20 minutes meal Penne in simple tomato sauce Frittata with sauté chards and some romanesco

I'm sure the children would love it. Next time I'll get some good wood and go for S'mores :-)

Ann, think of me as a foreigner...can you give me more details on how do you bake a separate stuffing and how you finish your bird? Italians stuff their turkeys for Christmas, but it 's not something I grew up with so I feel very inexperienced Thanks

Dcarch, very good point about the wood! Jaymes, I realized I didn't update my profile, I've recently moved to the States. I lived here in the past but being European I've never had a S'more. I never liked marshmallows but Maybe it's an experience I should not miss. And I'm thinking of a few things I'd love to cook in the fireplace http://www.gennarino.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3958&highlight=capuzzelle It's a friend posting on an Italian forum. I would like to find a similar "brazier" to use with terra cotta cazuelas and tagines. In the picture of the link posted there is also an earth ware jar, that is traditionally used for cooking legumes in the fireplace.

I tried this recipe, it was good but not one of my favorite Ottolenghi's recipes. I also would use celery root or salsify, more inclined toward celery root.

Great ideas. I am thinking of a lot food on the string now!

Yesterday we had clams, fried flounders, bai tsai, broccoli

Thank you Martin! I've already tried Barney butter, the one I bought contained cane sugar, salt and palm fruit oil. My son loved it, of course. To me it has a really strange taste. I saw from their catalog that the carry also a butter made of almond and palm fruit oil, I'm guessing it 's going to be a little runnier but worth the try. Michaela, it's called Damiano. You can find easily in the Uk http://www.amazon.co.uk/Damiano-Butter-Selection-Pack-4x180g/dp/B00EOWB3ZG/ref=sr_1_4?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1382960180&sr=1-4&keywords=Damiano I tried all the almond line: raw (don't like), roasted with peel it's ok. The best for me it's peeled roasted. And love their hazelnut paste for yogurt.

Could be vital choice?

I used to love this almond butter from Sicily: peeled, toasted, unsalted almonds. No extra ingredients. Fantastic. In the States I see it's more common to find almond butter made from unpeeled almonds which I don't like. Everything I tried so far did not match my ideal butter: no skin, toasted, unsalted, just almonds, creamy. Cannot make my own for now. Do you have a name for me?

We have a small fireplace We are thinking of cooking simple meals in it when it's going to be very cold outside. Which tools you suggest? I was thinking of a Tuscan grill or a small yakitori grill to place inside. Or simply coals and a cast iron skillet.

Just moving from Europe, I found out that my clothes stay stained when washed, there I used Vanish spray just before uploading my laundry machine and no grease stain at all. Here I triedOxyclean in the machine it works a bit but never like the Vanish spray. I just saw it on Amazon and I MUST buy it!

In Europe fresh yeast it's much more common...it will not make a difference using dry yeast in place of fresh. I generally use 1 1/2 teaspoons of saf-instant in place od 25g of fresh yeast. That is usually the standard quantity for a pound of flour if you want a quick one hour rise, for longer proofing reduce the yeast quantity.

Got mine today!

Thanks every body, we tried again for lunch. As Janeer suggested we went for a 2 and half pound lobster, we grilled half flesh up and half flesh down to compare. We drizzled both with garlic butter. So much better than last time. Next time, I'll try your method FrogPrincesse.