Hello cigalechanta, my name is Scarlett and I am just a plain ole food.a.holic!
That sounds wonderful, to pick the fish fresh out of the water and have it cooked on a fire.
If I grow some fennel, I will send you some, along with the Lavender plant named ...you know who~

Thanks a bunch, SAB. Sounds delicioso! Definitely on my must-do list.

The baby eels in Spain. But finding them here is a problem.

Mimi, are you talking about the regular thick cultivated fennel (finocchio) sometimes called "bulb fennel," that is sold in supermarkets these days, with the thick, sweet, crunchy bottom of the stalk that is eaten raw after dinner as a dessert with the nuts and dried figs, or, alternatively, can be cooked various ways?
Or you talking about the wild fennel, which has thin stalks, that is used mainly for the ferny leaves, which are used to flavor a lot of provençal and Sicilian dishes (e.g., bouillabaisse, pasta con sarde)?

If you're talking about the wild fennel (finocchiello), I think about four years ago I saw the seeds being sold in the Johnny's Seeds mail order catalogue. I was going to buy some, but then I found the actual plants being sold at the farmers' market and I bought one. It kept reseeding itself, and I have several plants the last few years, but last summer with all that rain I totally neglected the garden, so I had to kill all the mess with Roundup this year, so I don't have any. I don't think I can safely mail a little wild fennel plant to you in summer, but if you want me to try, let me know. One vendor at the market occasionally sells a few plants of it, but not all the time.

Grilled cheese sandwich. Add a thin slice of onion with the cheese. Too much butter? Use melted butter and brush it on top and bottom sides of sandwich.

You know this is a cultural difference but my mum used to make grilled cheese the Irish/British way i.e. grilled in the oven and toasted on both sides...I never had the fyring pan kind until I was 17 and they were yummy...can't bring myself to make it that way though.

For rhubarb crumble try Delia Smith or possibly Darina Allen of Ballymaloe House fame or Nigella Lawson. One and a half hours to my lunch!

After having it for the first time in Portofino, I now make my pesto pasta with thin green beans and chunks of baby red potatoes (both precooked but still crunchy) plus penne for the pasta, extra shreds of parmesan. To make it a complete main dish with meat, I've taken to adding chunks of chicken tenders fried in butter and garlic. I'm serving it again for the annaul 4thof July party.
I usually return from a European trip with some dishes I need to research and replicate. I also try to keep track of cute table decor and related things I see to replicate at home also. Travel is so broadening--in all ways.

jody, thanks!

hi Carol, I serve finochio(Florence fennel) cut into stacks to dip into virgin olive oil that I lace in fresh crackled pepper and fleur de sel. The dried stalks could be the sweet fenel or the bronze fennel as both grow to six feet tall. I don't have enough sun in my tiny garen to grow them. I do grow small potted herbs for cooking at the top of the stairs there.

Following Sab's Risotto delicious recipe...want to tweak it a bit? I gage the hot broth to be 2 1/2 the amount of rice.
Anyway, to that much rice, maybe 1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds of shrimp (that amount certainly will do, but the more the merrier). Shell the shrimp and put the shells in the broth.
Heat it up so that you have a sort of shimp broth, strain it.
On the last ladel full of broth to the rice, add the peeled, veined, raw shrimp and a few hand fulls of asparagus (I cut mine into about 1 inch lengths)...if you want to herb it a bit, chervil is nice with seafood, the shrimp, lemon, and asparagus is, well, superb. (Sancerre or a Muscadet on the side?)

To mamc--at the risk of sounding conceited, everyone I know who has eaten my pesto says it is the best they have ever had. My original source is the first Moosewood cookbook. If you do not have it, I would be happy to type out the recipe here. The "secret" (I think) is the mixture of melted butter with the olive oil. I know nothing compares to a special dish in a special location, but I would advise you to try the Moosewood version...I no longer follow the recipe exactly but the first 5-10 times I made it, I did with great results. I especially encourage you to try now at this time of year when fresh basil is available *everywhere*!! Best wishes.

You all have some great favorites and nice recipes!

SAB - you are correct in selecting arugala for your recipes. Ruccola is Italian for arugala / mini rocket lettuce. Your recipe sounds delice. I am so surprised at how many people still buy pre shreded parmigano cheese. Trader Joes and Costco both sell nice hunks of this cheese and I can taste your risotto already with lots of fresh cheese on top.

Can't wait to buy a huge bunch of basil at the farmers' market this weekend and experiment with the various pesto suggestions. JmVikmanis, I have made pasta with pesto, new potatoes and green beans a number of times and it is one of our favorites. Now all I have to do is work on perfecting the pesto. Or maybe just return to Genoa!

Insalata Caprese--just love it!

It's delicious made with our fresh tomatoes and basil, and with really good fresh mozzarella, when we can get it (we live in a small town).

I spread the tomato slices and mozzarella, overlapping a bit, in a shallow bowl, sprinkle with basil and drizzle with my good olive oil from Lucca. Salt and pepper to taste.

When I don't have the mozzarella, I sometimes just sprinkle with grated pecorino romano, which adds a little kick.

Yum!

Keep these recipes coming!

Byrd

Hi all,

How about grating Reggiano Parmegianno into a medium hot fry pan that has been very lightly oiled.

Let cheese melt into a very thin layer.

Lift out, let cool.

Those drinks recipes are not Martinis even if they are served in one of those huge glasses shaped like a Martini glass.

Caprese salad, my variation, one of the dishes for the fourth I will be preparing. On each plate I alternate in a circle a slice of tomato, buffalo Mozzarlla, a large basil leaf, a slice of red onion til the whole plate is circled, I chop tiny pieces of garlic and drizzle virgin olive oil, a dash of balsamic vinegar, sprinkle freshly grinded pepper and fleur de sel.

Ira, your Parmegianno recipe makes delicious little wafers that are wonderful served with gazpacho from the "French Laundry Cookbook".

Thanks calamari--I thought riccola might be arugala and it made sense in the receipe. The manager of Badia di Coultibuono was nice enough to give me the recipe, but after a number of glasses of wine I just didn't get around to clarify the ingredients. Having his hand written recipe is a wonderful reminder of a great trip.

"Those drinks recipes are not Martinis even if they are served in one of those huge glasses shaped like a Martini glass."

Oh, you Martini purists. However Ira, to show my spirit (spirits) of fair play, I will have a Bombay Martini at home tonight to honor your contributions to the board.

Re pesto: my Italian friends lightly toast the pine nuts (pinoli) before adding them to the other ingredients. None of them are Ligurians, though. An ex-Calabrian friend adds a dash of cream. For a different effect, albeit inauthentic, you can use other nuts, walnuts for instance.

One of my favourite quick Italian dishes: soak a handful of dried porcini mushrooms in hot water until soft, then drain (reserving the water). Sautee 1 kg (2 lb) of fresh Italian pork sausages in olive oil, remove from pan. Add 500g (1 lb) thickly sliced fresh mushrooms (a mixture of champignons and flat), 1 crushed clove of garlic, 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary and 6 halved spring onions. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes or until onions are softened slightly. Add 1/2 cup red wine, 1 cup water and 1 tbsp tomato paste and the reserved mushroom water. Bring to boil and simmer 5 minutes, uncovered, until sauce thickens slightly. Blend 1 tsp cornflour (corn starch) with 1 tbsp water, add to sauce with 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, stir over low heat until sauce thickens. Return sausages to pan and simmer until cooked through, add a dash of freshly ground black pepper. Great with potato puree and spinach or Swiss chard.