One of my all-time favorite dishes, Cacio e Pepe, is a quick and rustic pasta that’s extremely minimal on the ingredients. This classic Roman dish literally translates to Cheese and Pepper in Italian, and that’s basically what it is! The first time I had it was a few years ago in Rome and I’ve been hooked ever since. There are many different variations of this recipe. Some chefs toast the pepper first or add butter, and some include small pieces of pork. My version, however, is very simple and straightforward.
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Watercress and Strawberry Salad with Red Onions and Hazelnuts
This year’s Memorial Day weekend was warm and muggy and all I wanted to eat was something refreshing, yet satisfying to fill me up. So to kick this Summer off, I made an easy strawberry salad mixed with watercress, red onions and crunchy hazelnuts. I love the addition of fruit into green salads, they bring a whole new dimension to the dish. This simple salad takes little time to prepare and will easily go into your list of Summer salad recipes.
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Baked Zucchini Fritters
Last week we visited family, and always right before we head out the door my mom makes sure I bring something home…food-related of course! My family lives in Pennsylvania Dutch country, so they frequent their local Amish market and my mom always buys way more than she needs (hmm, wonder where I got that from!). This time she made me bring home some zucchini which I decided to use for baked zucchini fritters.
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Stir-Fried Asian Greens – An Easy 10-Minute Side Dish
On Sunday we went to Chinatown over in Sunset Park, Brooklyn to gather a few ingredients for the week. Our friend joined us because she needed a few Asian greens to photograph for her upcoming cookbook. She picked up a bit too much and let me have some. I generally like to add Asian greens to noodle soups or stir-fries with steamed rice. Here is a simple recipe for a quick stir-fry that you’ll have ready in only 10 minutes!
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Ramp Pancakes – A Take on Chinese Scallion Pancakes
Ramps (or wild leeks) are finally here! One of my favorite seasonal vegetables, they’re only available for a few weeks a year. Ramps are a delicious cross between garlic, onions and leeks. Here in NYC, you know they’ve arrived when chefs all over the city add ramp dishes onto their menus. I love coming up with different ways to incorporate them into my cooking. I’ve been craving Chinese scallion pancakes, so I decided to make a version using ramps. I found the perfect scallion pancake recipe on my friend Diana’s blog.
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10-Minute Spicy Tomato Sauce
Quick and easy pasta dishes are usually what I make when I want something simple or don’t feel like going out to eat. I typically simmer my pasta sauces for hours, but this particular recipe is my go-to if I need a quick tomato sauce. It only takes about 10 minutes to make, not bad for a delicious pasta sauce!
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Crispy Whole Wheat Couscous Salad
Couscous, a popular side dish in places like Algeria, Morocco and parts of Italy, is an ingredient I got introduced to only a few years ago. Being Asian, I was so used to eating rice with everything. My first experience was at a Moroccan restaurant and I loved it ever since. It’s really easy to prepare and you can create many kinds of dishes, hot or cold. I decided to whip up a simple warm salad using whole wheat couscous and vegetables.
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