NOVEMBER 6 VIRTUAL COOKING CLASS

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Come cook with me this Sunday, November 6 from 4-5:30pm ET. Cooks of all skill levels are welcome and our menu is vegetarian. $40 per Zoomer. Sign up here!

Our Menu

Deconstructed Lasagna with Roasted Wild Mushrooms and Salsa Verde

This “lasagna” is a one-dish meal with a big WOW factor that can be prepped a bit ahead. That means it’s an ideal back-pocket dinner party recipe, which we all will be in need of as we officially enter the holiday season.

It is at once deeply earthy and comforting with crispy, umami-packed mushrooms and milky cheese, and vibrant and fresh with the salsa verde, spicy arugula and lemon. The dish is equally loaded with textures in a way that I find compelling – chewy noodles, crispy mushrooms, snappy greens and crunchy hazelnuts.

Finally, this recipe is a roadmap, not a mandate. Once you have the idea, you can riff on the lasagna depending on what vegetables you love and the season, or simplify it so it would easy to pull off even on a weeknight. We’ll talk about all of these ideas in class.

As always, after you register I’ll send you an invoice and more information about the class including our grocery list, recipes and answers to common questions. Hope I get to cook with you!

DOCTORED UP PESTO PASTA

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CONFESSION TIME: I am so not above store-bought pesto…for myself or for personal chef clients. There are many worthy fresh prepared brands in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.

I do like to doctor up store-bought pesto pastas up with roasted veggies like the red onion and zucchini here, then big flavor boosters like olives and shaved parm. Add some rinsed, canned cannellini or butter beans, or chickpeas, a few handfuls of arugula if you want and you have yourself a perfectly rounded meal. Dinner with less that 20 min of effort.

Continue reading “DOCTORED UP PESTO PASTA” →

VIRTUAL COOKING CLASS SEPTEMBER 14

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I’m back at it again! Come cook with me next Wednesday, September 14 from 4-5:00pm ET! Cooks of all skill levels are welcome and our menu is vegetarian-friendly. $40 per Zoomer.

After an informal poll on Instagram indicated that you feel like “less is more,” I’m paring down my agenda. We will learn to make one main dish very well versus a complete meal with multiple dishes. Rest assured, I’ll always supply an easy recipe or two for sides that would compliment anything we make. I can’t help myself.

Next week’s menu:

Late Summer Turkey or Lentil Bolognese with Lemony Ricotta and Greens

About our menu:

It can be tricky to figure out what to cook (or what you feel like eating) at the cusp of a new season. Here in the northeast, temperatures are wildly unpredictable – peak summer weather one minute and total fall the next. And food media is all squash, pumpkin spice, soups and long braises but we’ve got long, long months ahead for that. I’m not ready.

This Late Summer Bolognese straddles the fence. It uses fresh cherry tomatoes which are truly at their peak right now and requires a much shorter cooking time than its winter cousin, traditional Bolognese. You can make it with any ground poultry or keep it vegetarian with lentils standing in for the meat. I can honestly say that I enjoy both renditions equally so if you’re looking for a new not-at-all-sad #MeatlessMonday meal, this could be it.

We’ll serve the pasta over a big swoosh of lemony ricotta and greens. I love how the pasta, creamy cheese and lightly dressed greens mingle together; in my opinion, the best bites have a little of everything. I’m also providing a very simple recipe for roasted broccoli, though we won’t be cooking it together today. If you have the time / inclination, I’d encourage you to make it to serve alongside. I don’t know why but a big plate of Bolognese without a side of broccoli just don’t feel complete to me:)

This menu is hearty and comforting but bright and vibrant enough that we don’t feel like we’re rushing ourselves into the shorter, cooler days to come. I can’t wait to cook it with you!

Register!

Register for the class here.  I will approve your registration, and send you an invoice and more information about the class including a grocery list, our recipes and answers to common questions. If you can’t make it live, the recording will be made available to all registrants after the class. Which reminds me, past classes are always still available recorded for purchase.

HOPE I SEE YOU THERE!

JUNE 15 VIRTUAL COOKING CLASS

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My next Zoom cooking class will be Wednesday, June 15 from 4-5pm ET. Cooks of all skill levels are welcome and our menu is vegetarian-friendly (though this time not vegan). $40 per Zoomer. 

The class will be short and sweet but leave you with a delicious dinner to enjoy with family or friends that night *and* an extra meal to stick in your freezer for the coming weeks/months. 

*MENU*

Now or Later Turkey (or Lentil) Meatballs

Roasted Tomato and Corn Pasta with Arugula and Ricotta

Pasta and meatballs…. what’s not to love? 

This is one of those menus that I find myself making on repeat. It comes together quickly, tastes as good room temperature (or cold from the fridge) as it does hot, is enjoyed by toddlers and adults alike, and leaves me with plenty of lunchbox leftovers and even a second meal in the freezer.

The Roasted Tomato and Corn Pasta with Arugula and Ricotta is summer in a bowl. It is made with the pasta:veg ratio I love, which is about 50:50. That way it serves double duty as the meal’s “salad.” You can toss the noodles with the ricotta so they are all equally coated with the milky cheese or leave it like I do with big, billowy pockets. The dish is so hearty that I oftentimes serve it as dinner all on its own. 

But I want to make meatballs with you, so let’s do that! In my opinion, meatballs are an essential recipe that everyone should have memorized. If you have a basic template (which I of course will be giving you) you can make endless variations to suit your tastes. The turkey (or lentil) meatballs we’re making are a basic Italian-style ball flavored with garlic, more ricotta, salty parmesan cheese and tomato paste. We’ll prepare some to serve with the pasta and freeze leftovers in your favorite jarred sauce. In my opinion, meatball recipes should always be doubled. It’s far less than twice the work, they freeze like a dream and it feels so good knowing you have them on hand when you could use the short cut later on.

Register for the class here. I will approve your registration, and send you an invoice and more information about the class including a grocery list, our recipes and answers to common questions. If you can’t make it live, the recording will be made available to all registrants after the class. If you miss this entirely or catch this post after the fact, send me a message directly and I’ll get everything to you.

HOPE I SEE YOU THERE!

xx