pedie

I feel like a "helicopter" mother...hovering over my seeds and checking them everyday. So far, I have sprouting basil seeds that a friend sent me from Italy, some Japanese cucumber sprouts, and my Pink Lady runner beans are about 3 inches high. I also got some Italian cipollini sprouts but they look so fragile that I don't know if they will make it. Have any of you started onions from seeds?

We'll but in San Francisco in the end of April and we enjoy "good dives" and "Taco trucks." Any specifics??

My favorite time of year! Live in Playa del Rey, about 3 blocks from the coast and my yard is like a sand dune. This winter we had our backyard...a sloping area...terraced and the soil is composted and ready for plants. I have put in 5 tomato plants, have three fava bean and two bush bean plants to get some nitrogen into the soil. I've been trying to find a San Marzano tomato plants but no luck so far. I have four Tuscan kale plants that have been producing all winter and are still going strong. I have grown to love the kale braised with oil and garlic. My Chard is also still producing. For the first time this year I am trying to start some of my own seedlings. I am not very good at this, but I am hopeful. I have some peas and runner beans as well as some Italian pepper seeds that I have put in starter mix and I am talking to and singing to! I have a small plot of leeks that are doing well. Let the gardening begin!

My husband pointed out this article to me...after he had listened me read passages from "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral' by Barbara Kingsolver to him ad nauseum. I know there are many shades of gray and there are unintended consequences whatever direction one takes. But it doesn't hurt to try to make informed eating and cooking decisions. I love my medium-rare corn fed steak but I know when we visit relatives in Italy, meat is not the centerpiece of the meal.

I am most familiar with Palm Springs. Others may be able to recommend the Palm Desert restaurants. When we are in Palm Springs we like to eat at good simple restaurants. We aren't looking for "flash!" So some that we enjoy are: El Mirasole (140 E. Palm Canyon, Palm Springs)...light Mexican...very good carnitas. El Gallito (68820 Grove St. Cathedral City) a little "hole in the wall" that is a favorite of locals. No reservations, cash only, and the most authentic family style Mexican food. Carnitas on Thursdays only! Pomme Frite (256 S. Palm Canyon, Palm Springs) small Belgian restaurant with excellent mussels...and pomme frite! Fisherman's Market (235 S. Indian Canyon, Palm Springs), very casual...has very fresh fish brought in from San Pedro...usually a line out the door. La Bella Cucina...If you travel to Palm Desert. (72-355 Hwy 111) located in a mall area, this family owned and operated serves very authentic Italian food. Europa (in the Villa Royale Inn, 1620 Indian Trail) this is a pricey, high end restaurant if you want a place for that special occassion. The food has always been exceptional, the atmosphere is very continental, cozy and romantic. Enjoy the desert!

Since our trip to Italy I have been giving my manual pasta machine a real workout and we are enjoying wonderful homemade pasta. To save myself time, I would like to make a large batch of dough and freeze what I am not using right away. My question to those with more experience than I: Can I freeze the dough just after it has been kneaded but not rolled into thin sheets...just as a ball of kneaded dough? Or does the dough have to be rolled into flat sheets first? I have successfully frozen the flat sheets, but would prefer to freeze the ball of dough and roll out on the day I want to prepare it. Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks all, for the comments. I am going to try the par-boil. I often use Lidia's books as a reference and saw that she belongs to the "par-boil" school of thought! Now does anyone have any favorite ingredient suggestions? My mouth fondly remembers a lasagna prepared in Italy by some cousins...layered with slices of prosciutto ham, peas, sliced hard-boiled eggs, some tomato pieces (not sauce) and bechamel, grated cheese. Simple and divine. Having grown up on the heavy Italian-American Lasagna, my mouth didn't know what to make of this light, silky dish.

Since returning from Italy I have been making fresh pasta. I have some sheets of fresh pasta that I want to use in a lasagna recipe. It has mostly bechamel sauce with some hand-crushed tomatoes scattered in the recipe for moisture. No ricotta cheese. My question...is it necessary to parboil the fresh pasta sheets before assembling or will they cook enough in baking with the natural moisture of the ingredients? I have seen some recipes that call for a quick boiling water plunge followed by ice water bath...then on to towels, even for fresh pasta. My sheets are thin (made on the next to the last notch on the manual pasta machine.) What is your experience with this?

It's that time again...fresh figs dropping from trees. What are your favorite ways to use them? So far I have made a fig and onion compote to serve with roast pork; a savory fig and goat cheese tart, and stuffed fig, prosciutto and gorganzola appetizer.

He is appearing at an upcoming Zocalo at the Los Angeles Central Library on July 16th. Zocalo Los Angeles

For everyday it is very simple...crisp romaine lettuce, sliced scallions, shaved pecorino cheese, salt, twist of pepper and drizzled with EVOO. If I have a nicely ripe avocado, I will add that. This week I have tossed in some delicious, in-season, diced white nectarines. And...we tend to eat our salad at the end of the meal...ala my Italian-American upbringing!

I have been making pizzelli for many years on my 40 year old electric iron. It is well seasoned by now! It makes two pizzelli at a time, each about 5 inches in diameter. Here is my recipe: 6 Eggs 3 1/2 cups flour, approximately 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup butter or margarine (1/2 pound), melted and cooled 4 teaspoons baking powder 2 Tablespoons vanilla or anise (or one of each) I keep the dough sticky. I test and adjust the first few until I have the consistency I want. It makes a very thin, crisp pizzelle. I store them in an large airtight tupperware container and they hold up pretty well. They are a family favorite and a requirement at Christmas and special events.

