donna's daily dish

what can i make for you?

11/1/2021

My four-year old granddaughter was due to visit and my daughter mentioned she was craving pasta e fagioli. As I had some time before her visit, I picked up the ingredients and the recipe from “Naples at Table,” by Arthur Schwartz. For the recipe you’ll need extra-virgin olive oil, 2 large cloves of garlic, hot red pepper flakes, 3 canned and peeled plum tomatoes, 2-1/2 to 3 cups cooked cannellini beans and pasta.

Instead of making cooked cannellini beans, I opted for canned beans (minus their liquid). The other change I made was to use a 28-ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes instead of just 3 tomatoes. This resulted in thick tomato sauce that I thinned out with pasta water. Per Mr. Schwartz, in Campania this dish is made “dry;” it’s not soupy or saucy, which may be how some restaurants prepare it here.

shaking things up

10/20/2021

On a recent trip to Delicious Orchards, I picked up two small zucchini thinking I would bake zucchini muffins with cinnamon crunch topping, zucchini bread or a chocolate chip zucchini cake. In the end, I decided we didn’t’t need any sweets so I opted for a Frittata with Zucchini and Goat Cheese, a recipe from Williams-Sonoma. I thought it would make for a nice light supper and leftovers would be eaten for breakfast. The recipe takes 20 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to cook.

For the recipe you’ll need eggs, salt, unsalted butter, 2-3 small zucchini, fresh oregano leaves, fresh flat leaf parsley and goat cheese. The directions in the recipe assume that you have one of Williams-Sonoma’s frittata pans. I don’t have one, but used my non-stick fry pan and cooked my eggs until I have incorporated them into the filling. Next, cover the pan with a lid until the eggs are set. To finish, I put the pan under the broiler to add color to the top. After removing from the oven, I run a spatula around the perimeter of the pan, place a large dish on top and invert the frittata onto the dish. I also try to slide the frittata out of the pan on to a platter.

csa week 8

7/7/2021

The heat and humidity the past week has been miserable, though not as bad as for the northwest. In my CSA box for week 8, was broccoli, green beans, lettuce, sweet onions, cabbage, raspberries, mint and peaches.

One of the first ingredients I used was the green beans. I found a wonderful salad on the website, Lidia’s Italy, for String Beans, Capers and Basil Salad. This tasty salad can be served warm or at room temperature. Although my husband was nibbling on it while it was sitting out, he said he would prefer to eat it cold; into the refrigerator it went.

csa week 5

6/21/2021

Just an update on my dill pickles that I made using a recipe from the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen. The pickles were delicious. It was a quick and easy recipe. With so few ingredients, homemade pickles will be a welcome treat for your family this summer.

Whether serving on a hot, steamy night for supper or for a brunch, this delicious frittata takes full advantage of fresh herbs which makes this egg dish so tasty.

csa week 1

5/25/2021

This summer, my daughter and I are sharing a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box from Dreyer Farms in Cranford, NJ. We chose a medium size box suitable for a family of 5. For week one the box contained asparagus, golden beets, romaine, shiitake, spinach, Antonio Farms goat cheese and eggs.

My daughter is in charge of splitting the offerings each week. I was to get the golden beets, some romaine, spinach, goat cheese, and some eggs. In the past, when she did the box alone, occasionally she would give me the unusual vegetables such as kohlrabi. It became a challenge to find recipes for these vegetables.

leftover Easter ham

5/10/2021

Leek, Ham and Cheese Egg Bake (before baking).

Finished product - Leek, Ham and Cheese Egg Bake

This past Easter, I purchased a delicious Wellshire Farms Spiral Cut Ham from Whole Food. The meat was moist, tender and smoked perfectly. However, there was quite a bit left, so my husband portioned it off before freezing.

Today, I pulled out a container to prepare a Leek, Ham and Cheese Egg Bake from the website Smitten Kitchen. Besides, leeks, ham and eggs, I purchased Comte and gruyere cheese as suggested by the recipe's author. Milk is also needed.

a fluffier buttermilk pancake, sheet pan style

4/8/2021

Yes, I have more sheet pan recipes! This one, Sheet-Pan Chocolate Chip Pancakes, appeared in The New York Times Cooking Supplement “Sheet-Pan Everything,” February 28, 2021. The recipe is by Jerrelle Guy and the premise of her recipe is akin to making biscuits. Cold butter is cut into the flour before adding both buttermilk and milk. Also, there’s no egg in this batter. The cold butter creates steams, along with the baking powder and baking soda, create a lighter product.

Date and Nut Bread

4/7/2021

Recently I was having a conversation with my boss about Date and Nut bread. It brought back childhood memories of the moist, dense crumb of Thomas’ Date Nut Bread.

irish soda bread

3/12/2021

I had a little bit of buttermilk left in my refrigerator and I felt inspired by the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day holiday to make Irish Soda Bread. I dug into my files for this recipe I found many years ago. I can’t remember where it came from or from whom, but it’s a moist and tender. This recipe also calls for caraway seed, which adds a nice flavor.

february decadence

2/18/2021

Alexian Pâté Big Game Giveway Price @alexian_pate

I’m delighted to report that I was the recipient of the “Big Game Giveaway” by Alexian Pates. I won a set of beer car glasses and 4 packages of pâtés. The first package I opened was Truffle Mousse made with pork, turkey and chicken liver, sherry, truffles, wild mushrooms and spices. This delicious pâté was delightful on its own, served with cornichons and oil cured olives. I also served it atop a succulent New York strip steak for a decadent Valentine’s Day dinner. For breakfast one morning, I made two scrambled eggs for my husband with two patties formed from Alexian’s Duck Rillette. I have two other packages remaining, Pheasant & Rosemary and Duck Liver Mousse with Cognac. I have a pamphlet with serving suggestions that I can’t wait to try.