Orecchiette

And old post, but a good one!

(Originally published March 4, 2013.)

I read Frank Bruni's autobiography, Born Round, a couple of summers ago. Although it tells a tantalizing tale of his years in the seemingly enviable, but complicated and stressful, position of New York Times restaurant critic, more importantly it's a story of finding oneself, of a difficult relationship with food, and of a loving family.

One portion has stayed with me since reading the book:

"Adele's (Frank's grandmother's) specialty was what most Italian food lovers know as orecchiette, which means 'little ears.' Her name for them, strascinat, pronounced something like strah-zshi-NOT, came from her southern Italian dialect. It alluded to the Italian verbs for 'to trail' and 'to drag' (strascicare and trascinare), because to make this pasta, you'd drag a knife along a sheet of dough, repeatedly pressing down and pinching off just enough of the dough to make an ear-shaped nub of pasta ....

Adele used her thumb as the mold for each strascinat. She would sit at a sizable table, an enormous rectangle of dough before her, and pinch and mold and then flick, the concave nubs landing in a nearby heap. She'd sit for hours, because there was no reliable machine for this endeavor, no dried pasta from a box that could emulate the density and pliancy of her strascinat, no alternative to doing the work, no matter how numbing it was. And even if there had been an alternative, she wouldn't have taken advantage of it. Dried pasta from a box didn't advertise how long and hard you had labored. Dried pasta from a box didn't say love. When you ate a bowl of Grandma's strascinat, covered in the thick red sauce that she and most other Italians simply called 'gravy,' you knew that every piece of pasta had the imprint of her flesh, that the curve of each nub matched the curve of her thumb."

Most people would read this and think, "Wow, Frank's nonna really loved her family. Good thing you can buy so many different pasta shapes at the grocery store, now!"

I, of course - you know what's coming! - read that and immediately thought, "I've gotta try making these some time!" The love infused into the pasta, the passion for preparing real food from scratch ... I was seduced.

Well, last week we had a snow day: 6+ inches of snow coupled with messy roads and no power at work. We didn't have any power at home, either, but Jeremy and I made the very best of it. He played Nirvana, the Ramones, and the Pixies on his Kindle, and - thankfully! - our gas stove worked as long as we lit the burners ourselves.

And so, the day had come. Jeremy and I made our own pasta!

I mixed the dough, then Jeremy came to help me with the shaping. After reading a number of recipes for strascinat, which - as Frank noted - I've always known as orecchiette [ohr-ay-keeAY-tay], I saw that many involve rolling the dough into a cylinder and then cutting pieces which are then formed, as described above, by imprinting one's thumb into them. So, that's what we did. One by one by one by one ... over and over again. To some, it might be boring. To some, it might be futile.

To us - yes, even to Jeremy (though if we'd been making enough to feed an entire family, rather than just ourselves, he might have had a different opinion!) - it was fun. We chatted, we compared homely samples to ideal ones. We made dinner and a memory, all at once.

Throughout the afternoon, Jeremy and I checked on our "babies" as they dried. I cooked up some diced tomatoes, red onion, garlic, hot Italian sausage, and kale, because the beauty of orecchiette is that the little scoops hold bits of the sauce. Different pasta shapes are designed for different toppings. The sturdier and heartier the base, the sturdier and heartier the sauce should be; thus, a light marinara is lovely served over angel hair pasta, but our orecchiette required something substantial.

And then, as the sun went down and the house was cold and every candle I own was burning, Jeremy and I ate an amazing hot and heart-warming meal.


Orecchiette

2 cups flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
pinch of kosher salt
1 cup water
1 egg

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours and the salt.

In a measuring cup, combine the water and the egg; pour over the dry ingredients and stir to mix.

Sprinkle flour on the countertop and knead the dough until it is no longer sticky, incorporating a bit more flour as needed. Divide dough into quarters, wrapping the unused portions in plastic.

Take one piece of dough at a time and roll it out into a 1/2"-long cylinder.

Cut pieces of dough about the size of a chickpea.

Roll the small pieces of dough into balls, rolling in a touch of flour if needed; then press down with your thumb to make a flat disc that curves slightly like the shape of an ear. Continue until you've used all of the dough.

Let the discs rest for 30 minutes, then re-press each one to reinforce the shape. Let rest for 1 hour to dry.

Flip the discs over and let them rest for 1 hour or more, until almost dry.  They won't be hard like boxed pasta, but they'll be drier than when you first formed them.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the orrecchiette and cook for 6 minutes or so, until they float to the top and are just "al dente" - slight resistance to the tooth.

Drain. Serve topped with a chunky tomato sauce.

Serves 4.

Cappuccino Chip Kugel

I received a package of granola in the mail - I always appreciate gifts of food! Jessica's Natural Foods, based less than an hour away in Birmingham, had sent samples of its Almond Cherry variety and also its new chocolate-hazelnut one, Motor City Crunch.

Because the products are made with oats that are certified gluten-free, I started thinking about other dietary concerns, as well, and decided to make a dish that is normally off-limits to those who have issues with gluten and also with dairy. Since one of my very favorite foods is kugel - a sweet noodle pudding which is prohibitive to many because of its pasta, sour cream, cottage cheese, butter, and crumb topping - I thought it would be a perfect thing to make.

Often, foods that make significant substitutions of ingredients to accommodate health concerns can have an odd consistency or an "off" taste. This kugel, however, baked up beautifully and was a huge hit with everyone who tried it; until I told them that it was both gluten- and dairy-free, no one knew there was anything different about it.

I love kugel, and so I'm happy to welcome those who couldn't eat it before to the party! It's a great cold weather comfort food.

