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Yes, I know it is Thanksgiving this week and every food blog on the planet is posting about Thanksgiving dinner, but not me. After gorging myself on Thanksgiving dinner, I want something healthy in the days after Thanksgiving. That is why, I’m planning to may this quinoa soup with bacon and arugula.

This recipe is a mash up two recipes I had on my trip to Peru. At our cooking class at Rooftop Kitchen in Cusco, we made an amazing quinoa with bacon and spinach. A few days later on our hike on the Lares Trek we had quinoa soup for lunch on the trail. In addition to being, delicious, quinoa is a superfood. So is arugula, so you can feel extra healthy post-Thanksgiving when you make this soup, you can feel extra healthy!

Note: You can use any leafy green for this recipe. On various occasions, I’m made it with spinach, swiss chard, and baby kale instead of arugula.

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Quinoa soup with bacon & arugula

November 22, 2022

Servings: 4-6

Difficulty: Easy

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By: wandercookeat

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 1/2 oz. bacon or pancetta, diced
• 1 shallot, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 c. quinoa
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 3-4 oz arugula or baby kale
• 6 c. chicken stock
• salt & pepper to taste
• garlic croutons (optional)

Directions

• Step 1 Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Slice the mushrooms, mince the garlic, and dice the shallots and bacon.
• Step 2 Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add red pepper and fry 1 min. Add bacon and fry 2-3 minutes until it starts to brown.
• Step 3 Add shallots and garlic and cook 2-3 min until they start to brown.
• Step 4 Add the quinoa and toast 2 min, stirring to make sure it gets coated in the oil.
• Step 5 Add mushrooms and saute 2-3 minutes until they soften.
• Step 6 Add chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Step 7 Add arugula and simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Step 8 To server, top with garlic croutons or a piece of garlic toast if desired.

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It has been a hot summer here in Atlanta. When it is this hot, the last thing I want to do is stand over a hot stove or oven to cook something. That is one of the reasons I love this zucchini cherry tomato salad in the summer – no cooking required! Make this now while zucchini and tomatoes are in season!

Using a food processorr or a mandoline makes quick work of slicing the zucchini. If you don’t have one, just slice them as thinly as you can with your kitchen knife.

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Zucchini Cherry Tomato Salad

July 23, 2022

Servings: 4-6

Difficulty: Easy

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By: wandercookeat

Ingredients

• 1 - 1.5 lbs. zucchini squash (small preferred)
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 c. cherry tomatoes
• 2-3 Tbsp. chopped, fresh oregano
• ½ c. feta cheese crumbles
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• ½ tsp. lemon zest (optional)
• ¼ chopped walnuts

Directions

• Step 1 Use a food processor or mandolin to thinly slice the zucchini. If the zucchini are too large to fit in the feed tube of your food processor, slice them in half long-ways first. If you don’t have a food processor or mandolin, you can slice them by hand, just get them as thin as possible.
• Step 2 Place a colander over a shallow bowl. Toss the sliced zucchini with 1 tsp. kosher salt in the colander. Set aside and let side for 20-30 minute. While it sits, water will release from the zucchini.
• Step 3 While the zucchini sits, slice the cherry tomatoes in half, chop the oregano, zest and juice the lemon, and chop the walnuts.
• Step 4 In the serving bowl, toss together the drained zucchini cherry tomatoes, oregano, feta, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, lemon zest, and walnuts. Serve.

Detailed Instructions

Step 1. Use a food processor or mandolin to thinly slice the zucchini. If the zucchini are too large to fit in the feed tube of your food processor, slice them in half long-ways first. If you don’t have a food processor or mandolin, you can slice them by hand, just get them as thin as possible.

Step 2. Place a colander over a shallow bowl. Toss the sliced zucchini with 1 tsp. kosher salt in the colander. Set aside and let side for 20-30 minute. While it sits, water will release from the zucchini.

Step 3. While the zucchini sits, slice the cherry tomatoes in half, chop the oregano, zest and juice the lemon, and chop the walnuts.

Step 4. In the serving bowl, toss together the drained zucchini cherry tomatoes, oregano, feta, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, lemon zest, and walnuts. Serve.

