Category Archives: Italian

Flavorful Journeys Best of 2014 – By Popularity

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I love New Year’s Day.  It’s a chance to reflect on the past year and celebrate experiences to come. In that spirit, here are the 10 most popular posts on Flavorful Journeys from 2014:

Homemade Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

1. Homemade Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

You can’t go wrong with spaghetti and meatballs, especially when everything—from the pasta to the sauce—is made from scratch! This dish takes some time to make, but it’s totally worth it!

Chocolate Truffle Tart Slice

2. Chocolate Truffle Tart

This chocolate truffle tart was my first recipe post of 2014. I wanted to bake something that would set the mood for the year, and this indulgent treat proved the perfect choice! read more

Homemade Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

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Homemade Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

Homemade Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

It’s important to stop and enjoy the simple pleasures of life: a glass of good wine, a homemade meal with family, an evening cooking with friends, a romantic candlelit dinner, fresh herbs from the garden, a girl’s night out. Sometimes our busy lives distract us from what matters most. A home-cooked meal is a great way to bring people together, and this homemade Italian spaghetti sauce with meatballs will do just that.

Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic comfort dish–even more so when everything is made from scratch! This recipe takes a few hours, but yields a truly remarkable meal, with robust meatballs and a delicious tomato sauce replete with garlic and herbs. You won’t be going back to the pre-prepared stuff any time soon. read more

Salt-Crusted Dorade

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Salt-Crusted Dorade Presentation

Our trip to France exposed me to some marvelous foods, such as the spicy Moroccan olives and leek pie I mentioned previously. But it also taught me about different cooking methods. Thus I learned how to bake a salt-crusted fish whole.

I’ll admit I was hesitant at first–the idea seemed a little unappetizing. But I put my skepticism aside and forged ahead in the interest of trying something new.

So what is a salt crust, and how does it work? It’s a mixture of salt crystals and egg whites. You completely surround the fish—or chicken or beef—with the salt mixture, creating a hard crust that traps moisture. This effectively steams the meat, making it tender and moist. read more

Carbonara

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carbonara, Italian, panncetta, pasta

Everyone loves carbonara! It’s fast, requires fewer than ten ingredients, and is truly delicious. Pancetta adds richness, making each bite savory. If you haven’t tried pancetta yet, you really should! I used to substitute bacon for it, as I didn’t have a good local source.

I recently discovered that I can get cured meats—pancetta, prosciutto, and sopressata, for example—at my local deli for a fraction of the cost of prepackaged varieties. I immediately bought some pancetta, wondering whether it would taste noticeably different than bacon. It actually has quite a distinctive taste, less smoky than bacon, more peppery and porky. read more

Kale Pasta with Breadcrumbs

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Kale Pasta with Breadcrumbs, kale pasta, kale and pasta, kale, pasta, Italian, olive oil, sage-infused olive oil

I decided on a pasta dish for the final course of my Italian dinner—after all, what kind of an Italian meal would it be without pasta? I steered away from cream, since my cream of asparagus soup already highlighted this ingredient. Instead, I made a sauce from the sage-infused olive oil left over from the fried sage appetizer. Maintaining the theme of previous courses, I featured something green in the entrée as well. Another symbolic reference to spring—bring on the green!

I chose kale as the focal point, as kale and pasta pair well. Kale, unlike other greens, doesn’t lose its robust texture when cooked; it wilts, but it holds its shape and doesn’t get slimy. Kale is also very nutritious, making it a great addition to any meal. Breadcrumbs take this kale and pasta dish to the next level, providing a garlicky crunch with each and every bite. read more