Pasta Melanzana with Roasted Red Peppers and Mascarpone Cheese

The scenario: It’s been a hell of a day. The weather is somewhere between snow and rain - not bad enough to warrant a snow day, but plenty dreary to make it hard to get out of bed. You spent too many hours at work. You feel like putting on your slippers and taking a nap on the couch rather than going to the grocery store, but you are in no position to drop forty bucks on take-out that will feed you once and will only only satisfy you until twenty minutes after you begin eating, at which point you know you will feel bloated and slightly guilty for overeating.

Braised Chicken with Eggplant, Served with Parmesan Orzo

Tonight was one of those nights when there wasn’t much in the house, it was raining all day, and I didn’t feel like venturing back out into the night to face the perils of the grocery store. I was rummaging through the pantry and I had, luckily, defrosted some chicken, and with only a [...]

Spicy and Savory Eggplant Involtini

I don’t think there’s a person on earth who doesn’t like pasta wrapped around cheese.  Especially when you put some savory and delicious homemade red sauce on top. This recipe substitutes eggplant for the pasta but works just as well and is a great use for a vegetable that sometimes gets overlooked in modern kitchens.  [...]

French Ragout the Mushroom and Swiss Chard Way

Ragu or Ragout has long standing tradition in both Italian and French cuisine - though the term actually means different things in each culture.  Italians have their regional Ragus; which for the most part imply a sauce including meats.  Different yet similar varieties hail from the north and Bologna (Ragu Bolognese) and from the south [...]

A Take on a Northern Italian Classic

This savory bolognese sauce is pared down to the fresh, essential ingredients.  But I promise, it’s as delicious as it is simple.

I have to largely credit the lovely chef Giada de Laurentiis for this recipe, though I’ve updated it slightly to better incorporate my personal tastes.

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
3 garlic [...]