basil

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana with Onions & Fresh Tomatoes

Thumbnail image for Baked Eggplant Parmigiana with Onions & Fresh Tomatoes July 26, 2010

The word “parmigiana” literally means from Parma, but don’t be fooled in this case. This dish has its roots in Sicily and Sardinia, the regions that first introduced eggplant to mainland Italy. The origin of the dish actually came from the word, “parmiciana,” a Sicilian dialect word meaning shutter or shingle because the eggplant layers [...]

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Pizza Provençal

Thumbnail image for Pizza Provençal July 18, 2010

For some reason southern France has been on my mind lately. I went a few years ago and I fell in love with it. I promised myself I’d go back, if not to live, for a very extended vacation. Although I’m not visiting any time soon, I did the next best thing: eat in its [...]

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Grilled Asiago Cheese Sandwich

Thumbnail image for Grilled Asiago Cheese Sandwich May 16, 2010

Over the weekend, I was in the mood for the oldie-but-goodie grilled cheese sandwich. I made mine with a Mediterranean flare. And I baked it. I usually shave or grate Asiago cheese and add it to salads, pasta or other dishes. I rarely ever melt this cheese. Anyway, it melted nicely like a good little [...]

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Rainbow Confetti Slaw

Thumbnail image for Rainbow Confetti Slaw March 24, 2010

This slaw salad is so beautiful in color, almost too pretty to eat. It has deep purple hues from lightly-steamed red cabbage, red hues from vine tomatoes, granny-smith apple green, a deeper green from fresh basil and golden brown from fresh chickpeas. It can be used as a side dish, a salad or just with [...]

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Savory Mushroom Bites

January 7, 2010

I made this for dinner last night and I was reminded how much I adore these little bites. If you can find fresh porcini mushrooms, I recommend using them. Otherwise, just use whichever fresh mushrooms look best – porcini, portobello, cremini, shittaki or button mushrooms. They can be shaped into the size of meatballs. Savory [...]

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