Cappuccino Chip Kugel

Noodles:
8 ounces medium gluten-free noodles
1 12-ounce container Tofutti sour cream
2 tablespoons instant decaf coffee granules
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup pareve/non-dairy chocolate chips

Topping:
1/2 cup Jessica's Gluten-Free Motor City Crunch granola
1/2 cup Jessica's Gluten-Free Almond Cherry granola
1/4 cup sliced almonds, chopped
1/8 cup brown sugar
small pinch of cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 9" round baking pan.

Cook the noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together sour cream, coffee granules, vanilla extract, sugar, and eggs. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drain noodles, rinse briefly under cold water, then add to the sour cream mixture; combine well, then pour into prepared baking pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together granolas, almonds, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour melted margarine over the granola mixture, stir to combine, then sprinkle over noodles.

Bake for 35 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes about 10 servings.

Penne and Peas in Swiss-Almond Cream Sauce

I needed a fast dinner recently, so I turned to the classic: pasta. As the water boiled, I rummaged through the refrigerator. I thought about topping the pasta with the simple beauty of butter and Parmesan; but I took a quick peek around, just to see what else might strike my fancy.

And then I saw the Parmesan-Ranch cheese ball I'd bought on Manager's Special, with a bright orange sticker stating that it was half-price because it was nearing its expiration date.

I love Manager's Specials! I am the queen of Manager's Specials! I buy them, then figure out later what to do with them, much the way folks buy shares of farm produce during the summer and then pick up their goodies each week and determine menus based upon the contents.

So I chopped up some of the cheese ball, which would normally be served with crackers as an appetizer, and stirred it into the hot pasta so that it could melt into a rich, creamy sauce. Some peas for color and nutrition, and dinner was served!


Penne and Peas in Swiss-Almond Cream Sauce

• 1 pound penne
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 ounces Parmesan-Ranch cheese ball coated with almonds
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• pinch of freshly ground pepper
• grated Parmesan, for serving

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain, toss with butter.

Cut cheese ball into 1/2" pieces and stir into pasta; thin with milk. Place onto a serving platter and sprinkle with pepper and Parmesan.

Serves 2-4.

Habemus Papam Franciscum

Pope Francis is going to be formally installed tomorrow. And at my house, where we happily waved goodbye to Benedict XVI, we are celebrating!

All of my loved ones are undoubtedly tiring of my obsession with the conclave, the pomp and circumstance and spectacle and glory of all the proceedings, the Latin, the chants, the intrigue, the mystery, the suspense, the new details gleaned about the pontiff as I read everything I can about him. You can take the girl out of the Catholic Church, but there's a reason we're always called "recovering" Catholics! The fascination lingers.

I didn't just have one "Vatican cam" on my computer screen at all times during the conclave - I made sure that I checked in regularly with two different ones, just in case there was some issue with one site or the other. (Go ahead, shake your heads along with me. I know, I know ....)

And, of course, the white smoke came just as I sat down in my Hebrew class, which is offered where I work, after having paid so much attention to the chimney! (As they say, a watched pot never boils.) Everyone knew how fixated I was upon this entire scenario, so I immediately received 4 texts and 2 phone calls all at once to disrupt the class. Fortunately, there were only 7 of us and everyone indulged my announcement of the news even though we didn't know who'd won the election yet. I got back to my desk just before the presentation at the balcony.

So now, instead of babbling incessantly about what might happen and what I wanted to have happen, I am babbling about what did happen. A new pope! From the New World! A Jesuit, from an order noted for intellectualism, education, and service. A transitional figure with ties to Rome by virtue of his Italian immigrant parents, but raised in Argentina. A man who brings many "first"s to the Vatican.

My favorite photo of Pope Francis, who has a wonderful smile.

I am enormously happy to read about Francis' humility, of his devotion to the poor and to those who are most marginalized in society, of his support for those whose choices he might not agree with but whom he still views as God's children (i.e.: caring for patients with AIDS, saying Mass for prostitutes, baptizing the babies of unwed mothers). He seems to strive to truly live the gospels and to follow Jesus' example.

And so, with significantly more hope than I've had for the Church in ages, I welcome Pope Francis.

And how could I not love this about him: the new pope is someone who is noted for preparing his own meals!

His favorite dinner is baked skinless chicken, salad, fruit, and an occasional glass of wine - healthy, benign dietary choices.

But this is a celebration! So, although he might eschew dessert, it seemed only fitting to make a beloved Argentine treat which is infused with Italian tradition - perfect for a man raised in Buenos Aires by parents who emigrated from northern Italy.

There is a sizable Italian community in Argentina, and it has distinctly influenced the cuisine. Pastas are enormously popular, but the flavors differ somewhat (Argentines seem to always add peppers to the sauce, as well as cumin and paprika); Argentines also sauce their pasta much more heavily than is done in Italy. Pizza is another favorite that crossed the Atlantic; but in Argentina the crust is much thicker, and the dish is often also served with a chickpea-flour flatbread called fainá [fah-ee-NAH].

But today, we are enjoying Pasta Frola [PAH-stah FROH-lah], a fruit-filled pastry with a buttery crust that is reminiscent of Italian crostata [krohs-TAH-tah]. According to Wikipedia:

"Pasta frola is a typical Argentine recipe heavily influenced by Southern Italian cuisine, also known as Pasta Frolla in Italy. Pasta frola consists of a buttery pastry base with a filling made of quince jam, sweet-potato jam or milk caramel (dulce de leche) and topped with thin strips of the same pastry, forming a squared pattern .... The traditional Italian recipe was not prepared with latticework as it is in Argentina, but with a lid pierced with molds in forms of heart or flowers."

Quince products are readily available in Latin markets. And I just happened to be near one of these stores recently; so I took the opportunity to buy a can of dulce de membrillo [DOOL-say day mem-BREE-yoh], which is quince paste (a product much thicker than jam). If you don't have access to this, however, a thickened jam or Solo pastry fillings would be excellent substitutes.

