make sure you try the soup in Lucca

one of the best meals we had in Italy was in a restaurant that we stumbled upon at around 10:30pm after a long day of train rides and touring. It was a little too late at night to expect a reasonable dinner, but we sat down at the first restaurant we saw that still had people eating outside, and were excited to find that a) they were still serving dinner and b) that the first page of the menu at Trattoria Da Francesco was a review by Mark Bittman, food writer for the New York Times and author of my favorite cookbook How to Cook Everything. Although the review was more than four years old, he mentioned that the restaurant did a nice job with all of the local specialties, especially the soup, "make sure you try the soup."

The three main Luccan specialties are tortelli lucchese (meat filled crescent-shaped ravioli with ragu), sea bass (usually grilled whole) and a farro soup with beans and lentils (farro is a barleylike grain often referred to as "cereal").  The ravioli was good, very meaty. The sea bass arrived grilled whole and stuffed with one sprig of rosemary, it was fresh and the prototype of a simple, delicious dish. The star of the night, or so I felt, and the hands-down-best-thing I ate in all of Italy was the Cereal Soup, it didn't even sound good, but I ordered it because Mark Bittman said to try it and I trust him. He was right, and I was very pleased with my choice. I checked Mark's blog and he's already gone above and beyond to post the recipe for the masses.  Here it is, Cereal Soup from Lucca, delicious and a must try.

outside our room in Lucca.

walking through the square.

the center of Lucca.

The St. Martin Cathedral in Lucca.

LUCCAN FARRO SOUP
Recipe from Mark Bittman

Mark says, "If you can't find farro, use spelt. And if you can't find spelt, use barley. (And if you can't find barley -- where do you live? -- use wheatberries or brown rice."

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 cup farro, spelt or barley
• 1 cup dried white beans, soaked for several hours or overnight
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned are fine; do not drain)
• 6 cups stock or water, more as necessary
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, optional
• Freshly grated Parmesan

Method

• 1. Put oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat; a minute later add onion, celery, carrots, a large pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook until vegetables are glossy and onion is softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, and stir; add farro, beans, tomatoes and stock, and stir.
• 2. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until farro and beans are tender, at least an hour, adding stock or water as necessary if mixture becomes too thick. Stir in parsley and basil (if using), then cook another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve with lots of Parmesan.

today is a big day

A lot of exciting things have been happening lately, and today holds three happy moments for these loved ones.

After a wedding filled with beauty, craft and lots of love, Lily & Greg (now The Fergusons!! or the Fergatron 2000s) journey off to their honeymoon holiday in Spain.  I hope the happy couple enjoys many tapas and ciders on their adventure.

Dearest Kelly Renee hops on a plane to make her move to Paris and start living the French life with Yann.  See you in Paris. Wahoo! 

AND, also on this day, Kathleen turns the big 2-5.  Happy Birthday, Kathleen! I owe you a cake.

Best of luck on these new adventures and life chapters! Lots of love to my special lady friends.  xoxo, lp

chicken tikka masala

Chicken tikka masala is an Indian curry that consists of marinated, roasted chicken (tikka) in a rich, tomato-based sauce. The dish is creamy, has the slight sweetness of tomatoes, and the aroma of cloves and coriander. It was said to have first been made in a Bangladeshi restaurant in Scotland, and has since become the most popular dish in British restaurants.  It's probably my favorite Indian dish next to saag paneer and chicken tikka kabobs, so it's a good one to learn how to make at home. My at home creation is still not quite as good as Mayuri's Tikka Masala deliciousness, but it's getting closer.  

You begin by marinating the chicken in yogurt and spices and grilling or broiling it, once the chicken has cooked it's added it to the creamy, spiced tomato sauce and can be served over basmati rice and alongside naan, for dipping in the extra sauce.  

This recipe includes one spice that you may not have on hand, garam masala or tikka masala spice, but both can be purchased either at an Indian grocery or at Uwajimaya and are worth the investment. Also, the cream, if the sauce is thicker and richer than you'd like at the end of cooking, you can thin it with a cup or more of milk. I added a little more than a cup of milk to the sauce last time and it worked well.

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA  

For the chicken marinade:

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 inch chunks

2 cups plain yogurt

2 tbsp. lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp. ginger, finely grated

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. coriander

1 tsp.  cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

salt and pepper

Mix all marinade ingredients in a large bowl and add chicken chunks.  Refrigerate this mixture for 1 hour or overnight, depending on how much time you have. Once chicken has marinated, skewer and place on a cookie sheet, and set aside until sauce has been prepared.