Well it is spring again and I just finished amending my soil to plant my annual tomato plants. Last weekend I participated in a neighborhood "sustainable garden tour" and I am enthused to begin my yearly vegetable garden. I too have read numerous articles about the 100 mile diet and I really enjoyed the "Omnivore's Dilemma." I guess I am not a purist because I am not giving up some essentials...like my coffee and some Italian items like my imported cheeses. But I do think there is value and "taste" in locally grown vegetables and fruits. I would like to know if there are recipes that any of you enjoy that make use of local items in your "radius."

Wonderful photos! May I ask a "very elementary" question regarding the dry chili pods. What is the best way to use them in a recipe? Do you reconstitute them in water first? Or do you chop them up dry and add to a recipe? Or do you toss it whole into some oil and saute it first? I have always used red pepper flakes and have never tried the dry pods because I am not sure how to use them.

Don't know what mid-townish would mean to you, but we had a wonderful lunch at Cafe Arte on West 73th between Columbus and Amsterdam. They are open for lunch on weekends. Here is the website. Cafe Arte

Here is a simple tutorial I stumbled upon for preparing the artichokes: Hope the link works.Sunset Magazine - artichokes

I purchased mine at my local Trader Joe's...but then we are in California, just south of Central California...artichoke heaven!

You could probably get away without the egg white. Yes, it is the binding to hold the stuffing together nicely. The "family" recipe uses a whole egg. I used egg white because I had two whites refrigerated, left over from a recipe that only wanted two yolks!

The other day I purchased some baby spring artichokes. I was having my children over for dinner. They love Italian Stuffed Artichokes that "nonna" used to make. I wanted to use the baby artichokes as appetizers that would be easy to eat while standing and visiting before dinner, but would convey the same flavor as the "family favorite." I ended up fixing the baby artichokes as artichoke hearts with the stuffing dropped like a little pillow in the heart. I prepared the hearts by par boiling in chicken stock after cutting and cleaning them. Then I created the stuffing using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, minced garlic, salt, pepper, chopped fresh parsley all binded with egg white. I placed the stuffing on the heart, drizzled with EVOO and placed in the oven for about 15 minutes. They were a hit! Preparing: The final product! Since we are entering the artichoke season, does anyone have any other interesting ways to serve them?

I just returned from 5 days in Orlando and before leaving I searched the Florida Forum for restaurant suggestions...so I was prepared for a culinary wasteland. I don't think there is a chain restaurant that does not exist in Orlando! That said, we did end up having some good meals. Here is where we went: 1. Memories of India - tucked into a strip mall on Turkey Lake Road near Sand Lake Rd. Went here on Valentine's Day and there was a line out the door. We had wonderful, authentic Indian food, very gracious service and no rushing. While waiting we spoke a gentleman originally from India, who said he was in Orlando on business. He had heard of the restaurant and had eaten there every night of his business trip. We had the chicken makhani and the lamb shakuti. 2. Cedars - Sand Lake Rd. Again an authentic ethnic restaurant, this time Lebanese. The food was wonderful and the server helped us select items to round out a nice dining experience. Delicious hummus, and a unique pita bread. 3. Before heading to the airport, we stopped at Lee & Rick's Oysters on Old Winter Garden Rd, just off Kirkman. We had tried to eat there one evening and there was an hour wait. It is a dive but it has the most fantastic fresh oysters. It has been there forever and locals call it home. It is also the best value in town...a dozen fresh oysters for $4.95! You sit at a counter and the server shucks the oysters for you as you eat. Besides oysters, they also have steam crab, shrimp, mussels as well as deep fried fish baskets. If you like seafood, treat yourself to this experience. While there we also heard of a restaurant, K Restaurant Wine Bar on Edgewater Dr., that is supposed to be good but we didn't have a chance to try it.

Just a report back on the Christmas Pork Loin Roast... Thanks to everyone's suggestions, the meal was a huge success. I combined many suggestions and ended up with a very juicy, flavorful roast. I used two boneless loins tied together. I began with brining for 24 hours. Then I made the paste with pancetta, garlic, fresh thyme, rosemary and sage, lemon zest in my little food processor. I stuffed the roast with about half the paste. Then I browned all sides in a skillet. Next I slipped a full rosemary sprig under the string and patted the remaining paste on the top. Roasted in a slow over until temperature was about 140. Then I added some broth and white wine, tented it and let it continue to roast slowly. Served it with braised fennel, oven-roasted potatoes, burrata caprese salad, creamed corn and a pasta ala vodka. I was sure I had too much food but it was all eaten and enjoyed.

Your post reminds me of something a bit off track. My cousin in Sicily makes lentil soup but where I make it stovetop...she makes it in the oven. It was wonderful but it was roasted slowly in the oven. Also, your post gives me some courage to try the milk basting, but not for Christmas...just some evening when the only victim to my attempt will be my husband and he is omnivorous and he smiles in the process.

Sorry...I was thinking of a pork loin. Your roast looks great.

Thanks, Kevin...some great suggestions. In the "old days" I only did bone-in roasts and while they were a challenge to carve, the meat just fell off the bones and we all fought over the little loin. I saw Lidia open a boneless pork loin and put in a stuffing that looked very appealing. I like the idea of the pancetta. I found one recipe that called for basting in milk. Can anyone explain what that is like? Somehow I can't even picture it!

I am planning on preparing a large pork roast for dinner Christmas Day. I will be feeding about 16 people. Does anyone have any tips for the best method to use to ensure that it is tender and moist? Dry roast or braise type? Boneless or bone in? I typically roast it a la my Marchigiani grandmother, with garlic and rosemary sprigs, but I am a bit intimidated by the size cut I will need and I don't want it to dry out. Does anyone have a favorite recipe or tips you might share?