And so, a toast to Pope Francis! He has quite a lot of work to do to rebuild the Church, as the inspiration for his papal name - St. Francis of Assisi - was charged with doing. May God bless him and help him.

And in his honor, enjoy a slice of this lovely tart with a cup of espresso or a glass of Moscato, both of which are popular in Argentina as well as in Italy.

Habemus Papam Franciscum!


Pasta Frola
(adapted from this recipe)

Crust:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup + 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs divided
1 tablespoon water
confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Filling:
1-1/2 cups dulce de membrillo (quince paste)
3 tablespoons water

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar. Add all of the butter and mix in with your fingers until crumbly.

Combine vanilla and 2 eggs; pour over dough and stir to mix. Knead dough on countertop just until it comes together. Cut dough into two portions: 1/3 and 2/3. Wrap in plastic for 30 minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine quince paste and 3 tablespoons water; cook over low heat, stirring, until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom.

Roll out the 2/3 dough portion to a 13" circle; carefully place into the tart pan, letting excess hang over the edges.

Fill tart with quince paste, spreading to edges.

Roll out the 1/3 dough portion to a 10" circle. Cut into 3/4" strips. Lay 5 strips vertically over the tart pan, then fold back the 1st, 3rd, and 5th ones.

Lay a strip across the remaining two strips of dough, then fold the strips back down.

Fold back the 2nd and 4th dough strips, lay a strip of dough across, then fold the strips back down. Repeat until you have a lattice top formed of 5 dough strips in each direction.

Press dough strips against the bottom crust to seal, then trim edges flush with the baking pan.

Combine remaining 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash. Brush over the dough, then sprinkle with the remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar. Place tart onto a baking pan, to catch any drips.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until tart is golden. Let cool completely, then dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.

Makes 12 servings.

(I found I had enough extra dough left over that I could likely make another tart. Gather any scraps, knead them together briefly, and save for future use.)

Pasta con Peperoni e Pomodori

It was cold. It was starting to rain as I walked back home from the bus stop. I had stayed an extra hour late at work. I was hungry.

This was not the time to start a lengthy cooking marathon. But I was also determined not to give in to eating ice cream for dinner just because it would be ready quickly.

So I relied, once again, upon the generous gift of Progresso Recipe Starters that had been sent to me awhile ago - ready-to-use sauces to make dinner preparation ridiculously easy.

I chose the Creamy Parmesan Basil variety. But, of course, I didn't just follow the directions on the label. I never do.

I cooked up some lovely bow-tie pasta, which just makes me happy; it's so much nicer than simple spaghetti.

I sauteed some red pepper, as well as one last tomato from the garden that Jeremy and his dad grew this summer. I added a splash of white wine ... well, do I really need a reason for that??? And I added a bit of the Progresso sauce, to make a rich, creamy, delicious, pasta sauce without relying upon simply opening a jar.

I was really thrilled with how well this dish turned out! It was bright, it had a bit of spice, and it was a perfect dinner for a chilly, windy, dreary evening.


Pasta con Peperoni e Pomodori

This is actually just Pasta with Peppers and Tomatoes. But doesn't it sound more elegant in Italian??? [PAHS-tuh kohn pay-pay-ROH-nee ay poh-moh-DOH-ree] ... sigh. Even the simplest dish sounds more exotic and sophisticated in Italian!

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small red pepper, finely diced
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• pinch of kosher salt
• pinch of freshly ground pepper
• generous pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup Progresso Creamy Parmesan Basil Recipe Starter
• 12 ounces farfalle, cooked according to package directions
• Parmesan cheese, for serving

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add pepper, tomato, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes; cook for 3 minutes, until vegetables are becoming tender. Add the wine, turn heat to medium-high, and cook 5 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the Progresso Recipe Starter and cook over low heat for 5 more minutes until heated through.

Place the farfalle onto a serving platter, and pour the sauce over it. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

Serves 2-4.

Deconstructed Un-Stuffed Shells

While meandering up and down the aisles at the grocery store the other day - something, as you can well imagine, I do with significant frequency! - I saw that small pasta shells were on sale: $1 for a one-pound box.

Well, I'm a pretty frugal girl. I had to bring some home with me.

Now, I love stuffed pasta shells, filled with rich ricotta cheese and smothered in a lively tomato sauce. But as much as I love to bake from scratch, shell peas, or pit cherries, I don't want to fuss over shoving spoonfuls of the cheese into a giant pasta shell that's modestly trying to keep itself closed. Too much bother. And I don't want to wait for my dinner while it bakes, either, especially when I'm really hungry after a long day of work and errands.

So it occurred to me that I could cook up these smaller shells, top them with the sauce, and just plop a dollop of cheese on top - all the same great flavors, none of the tedious work!

The zesty sauce enhanced the sweetness of the cheese, and the creaminess of the cheese complemented the warmth of the sauce. It was a perfect easy dinner that seemed far more luxurious than its simplicity would normally offer ....

Deconstructed Un-Stuffed Shells

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• generous pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 6 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1 pound pasta shells, prepared according to package directions
• 1/3 cup Ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup Cottage cheese
• Parmesan cheese, for serving

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, onion, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine, and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook for 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Place the prepared shells onto a serving platter, and spoon the sauce over them. Stir together the Ricotta cheese and Cottage cheese; place a dollop onto the center of the sauce, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 generously.

Kasha Varnishkes Soup for National Mushroom Day

I'm a mushroom lover with a history of being surrounded by mushroom haters. Jeremy has only just found affection for them; of course, even he chuckles that his new enjoyment is for morels and truffles, among the most expensive varieties available! And I used to go out with someone who would only eat small amounts of the little white button mushrooms, nothing with more flavor ... groan.

So when Craig told me that he loves "chopped liver and a good mushroom barley soup," I was just tickled. A little bit of "meh" on the former, but I'm very happy about the latter. There's a lot to be said for going out with a nice Jewish boy whose level of observance is far less than my own weird hybrid of practice, but who at least knows and enjoys the requisite foods!

That is, until I found out that Craig only likes raw mushrooms. While he promised to try the soup if I made one, and even sounded enthusiastic about it, he also presumed he would pick out the mushrooms and generously donate them to my own bowl ... aaauuuggghhh!!!

But I was determined to cook a version of mushroom soup in honor of today's "holiday," National Mushroom Day. You know me, though - I can't just leave things alone. There are lots of recipes for good ol'-fashioned mushroom barley soup, so that simply had to be tinkered with.

I thought of another classic Jewish dish, Kasha Varnishkes: buckwheat groats that are cooked in broth and traditionally served with bow tie pasta and, sometimes, mushroom gravy. While buckwheat is not actually a grain, it is reminiscent of one; so it seemed reasonable to substitute it for barley in a mushroom soup.

So I cooked up the kasha, added lots of mushrooms, added extra liquid beyond what the buckwheat would absorb, and added pasta ... and there it was, Kasha Varnishkes Soup! A little beer added some depth to the flavor. This is perfect for a cold, fall day.


Kasha Varnishkes Soup

Please note that this is not kosher, since it mixes butter and beef broth. (Butter has better flavor than any of its substitutes.) You can make whatever accommodations suit your fancy - oil or margarine, using only vegetable broth, etc. - to honor the dietary laws.

• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2/3 cup kasha (buckwheat groats)
• 1 egg white
• 4 ounces white button mushrooms, halved, sliced
• 10 ounces baby Portabella mushrooms, halved, sliced
• 1 cup beer
• 16 ounces vegetable broth
• 16 ounces beef broth
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• generous sprinkling freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of sugar
• splash of soy sauce
• 1-1/2 cups bow-tie pasta, pre-cooked
• sour cream for serving, optional

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan, and cook the onion over medium-low heat for 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized. Remove onions from saucepan and reserve.

Combine kasha and egg white until kasha is thoroughly coated; add to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until the kasha is toasty and has separated into individual grains.

Add the remaining butter to the saucepan; add the onions and both kinds of mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened. Add the beer, both broths, salt, pepper, sugar, and soy sauce; bring to a boil, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pasta and cook 5 more minutes.

Serve hot, with sour cream if desired.

Serves 6-8.

Pasta with Broccoli and Salami

This is one of those "got home from work late, need to eat NOW" type of dinners.

And yet, it's also one of those "toss in whatever you find in the 'frig, and it comes out fabulously delicious" dinners.  Don't you just love when that happens???  There's no grand plan, you're essentially using up scraps and leftovers.  And yet, somehow the finished dish transcends its meager ingredients.

I had found broccoli on sale at the store that week, and of course it's a perfect complement to pasta.  I also had a few slices of salami waiting to be invited to the party.  And instead of fresh garlic, I used pre-purchased roasted garlic which had been calling to me at the store while I'd been shopping.  I don't usually buy it, preferring to make my own; but it just seemed to be a good thing to have on hand, and so I made excellent use of it in this dish.

Mangia bene!  [MAHN-juh BAY-nay]


Pasta with Broccoli and Salami

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 large scallion, chopped
• 6 cloves roasted garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup white wine
• pinch of kosher salt
• 5 thin slices of salami, finely chopped
• pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces farfalle (bow-tie pasta), prepared according to package directions
• Parmesan cheese, for serving

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the broccoli and saute for a few minutes, until turning bright green and just caramelizing in a few spots.

Add the scallion and garlic; saute 1 minute. Add the wine and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is becoming tender and the wine is mostly absorbed.

Add the salami and pepper; cook 3-4 minutes, until the salami crisps a bit.

Drain the pasta and divide among two plates. Top with the broccoli mixture, and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Serves 2.

Check 'em out on AnnArbor.com:
Yesterday: Rosh Hashanah dishes
Today: Indian Chickpeas with Tomatoes

Frugal Floozie Friday - Palio

Palio is the restaurant my BFF Wendy chose for our celebratory dinner in honor of her recent birthday. She hadn't been there for a long time, and I had remarkably never eaten there. (So many restaurants, so little time! And I like to cook, of course, so I don't eat out as often as people think I do.) Wendy had offered to go anyplace I might want to write up for a Frugal Floozie Friday feature, and I'd offered to take her anywhere she wanted to go for our party of two. Turns out, we each won!

Now, a girls' night is a fabulous thing even if you're sitting on the sofa in sweatpants, only eating popcorn and ice cream. But it's an even more wonderful time if you can look out over Main Street on a gorgeous Friday night as the sun is setting, and spend hours talking, hoping, and dreaming while enjoying wonderful food. We were thrilled to find that the rooftop - Palio del Sole, with its own menu differing a bit from that of the restaurant downstairs - had a table for two just waiting for us.

Wendy ordered her favorite dish, the Cannelloni di Funghi [cahn-eh-LOH-nee dee FOON-ghee]; it was a tremendously generous portion, enough to feed at least two people, but the pricing puts it out of our mandatory budget of $5 or less per person. (Worth every penny, but ....) Should you not be striving for budget consciousness, it is a stellar feast of pasta with mushrooms, cheeses, and a Florentine tomato sauce.

I, however, found two ideal frugal options, though one would never know they were inexpensive to see or taste them. I started with a simple Insalata Verde [een-sah-LAH-tah VAYR-day], expecting a small-ish bowl the size of a side salad. As you can see, there was a full dinner plate of gorgeous fresh greens, luscious ripe tomatoes, and my beloved Gorgonzola. This was lightly dressed with good green extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, in a subtle vinaigrette that just coated the vegetables.