For the masala sauce:

2 tbsp. butter

1 jalapeño pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp. ginger, finely grated

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt (or to taste)

1 tbsp. garam masala or tikka masala spice

1 small can tomato paste

2 cups cream

1 cup milk (optional)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large skillet melt the butter, add the jalapeño, onion, garlic and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender.  Add the cayenne, cumin, garam masala, and salt. Add the tomato paste and incorporate with the seasonings, whisk in the heavy cream and milk and reduce heat to low, allowing the sauce to simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.  

While the sauce is simmering, grill or broil the chicken skewers for about 6 minutes on each side.  Remove the chicken from the skewers and add to the sauce along with the fresh cilantro.  Cook everything for an additional 10 minutes and serve with steamed basmati rice and naan (Trader Joe's has some really good naan options).  

roasted artichoke

I grew up loving steamed artichokes served with lemon butter.  My favorite part was the artichoke heart at the end, once all the leaves had been eaten, and eating the heart dipped in more lemon butter.  I saw this recipe for Roasted Artichokes the other day on Pinch My Salt and had to try it.  If you try making this, make sure to cook the artichokes long enough for their size, probably about an hour and 15 minutes, otherwise they turn out being slightly bitter. Both artichokes tasted pretty good, but the smaller artichoke of the two tasted better.

WHOLE ROASTED ARTICHOKES

What to do:
Preheat oven to 425. Rinse the artichokes, and cut off the top quarter of the artichoke, and the bottom of the stem so that it can sit flat on the base as it bakes.  Rest each artichoke on a piece of aluminum foil that you've drizzled with olive oil.  Stuff 2-3 garlic cloves in the leaves of each artichoke, douse with the juice of half a lemon, and about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.  Wrap entire artichoke in aluminum foil and bake at 425 for about an hour and 15 minutes.  Serve with lemon butter or the lemon and oil juice that results from baking.  Don't forget to eat the heart once you've finished all the leaves.

Make a Run for the Border

These tacos make a perfect almost-summer meal, they're light, refreshing and just a little bit spicy. We used yellow fin tuna, although they would work well with any fish that's in season.

FISH TACOS WITH RADISH SLAW AND JALAPEÑO-CILANTRO SAUCE
For the slaw:
1 bunch of radishes, separate from stalks and slice thinly
2 cups cabbage, sliced thinly
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup apple cider or red wine vinegar
Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until for an hour or until the rest of the meal is cooked.

For the Jalapeño-Cilantro Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 fresh jalapeño pepper
1/2 cup cilantro
1 lime, juiced
salt to taste
Mix all of the above ingredients in a blender or food processor, until cilantro and jalapeño are completely incorporated.

For the fish:
1/2-1 lb. fresh fish, cut into 1 inch cubes
Salt, pepper or Johnny's fish seasoning
lime juice
tequila or Mexican beer
Season the fish with your favorite fish seasoning, or salt, pepper and lime and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until fish begins to turn opaque.  Finish with a splash of tequila or beer, once the alcohol has cooked out, remove fish from the pan. Serve on warm tortillas (corn or flour), layer fish with radish slaw, jalapeno-cilantro sauce and some fresh tomatoes.

congratulations to the brides!

Congratulations to Ashley & George and Amy & Dean who both tied the knot last Saturday, and to Lily & Greg for their upcoming wedding this Saturday!  I'm so happy and excited for all of you.

Here are a few photo highlights from Ashley & George's wedding, the entire event was absolutely gorgeous and their photographer was amazing, I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures.

Mr. & Mrs. Fletcher

Ashley's cousin, Reggie, who rocked on the guitar during the ceremony.

the beautiful bouquets.

the sunny deck.

like double cherry pie

Until more summer fruits and berries are in season, you can make this pie with tart cherries that they sell in the frozen section of the grocery store.

TART CHERRY PIE

Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 5 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling:

• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups whole pitted sour cherries or dark sweet cherries (about 2 pounds whole unpitted cherries)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (if using sour cherries) 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon (about) milk
• Vanilla ice cream
• 
  
• 
  
  For crust:
  Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small pea-size clumps form. Add 5 tablespoons ice water; mix lightly with fork until dough holds together when small pieces are pressed between fingertips, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together; divide into 2 pieces. Form each piece into ball, then flatten into disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out.
  
  
  For filling:
  Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Stir in cherries, lemon juice, and vanilla; set aside.
  
  
  Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Using large knife or pastry wheel with fluted edge, cut ten 3/4-inch-wide strips from dough round. Transfer filling to dough-lined dish, mounding slightly in center. Dot with butter. Arrange dough strips atop filling, forming lattice; trim dough strip overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold bottom crust up over ends of strips and crimp edges to seal. Brush lattice crust (not edges) with milk. Sprinkle lattice with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
  
  
  Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, covering edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 1 hour longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream.