Recipes
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Homemade Ricotta Cheese: So Easy a Child Could Do It
Homemade Ricotta Cheese: So Easy a Child Could Do It If, like me, you’ve always assumed that making your own cheese is too arcane for normal folks, you should find this recipe pleasantly surprising. It turns out that cheese-making, like… Read full article
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Ratatouille – A Provençal Specialty
Ratatouille – A Provençal Specialty On the Italian side, when I was growing up in the 50’s and early 60’s, my aunt’s family at the farm used to cook the vegetables with pieces of pancetta or fresh bacon and… Read full article
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Zucchini e melanzane sott’olio’ or “eggplant and zucchini marinated in olive oil”
Zucchini e melanzane sott’olio’ or "eggplant and zucchini marinated in olive oil" Eggplant: Use the fatter or rounder eggplants, and cut into slices about 1 inch thick. Salt them and drain them for at least half an hour. Wash the… Read full article
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Renaissance Cuisine in France and Italy
Renaissance Cuisine in France and Italy Italy’s Tuscany and France’s Loire Valley don’t have much in common as far as geography or climate are concerned, but they share a special place in the history of the European Renaissance. From Florence,… Read full article
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Peperonata or Pepper Stew
Peperonata or Pepper Stew Here is a dish that is now found in every Italian region, but especially in those where sweet red and yellow peppers grow throughout the summer, like in Southern Italy and Sicily. Peperonata is a good… Read full article
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Pear Clafouti
Pear Clafouti Adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything (Wiley, 1998). Comice Pears – the “Christmas Pear” – Unite Oregon and France Our recipe this month features the delicious comice (say "co-meese") pear from the Loire Valley of France, which readily… Read full article
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Gnocchi Alla Romana
Gnocchi Alla Romana Gnocco is a fun word. The first syllable is pronounced like a Spanish ñ in señor. The word means ‘a stupid person’ in colloquial Italian and in my region’s (Emilia Romagna’s) dialect it means ‘a blow,’ usually… Read full article
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Sommerkylling, or Summer Chicken
Sommerkylling, or Summer Chicken A delicious entree submitted by Per Schelde, ExperiencePlus! Tour Leader for Denmark. Ingredients (Serves 4 people) 1 5-7 lb chicken, preferably free range 1 stick unsalted butter 1 cup whole cream 1 ½ cups chicken stock-preferably… Read full article
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Mushroom Soup or Zuppa di Funghi or Soupe aux Champignons
Mushroom Soup or Zuppa di Funghi or Soupe aux Champignons As Paola says in her accompanying article on the tenuous connections between Tuscany and the Loire Valley, the two regions are quite different. But one thing they do have in… Read full article
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Spanokopita or Greek Spinach Pie
Spanokopita or Greek Spinach Pie (Makes four servings) A few weeks ago I was at a potluck lunch with some colleagues from my university department and the hostess had baked this wonderful dish that was everybody’s favorite. Though this version… Read full article
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Kolokithokeftethes (Greek Zucchini Patties)
Kolokithokeftethes Greek Zucchini Patties This month’s recipe comes to us from Greek tour leader (and olive grower) Yorgos Paraskevopoulos. It’s a traditional holiday food you’ll see throughout Greece and Turkey. This time of year zucchini squash can be found in… Read full article
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Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread With the coming of Fall and cooler temperatures, I start making my own bread in order to warm my soul (and stomach) with freshly-baked bread and the house with heat from more… Read full article
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Tzatziki, or Greek Yogurt and Cucumber Dip
Tzatziki A staple for most Greek restaurants, this classic recipe is the perfect snack, appetizer or dip for those delicious Greek Meatballs! Light, refreshing and healthy. 2 cucumbers (or one hot house cucumber) 4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely. 1… Read full article
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Mussels in ‘Sauce Poulette’
Mussels in ‘Sauce Poulette’ Josette Smyrl, our French Hotel Coordinator, has sent me this recipe from her home in Provence. She had just prepared this dish for some friends, so she gladly passed it on to me to share with… Read full article
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Chocolate Mousse, Perfected by Tour Leader Michele Boglioni
Chocolate Mousse, Perfected by Tour Leader Michele Boglioni A delicious and easy to make Chocolate Mousse to help sweeten any day! 8 ounces dark chocolate 2 tablespoons of butter 2 tablespoons of strong freshly brewed coffee 5 eggs separated 2… Read full article
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Rick’s Famous Sardinian Pork Chops
Rick’s Famous Sardinian Pork Chops My pork chop recipe dates back to a trip I took to Sardinia in the fall of 1984. I had completed my doctoral dissertation on issues related to coastal zone management in Sardinia in 1980. … Read full article
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Fava Bean Salad with Fresh Sage and Lemon
Fava Bean Salad with Fresh Sage and Lemon This month Ellen Brinks, a colleague of Paola’s, shares her fava bean recipe. Here’s a recipe that features the wonderful taste of fresh sage and makes a delicious picnic or potluck offering,… Read full article
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Pasta with Kale
Pasta with Kale I have found that the I prefer using the sun-dried tomato pesto, rather than the soaked sun-dried tomatoes themselves, as the original recipe calls for. Your choice. 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes or two-three tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes pesto… Read full article