I also ordered the exceptional assortment of tapenades pictured above: Roasted Garlic with Olives, Artichoke Lemon Herb, and Goat Cheese with Sun-dried Tomatoes. For a mere $7.95, I received generous portions of each spread, which could easily have been split by two to average out at less-than-$4 per person. I was able to take about two-thirds of this home (having started with the salad, of course), and thoroughly enjoyed them all again the next evening. These are delicious treats that are a tremendous deal!

The olive tapenade was my favorite, with a vivid flavor that let hints of the garlic shine through. The artichoke spread was wonderful, with a chunky texture. It was great to find true artichoke flavor, rather than having it diluted with the ubiquitous spinach. (Not that I haven't eaten my fair share of that famous dip!) The sharpness of the goat cheese shone through in the tomato variety, and it was so rich and creamy.

Now, a birthday party isn't a real celebration without sweets. So, of course, we asked our fabulously charming waitress, Erin, to bring the dessert tray 'round for a perusal. Never underestimate the skinny girl with the sweet tooth or her amazing BFF who runs half-marathons: I ordered an obscenely decadent, brandy-laced tiramisu and Wendy ordered the rich and spicy carrot cake ... and yup, we chose a third dessert and split the unbelievably seductive chocolate-drizzled peanut butter pie.

I think Erin was both appalled and yet rooting for us. But she's also a distance runner, so we all bonded over celebratory eating as a great motivation for either runs (Wendy) or long walks and free weights (me) since one must burn off the calories. Desserts are $5.95 each, but are so large that they are easily split by people who are less ... let's be polite, and say "indulgent." (Yes, we finished every extraordinary bite.) So they can easily come in under the $5 per person budget, and would make a lovely treat after a movie or a concert, or "just 'cause."

So, whether you want a perfect summery salad all to yourself, or whether you want to split a distinctive appetizer or luscious desserts, Palio has a variety of frugal options to choose from. Go! Enjoy!

Palio
347 S. Main Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-930-6100
Monday - Thursday: 5 - 10 p.m.
Friday - Saturday: 5 - 11 p.m.
Sunday: 4 - 9 p.m.



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Bowtie Pasta with Olives

Pasta is one of the great foods in the universe, because it can be served in so many, many ways.  Some dishes are very complicated, but others are blissfully simple.

I had bought some olives to serve with salami and cheese as an antipasto, and thought they might be a nice addition to an easy dinner one evening.  The mixed olives - Kalamatas as well as herb-marinated green ones - offered both flavor and color.  A little garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes for zest, and the meal was served.

How perfect for a delicious dinner on a gorgeous summer evening!


Bowtie Pasta with Olives

1 12-ounce box bowtie pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
generous pinch of red pepper flakes
6 ounces mixed pitted olives, chopped
parmesan, for serving

Prepare pasta according to directions.

In a small saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute.  Add olives, and cook for 2 minutes.

Drain pasta and toss with olives and oil.  Sprinkle with parmesan (or leave the cheese off to make it vegan).

Serves 4.

Frugal Floozie Friday at Bella Italia Pizza and Pasta

A perfect slice - that's what you'll get at Bella Italia Pizza and Pasta, today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature.  I grew up in New York City eating fabulous pizza.  I expect a certain cheese blend, a sauce with flavor and zest (and just enough sauce, rather than gobs of it), a crisp crust, and the ability to fold my slice without it drooping.  This pizza was perfect!

My friend Jesse Bernstein had recommended Bella Italia to me with such devotion that I simply had to visit:

"The owners are a young couple who have perfected and replicated the Dandy Pizza experience precisely.  Dandy's was a pizzeria on Whitney Avenue run by a Sicilian family who spoke no English, but knew what you were ordering.  My sister said she has been searching for 40 years to find the taste and here it was in Ann Arbor.  This was confirmed by another neighborhood resident who now lives here and confirmed our assessment."

Ah, taste memory - that oh, so elusive and indefinable entity that is rarely satisfied!

Well, let me chime in that the pizza was just like what I remembered eating years ago, as well.  That it perfectly fit our mandatory frugal budget of $5 per person - the 16" pizza with one topping was $14.50, making it perfect for my party of three - only made it better.

Bella Italia has a friendly and welcoming staff, including Jim Millan who owns the restaurant with his wife, Katie.  And it offers lots of great deals that meet our Frugal Floozie Friday budget.  There are even lunch specials for less than $4 - a 10" pizza with one topping, lovely pasta dishes, a rich tiramisu - each a very generous portion.

You can buy two slices of pizza for $5 or less if you pick cheese and/or pepperoni; a slice of a specialty pizza costs $3.  Half salads (Caesar, Garden or Greek) cost just under $5.  And the calzone, stromboli, and hot subs are a great deal - ranging in price from $7.75-$9.75 and easily split with a loved one to meet the mandatory budget constraints without anyone going hungry.

If you fancy yourself a competitive eater, you could either eat for free or earn yourself a share of $200 - even better deals than $5 per person!

If three people can finish a 30" pizza - with any toppings from cheese to an abundance of goodies - you can get it for free if you can eat the entire thing in 30 minutes or less.  Or, if you think you and just one partner can polish off the 30" Meat Lovers' pizza - topped with several pounds of sausage, pepperoni, bacon, and ham - within 60 minutes, you'll win yourselves $200.

As we ate dinner with Motown classics playing in the background, it was a perfect warm Spring evening.  We had a great time at Bella Italia for a very reasonable price, and look forward to eating there again.


Bella Italia Pizza and Pasta
895 Eisenhower Pkwy. (in the Colonnade)
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-222-9993
Monday - Thursday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Friday: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Saturday: 12 - 11 p.m.
Sunday: 4 - 10 p.m.



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Pan-Fried Spaghetti with Olives, Tomatoes, and Swiss Chard

I had a fabulous time at the Dixboro Farmers' Market's opening day this past Friday!  Vendors offered honey, both duck and chicken eggs, baked goods that disappeared so quickly I only got a sample of a pretzel despite arriving within the first hour, fresh greens, spring onions and potatoes, beeswax candles, organic nut butters, green garlic, and other lovely items.  Blessed by perfect sunny weather, crowds gathered, dogs greeted each other, people chatted and shopped, and a good time was had by all.

I bought Swiss chard with gorgeous, deep green leaves from Ferris Farm; I also bought organic green garlic from my friends Dick and Diana Dyer at Dick's Pretty Good Garlic stand.  Green garlic resembles scallions - long green stems, with a white bulb and stringy roots - and is young garlic harvested before cloves form; its flavor is milder than that of the mature form.  The Dyers have always sold their prized supply to restaurants, so to find them with several bunches was a surprise and a treat!  This would be the only week the treasure would be available, so I pounced.

After schmoozing, shopping, and sunburning a bit, I took my prizes home.  Needless to say, I put the bounty to use in my dinner that evening.

I took some cold spaghetti out of the refrigerator.  This could have been baked into a casserole; it could also have been rejuvenated with boiling water, which would make it a bit too soft for my liking, and served with a standard boring ol' sauce.  Instead, I turned it into a lovely, sophisticated dish.

Pan-frying the spaghetti slightly caramelizes the starches, and gives the pasta a wonderful toasted flavor.  Combining it with red pepper flakes, Kalamata olives, the beautiful Swiss chard, a sweet tomato, and the cherished green garlic transformed this basic leftover into a delicious meal to celebrate the end of the week.  A lovely glass of white wine was the perfect accompaniment.

The new market was wonderful, and it's off to an amazingly successful start!  I met old friends and new ones, and am looking so forward to this week's adventure, and the goodies I'll bring home to cook with next weekend.

Pan-Fried Spaghetti with Olives, Tomatoes, and Swiss Chard

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 stalks green garlic, chopped (or 2 large garlic cloves, minced)
3 cups pre-cooked whole wheat spaghetti, chilled, cut into 2" lengths
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 large leaves Swiss chard, cut into 3" strips
1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Melt the oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When the mixture just starts to bubble, add red pepper flakes, garlic, spaghetti, salt and pepper; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the chard, olives and tomato; cook for 1 minute.

Divide among 2 serving plates and sprinkle with cheese.

Serves 2 generously.

Pasta ca Sucu Fintu (Pasta with Fake Meat Sauce)

One of the most memorable books I've read is the late Vincent Schiavelli's Bruculinu, America, the actor's remembrances of growing up in Brooklyn with his extended Sicilian family.  The depictions of the scenes, the characters, and - especially - the elaborate dishes prepared by his grandfather, a retired master chef to a baron, are vivid and striking.  Vincent wrote beautifully and lovingly about it all.

So when he wrote a sequel, about his first visit to Polizzi Generosa, his family's hometown in Sicily, I had to read that, as well.

Both books contain many recipes, and the latter offers a dish with an inexpensive sauce designed to replicate one that contained costly meat.  As Vincent writes: "In Sicilian, pasta cu sucu means pasta with a hearty meat-tomato sauce.  In times past, this luxury was not available to poor farmers very often.  To compensate the palate, they devised their own fintu (false) version."

And so, Vincent offers a recipe for a beautiful, rich sauce which doesn't contain any of the newfangled soy-based products now available for vegetarian dishes, or even any mushrooms that are often utilized for their "meatiness."

Instead, this very traditional recipe uses hard-boiled eggs - coated in an egg wash and cheese before frying - as an inexpensive protein to imitate meat balls.  The golden, cheesy eggs are so unique!  And the simple tomato sauce is very fresh and wonderful.

I not only love cooking, but I particularly cherish opportunities to learn about international and ethnic cuisines - they fascinate me.  So much can be learned about people from their language and from their meals.  As Vincent notes in his first book: "In addition to providing sustenance, (food) served to nourish our heritage.  Food is, after all, edible culture."

Pasta ca Sucu Fintu
([PAH-stuh kah SOO-koo FEEN-too] = Pasta with Fake Meat Sauce.  Doesn't it sound better in Sicilian?)

(adapted from Vincent Schiavelli's Many Beautiful Things: Stories and Recipes from Polizzi Generosa)

4 hard-boiled eggs
1 tablespoon + 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded Pecorino cheese, plus extra for serving
1/4 cup chopped parsley
12 ounces spaghetti, linguine or fettucine

Peel the hard-boiled eggs and halve them horizontally; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat; add the onion and cook until translucent.  Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar; cook until the sauce just starts to bubble

Place the 2 eggs in a small bowl and beat them.  Place the 1/2 cup cheese into a small bowl.

Heat the 1/4 cup oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.  One by one, take each hard-boiled egg half, dip it into the egg and then coat it with cheese.  (The cheese won't adhere everywhere.)  Place into the skillet, and repeat with remaining eggs.  Cook 2-3 minutes per side until the eggs are golden.

Add the fried eggs to the sauce; simmer while preparing pasta according to package directions.

Place the pasta onto a serving platter, then top with the sauce and sprinkle with more cheese.

"In the traditional style," according to Vincent, "eat the pasta as a first course, then the eggs out of the same bowl as a secondo."

Serves 2-4.

Gluten-Free Pasta with a Gremolata Gratin

Pasta ... and pasta with a bread crumb topping, no less.  Heartbreaking, torturous temptation to someone who needs to eat a gluten-free diet.

And yet, this dish is entirely without gluten, thanks to nuts, garlic, cheese, parsley, and a couple of specialty ingredients from the thoughtful folks at Mishpacha and Manischewitz!  Manischewitz is now offering spiral- and shell-shaped gluten-free pastas, which were certified kosher for Passover and will also be available year-round; and Mishpacha, distributed by Manischewitz, has over a dozen new products including gluten-free bread crumbs.