When I travel, I find some of the most memorable moments (and meals) are the ones that are unexpected. This was the case when my friends and I went to Lake Como. I ate lots of delicious pasta while I was there. But, the pasta recipe I’ve been obsessed with recreating since I got back was from one of those unexpected meals.

After a beautiful, but hot, tour of the gardens at Villa Carlotta, we were starving. On our walk home, we grabbed a lake-side table at Red & White Wine Bar in Tremezzina. I ordered the €10 pasta special. Everything about that meal was exactly what I wanted in that moment: the housemade tagliatelle with saffron cream sauce, speck, and procini mushrooms, the crisp, cool white wine, and the amazing view.

I know I can never recreate that moment. However, I’ve come close to recreating the tagliatelle with saffron cream sauce. It is hard to find speck and porcini here, so I use prosciutto and whichever mushrooms look good. This recipe is best made with fresh tagliatelle or fettuccine. If you don’t make your own, you can buy fresh pasta in the refrigerator section at the grocery store. If you want to try making fresh pasta, the least expensive route is to get a hand crank pasta roller. However, I love the pasta roller attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer. It dramatically speeds up the pasta rolling process.

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Tagliatelle with Proscuitto, Mushrooms, and Saffron Cream Sauce

April 3, 2022

Servings: 3-4

Difficulty: Moderate

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By: wandercookeat

Ingredients

• 2 pinches saffron threads
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 2.5 oz. prosciutto or speck
• 1/4 c. shallots, diced
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 3/4 c. cream or half-and-half
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese + extra to sprinkle on top
• 1 lb. fresh fettuccine or tagliatelle

Directions

• Step 1 Bring water for the pasta to a boil and 1 Tbsp salt. Slice mushrooms. Cut prosciutto into pieces. Dice shallots.
• Step 2 Over medium heat, toast saffron in 1 Tbsp. olive oil for 2-3 minutes.
• Step 3 Add shallots & prosciutto and sauté 2-3 minutes until shallots soften and start to turn brown.
• Step 4 Add mushrooms, 1 Tbsp butter, and 1/4 tsp salt. Sauté 5-7 minutes until mushrooms start to brown.
• Step 5 De-glaze the pan with wine. Cook for 2-3 minute until almost evaporated. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan while it simmers down.
• Step 6 Add half-and-half and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to med-low. Simmer for 3 minutes.
• Step 7 While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to package instructions until almost done. (Fresh pasta should only take 2-3 min to cook.) Reserve 1/2 c. of pasta water. Drain pasta and add to pan with the sauce. Toss so cover pasta with sauce. Let simmer another minute or two until pasta is finished cooking. Add pasta water as needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce to your liking.
• Step 8 Remove pasta from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Top with extra Parmesan if desired.

Detailed Instructions

Step 1. Bring water for the pasta to a boil and 1 Tbsp salt. Slice mushrooms. Cut prosciutto into pieces. Dice shallots.

Step 2. Over medium heat, toast saffron in 1 Tbsp. olive oil for 2-3 minutes.

Step 3. Add shallots & prosciutto and sauté 2-3 minutes until shallots soften and start to turn brown.

Step 4. Add mushrooms, 1 Tbsp butter, and 1/4 tsp salt. Sauté 5-7 minutes until mushrooms start to brown.

Step 5. De-glaze the pan with wine. Cook for 2-3 minute until almost evaporated. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan while it simmers down.

Step 6. Add half-and-half and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to med-low. Simmer for 3 minutes.

Step 7. While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to package instructions until almost done. (Fresh pasta should only take 2-3 min to cook.) Reserve 1/2 c. of pasta water. Drain pasta and add to pan with the sauce. Toss so cover pasta with sauce. Let simmer another minute or two until pasta is finished cooking. Add pasta water as needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce to your liking.

Step 8. Remove pasta from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Top with extra Parmesan if desired.