I was very happy to receive an incredibly generous box of goodies to play with recently, a lovely marketing gift from the Bender Hammerling Group which handles public relations and marketing for a number of food producers.  And so, I decided that my first recipe showcasing these items should be a dish to offer comfort in a meal which is often verboten to many.  That items such as pasta and bread crumbs can be both gluten-free and delicious is a fabulous thing!

A gremolata is a topping of garlic, parsley, and lemon zest; a gratin is a dish topped with a browned bread crumb crust.  Combine them, and the bread crumbs and pistachios offer crunch while the parsley, garlic and lemon provide tremendous flavor.

So whether you need to be careful in eating a specialized diet, or you're trying to use up Passover products now that the holiday has ended, or you're just looking for a fabulous new way to prepare pasta, this recipe has it all!

Gluten-Free Pasta with a Gremolata Gratin

1 12-ounce package Manischewitz gluten-free pasta shells
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 very large garlic cloves, minced
zest of 1 lemon, finely minced
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped
1/4 cup Mishpacha gluten-free coating crumbs
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
shredded Parmesan cheese, for serving

Bring 5 quarts of water to boil; add the shells and cook for 7-8 minutes until just done.

While pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet.  Add the garlic, lemon zest, pistachios, coating crumbs, and salt; cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.  Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

When the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the saucepan; stir in the remaining oil.  Place onto a serving platter and top with the pistachio mixture.  Serve with Parmesan.

Serves 4-6.

Boursin Pasta with Spinach

It's hard to believe that something so creamy and so delicious could have only three - count 'em, three! - primary ingredients! But it's true. Dinner doesn't get much easier than this.

Boil water, cook pasta, stir in cheese, plop it all on top of spinach ... that's it! And with the whole grain pasta and all those gorgeous green vegetables, it's even nutritious.

In the midst of all the holiday chaos, isn't it good to know you can still eat well without a huge investment of time? A good pantry (especially when you find the Boursin on sale and just wait for the right moment to use it!) can salvage any meal ....

Boursin Pasta with Spinach

2 cups whole wheat penne
half of a 5.2-ounce package Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese
pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper
3 cups baby spinach leaves
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain and return pasta to pot. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Divide spinach among two dinner plates and top with pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Serves 2.

Pasta in Pesto Cream with Chicken and Tomatoes

This elegant dish is actually a cobbling together of scraps - a little of this, a little of that, put it all together to make something amazing!

I had leftover tomato rotini sitting in a baggie in the pantry. I had leftover cream from making chocolate truffles. I had tidbits of chicken sitting in the refrigerator. I had a few tomatoes still looking for a purpose in life. Why leave each of these ingredients to feel forlorn, when they could be transformed into something delicious?

If you have macaroni instead of rotini, that's okay. If you have ham instead of chicken, it'll be fine. If you have sundried tomatoes rather than fresh ones, don't worry. Whatever bits and pieces you need to use up, this sort of dish is very forgiving.

Just cook the pasta, then stir everything else together into a sauce. Your meal will be simple, sophisticated, and sublime.

Pasta in Pesto Cream with Chicken and Tomatoes

1 cup rotini
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped chicken
8 grape tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons pesto
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cream
parmesan, for serving

Prepare rotini according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and tomatoes; saute 2 minutes. Stir in the pesto, salt and pepper; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and cook for 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta, and pour the sauce over it; toss to combine. Serve immediately, topped with parmesan.

Serves 2.

Confetti Pasta

I recently had a meeting to attend after work, followed by errands. I got home late, and hadn't eaten much lunch; I was quite hungry.

I never resort to fast food, and I didn't want to just grab a bowl of cereal. So what could I make that was fast, but also had some semblance of nutrition?

That old favorite standby, pasta. I had a package of chicken- and bacon-stuffed borsetti (little filled pouches) in the freezer, which I'd bought on sale and saved for a time when I'd need a quick meal. Well, here was its moment to shine!

For color, flavor and health benefits, I sauteed some red pepper, green beans and red onion in a butter and balsamic vinegar mixture while the pasta cooked, then combined everything to finish the meal.

And that was it! Within 20 minutes, I had an elegant and delicious meal so festive that it seemed as though confetti had been sprinkled upon it ....

Confetti Pasta

1 9-ounce package fresh stuffed pasta (i.e.: tortellini, ravioli)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup chopped green beans (1/2" dice)
1/3 cup chopped red pepper (1/2" dice)
1/3 cup chopped red onion (1/2" dice)
1 large garlic clove, minced
parmesan, for serving

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, melt together the oil, vinegar and 1 tablespoon butter. Add the salt, pepper, and vegetables; saute for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beans are just tender when punctured with a knife. Stir in remaining tablespoon of butter.

Drain pasta, and toss with vegetables. Serve topped with parmesan.

Serves 2 as an entree, 4-6 as a side dish.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad for the EMU Game

Last week's game against Notre Dame was AMAZING!!! A come-from-behind touchdown with 2 seconds left gave Michigan a 35-31 lead, and Notre Dame had no time or opportunity left. This was a game so big that ESPN's "College Game Day" show was based here in Ann Arbor, the Goodyear blimp was hovering over the stadium, and scalpers were seeking as much as $4000 for some tickets! And we won!

Now, this week, next door neighbor Eastern Michigan University - from just 5 miles down the road - is coming to The Big House on Saturday.

Sadly, this isn't particularly a fair play date: Eastern is a small school from the MAC conference rather than Michigan's Big 10. Eastern also doesn't have a particularly stellar football history, though they did beat Howard University in style in their season opener, 41-9. They're also 2-0 for the first time since 1998 after beating Alabama State last weekend. I'll spare you my rant about these uneven match-ups; I'm just here for the food, after all!

So, what food to offer for a game between Eastern and U of M? And what to serve when the weather 'round here can go from morning temperatures in the 90s to thunderstorms in the afternoon, followed immediately by days of highs in the 60s?