This roasted fairy tail eggplant recipe takes less than 30 min to prepare. It will be on my weeknight dinner rotation until eggplant season is over. This recipe is for 2, but you can easily double it. For 1/2 lb. of eggplant, you can use a half-sheet pan. For 1 lb. you will need a whole sheet pan.*

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Roasted Fairy Tail Eggplant with Feta

September 19, 2021

Servings: 2

Difficulty: Easy

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By: wandercookeat

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. fairy tail eggplants
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 2-3 sprigs fresh oregano
• 1/4 c. crumbled feta cheese

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 400°. Wash eggplant & oregano. Peel the garlic clove. Remove eggplant stems. Slice eggplant in half the long way. Toss eggplant in olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
• Step 2 Place eggplant on a sheet pan cut side down. Add oregano sprigs and whole garlic clove to the pan with the eggplant. Note: if you want stronger garlic flavor, slice or dice the garlic before adding it to the pan. Leaving it whole gives just a hint of garlic, so it doesn’t overpower the eggplant’s flavor. Roast for 15-20 min at 400°. They are ready when the cut side is golden brown.
• Step 3 Put eggplant in a serving bowl. As you remove the eggplant from the pan, the oregano leaves will come off their stem. Put the oregano leaves in the serving bowl but leave out the stems. Top with crumbled feta cheese and serve. Save the roasted garlic clove for another use.

Instructions with photos

Step 1. Preheat oven to 400°. Wash eggplant & oregano. Peel the garlic clove.
Remove eggplant stems. Slice eggplant in half the long way. Toss eggplant in olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 2. Place eggplant on a sheet pan cut side down. Add oregano sprigs and whole garlic clove to the pan with the eggplant. Note: if you want stronger garlic flavor, slice or dice the garlic before adding it to the pan. Leaving it whole gives just a hint of garlic, so it doesn’t overpower the eggplant’s flavor. Roast for 15-20 min at 400°. They are ready when the cut side is golden brown.

Step 3.Put eggplant in a serving bowl. As you remove the eggplant from the pan and put them in the bowl, the oregano leaves will come off their stem. Put the oregano leaves in the serving bowl but leave out the stems. Top with crumbled feta cheese and serve. Save the roasted garlic clove for another use.

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I recently returned from a trip to Northern Italy. It was wonderful to travel with friends again! I’ll post more highlights from my trip soon. However, I thought it would be best to start with one of my favorite things about any trip to Italy: the gelato. As you try to scope out the best gelato in your Italian travels, look for the key words ‘gelato artigianale’. This means it is homemade or artisan gelato – no artificial colors and flavors and not mass-produced. Of course, really the most important thing in your search for the best gelato is just to eat gelato as often as possible – which is what we did in Lake Como, Cinque Terre, and Genoa. Yum!

Lake Como

Bar Iron Gate, Candenabbia near Villa Carlotta. Definitely the best view of all the gelato shops on our trip. The Amarena (cherry) gelato is not to be missed. Or try the affogato with hazelnut gelato if you need a little caffeine pick-my-up.

La Darsena Ristorante, Tremezzo I’ve eaten a lot of tiramisu in my life. This was a refreshing and gelato-based twist on the classic. It had lady fingers followed by a layer of rich custard and topped with coffee gelato and chocolate sprinkles. I will definitely try to recreate this for a future dinner party.

Ristorante Minstral, Bellagio is a Michelin starred restaurant, so expectations were high. Dolce (dessert) was definitely a highlight. They prepared stracciatella gelato tableside with liquid nitrogen. (See the video here.) As if this wasn’t enough, it was used to top amazing chocolate dessert over which they also poured a warm chocolate espresso sauce. It was unforgettable.

Crotto dei Platani, Brienno. If you find yourself in this part of Lake Como, you should definitely stop here for a meal. When you do, save room for dessert. The Passion Fruit Sorbet was fantastic.

Cinque Terre

Gelataria Vernazza was near our apartment in Vernazza, so it became our go-to gelato place in Cinque Terre. The Lemon sorbet was my favorite to cool off after a long hike between towns. However, the pistachio semifreddo was also delicious.

OK, I know cannoli has nothing to do with gelato. But the Sicilian cannoli with pastry cream and strawberries at il Parata 5 Terre in Vernazza was so good that I had to include it here. The pastry cream was infused with orange. It was so addictive that we went back the next day to get one for breakfast.

Genoa, Italy

Gelati Italiani may not have had the most picturesque gelato we ate on the trip, but the quality of the gelato was excellent. After a long travel day that came included some frustrating hiccups, this gelato was the turning point in what ended up being a lovely (and delicious) day in Genoa.