Pasta. Everyone loves it, it's easy to make, it goes with almost everything and is appropriate no matter what the weather is. I even made it green and white to honor Eastern's team colors. A girl's gotta have some fun with feeding the masses for the football games, after all!

Eastern Michigan University at University of Michigan
Saturday, September 17 at 12 p.m. EDT
GO BLUE!!!

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad

6 asparagus spears, cut into 1" pieces
1 cup green beans, cut into 1" pieces
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
12 ounces green and white rotini
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup jarred pepperoncini, drained, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pesto
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400F. Place the asparagus and beans into a pie pan; toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Roast for 20-25 minutes until tender and slightly caramelized.

Prepare rotini according to package directions; drain and rinse under cold water, then place into a large mixing bowl.

Add the roasted vegetables to the mixing bowl, along with the feta, pepperoncini, oregano, pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Combine the pesto, lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of oil; pour over the salad and toss to coat.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Angel Hair Pasta with Purple Basil

Okay, once again I'm going to seem pretentious. But Tom and I made a fabulous pasta dish over the weekend, and simply calling it "Angel Hair Pasta with Purple Basil" does not begin to do it justice! It deserves its beautiful, lyrical Italian name: Capelli d'Angelo con Basilico Viola. [kah-PAY-lee DAHN-jel-OH kohn bah-SEEL-ee-koh vee-OHL-uh]

Such simplicity - beautiful tomatoes and deeply violet-colored basil from the farmers' market, some contrasting color from baby spinach leaves, the depth of flavor from the Gorgonzola ... sigh. It doesn't take anything very complicated to make a spectacular meal, just exceptional ingredients.

There was no grand plan for this dish; while perusing the bounty at the Farmers Market on Saturday, we found a gorgeous bouquet of purple basil. It cost $1 ... well, how could we refuse? We didn't know what we'd do with it, but there had to be something it could work with.

A few other items were thrown into the mix, and there was lunch - a lovely light meal featuring summer produce, colorful and immensely flavorful!

Angel Hair Pasta with Purple Basil

8 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions
2 tablespoons oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (i.e.: Mrs. Dash)
1 large tomato, chopped
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup purple basil leaves, cut into fine strips
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and tomato; cook until the tomatoes produce some juice, then add spinach and cook just until wilted. Stir vegetables into pasta, and place onto a serving platter.

Sprinkle basil over the pasta, then top with the Gorgonzola.

Serves 2-4.

Pasta con Cacio e Pepe

I was thrilled to recently win a giveaway from one of my favorite blogging buddies, Karen, of Eat Drink Wash Up. Not only is she a fabulous cook with a very sharp wit who tells great stories while sharing recipes; she also knows my beloved Roxy Music and shares my adoration of their greatest album, Avalon!

And so what, pray tell, did I win from my friend???

A trip to any food aficionada's paradise: a $50 gift certificate to Williams-Sonoma!

Now, of course, we all know that I don't make decisions well, especially when faced with so much bounty and so many new toys. So I brought Jeremy along with me, because he is a consummate shopper - he can enthusiastically spend money, his own or someone else's, with great skill and joy!

So, off we went on our excursion, in search of goodies. We walked in and immediately meandered over to the sale table, 'cause that's the kinda girl I am. Beautiful little yellow dessert plates with a honeycomb theme seemed like a lovely addition to my "photo op" dishes; but we kept looking, not wanting to leap upon the first option.

Delicate glassware, one set bearing French captions and another with Latin ... a pink spatula that had "Princess" stamped upon it ... jarred sauces and a caramel ice cream topping ... oh, so many things were calling to me!

But then Jeremy found two perfect items, the first of which was a Bunbury Boards cutting board from Ireland, sporting a code number to trace its history from tree to kitchen equipment. Here is my board's life story:

The species of tree is: Beech.

The location of the tree is recorded as: The Farmyard Kilruddery, Kilruddery Estate, Co Wicklow

Reason Down: This tree was windblown, it fell across the lane way into the Kilruddery Farmyard and knocked part of a wall during the winter of 2007.

Replacement Notes: This beech tree was a self seeded tree, growing in a hedge line where new saplings are now growing.

And the second fabulous item was an assortment of mixed peppercorns, since I'd run out and needed a new infusion to keep my pepper mill (a consolation prize in a Newman's Own contest, which the company had very thoughtfully personalized by etching my name into it) fed.

It took a few days for me to be able to bear the notion of using the cutting board, beautiful and unique as it is; but I decided that it was more noble to give it a purpose in life, rather than merely having it gather dust while looking pretty.

And then, the ideal way to put the new peppercorns to use was in an Italian dish that is named for them: Pasta con Cacio e Pepe, otherwise known as "Pasta with Cheese and Pepper". (By the way, like with every other dish in the history of the universe, it sounds infinitely better in Italian: [PAHS-tuh cohn CAH-chyo eh PEH-peh].)

Since I'd also recently received a new infusion of the lovely Flip Flop wines that I've so enjoyed cooking with (and drinking!), I thought I'd veer from the traditional dish just a tad by adding some Chardonnay to the butter/oil mix that coats the pasta along with the freshly grated pepper and cheese.

And so, here you have it: a dish that is luscious and flavorful, and yet simple and traditional. The quality of the ingredients is absolutely crucial here, since there is nothing to mask inferior ones; be sure to invest in the best that you can afford, so that the flavors shine through.

Pasta con Cacio e Pepe

12 ounces spaghetti
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup white wine
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/2 teaspoons freshly grated peppercorns
shredded parmesan cheese

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions. Drain, then return to the pot.

Meanwhile, melt butter and oil together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add wine, then bring to a boil for 2 minutes to reduce the mixture just a bit. Add salt and pepper, then pour over prepared spaghetti and toss to coat. Place onto a serving platter and top with cheese to taste.

Serves 4.