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{inspired by : sungold spaghetti}

1 Nov

well, summer is gone and we are in the autumn months and slowly transitioning into winter… and as the seasons change, so does my palate and therefore, what i enjoy to cook and eat.

i recently decided to leave the social media world for a while. it’s just too much and it’s not what i signed up for. i only mention that because sometimes i did enjoy getting inspired by other foodies while scrolling and sifting through the mostly nonsense, and i found the recipe for this dish. it is one of my new favourites that i now eat on the regular. it was particularly awesome to make it when i was able to grow my own tomatoes.

i miss having a garden so much it hurts.

this dish is so simple to make. i was so happy to see that i could find sungold tomatoes at my local grocery store since i am not able to grow my own. they are so wonderful!  they are like natures candy… sweet and tangy… and if i’m not mistaken, they are less acidic than regular tomatoes (which is really important to me at this time in my life.) they are so juicy and they pop and burst in your mouth and make a delicious sauce! when i saw they were on sale in the late summer, i bought a bunch with the intention of making some of this sauce to freeze so i could enjoy it during the approaching wintertime. it freezes really well and during the cold months, is so comforting, refreshing, and satisfying.

ingredients are simple, as always – measuring with your heart : 

  • sungold tomatoes
  • sweet onion
  • garlic
  • olive oil
  • spaghetti or pasta of choice (thin spaghetti is the food and foto choice)

i think the key with this recipe is to make sure not to use too much of the onion and garlic. you really want the tomato to be the star. the aromatics help with overall flavour, but we don’t want to overpower the delicate taste of these beautiful summery golden tomatoes.

the best method i’ve found is to add the onion, garlic, and tomatoes to a bit of olive oil in a sauce pan and simmer very slowly, adding a bit of water as to avoid any burning. the tomatoes will eventually burst and create a wonderful base for the sauce.

once the tomatoes are fully cooked, transfer to a blender and marry all those flavours together. cook the pasta until al dente, then add in a bit of starchy cooking water to the fragrant sauce and then add in the noodles. remove from heat and top with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano. transfer to a bowl and finish with (homemade) croutons and fresh parsley. *chefs kiss*

usually i have a small cucumber salad on the side… nom nom.

this really is a dish for tomato lovers!


have you ever tried sungold tomatoes? shoutout to daphne oz for the inspo on this! she’s just so classy and such a foodie!

{pastini AKA italian penicillin}

17 Oct

oh! we are officially in soup season and this foodie girl couldn’t be happier. 🙂

autumn is my favourite time of year when i feel like i thrive the most! although, i admit i do not love the change of light and losing of light and such, but i do love the food and the smells and the colours and the leaves and the slowing down…

mostly, i love making soups and so now is the time i will enjoy them more often. during summer months, when frequenting the farmers markets and local farm stands, i tend to stock up on fresh veggies (and/or delightful friends gift them to me), make my own broth, and create tons of soup to enjoy during the winter months.

this is such a lovely simple dish that is apparently a staple in many italian kitchens. it’s a way to get extra nutrients in your diet without actually eating vegetables, it’s a way to sneak in vegetables to kiddos, and it’s super health-conscious and fantastic as we move into the fall and winter seasons.

for me, the hardest part was finding the pasta shape. this teeny tiny pasta shape {pastina} is what makes this dish so special. it just feels so comforting and easy to eat and almost nostalgic. that’s kind of what i love about ancestral food… there’s just something so special about the simplicity of these comfort foods and how they’ve been passed down from generation to generation.

it all starts with the basic mirepoix blend… simmered in chicken stock {homemade is best – although this one is beef, i also make it with chicken} and cook until the veggies are tender. next, remove veggies from the stock and blend with a bit of the liquid. add mixture back into the pot with the pasta and cook until desired consistency. sometimes i add water or more broth. typically what i do is make the mirepoix blend ahead of time and freeze. then when i’m ready to serve, i heat the mixture and add the pasta as to not overcook. either way, basically it’s delicious no matter how you serve it.

finish with a healthy topping of freshly grated parmigiana reggiana and fresh parsley. sometimes i also add homemade croutons for a bit of crunch and extra flavour. nom nom! slurp slurp!


have you ever had this classic italian dish? do you add variations to it? i hope you try it sometime, it may change your life! 🙂

 

{foodie friday : farm fresh fried egg}

18 Jul

most of the time… it’s just… the simplest things… that bring me happiness…

like this perfectly cooked sunny-side up egg from a local chicken mama friend… lightly pan-fried in local grass-fed butter… with a beautifully-coloured yolk and custardy-center… isn’t it so pretty?!

if you saw my last post, you know that my sweet kitty is no longer with me… and i still feel that loss on the daily… especially when i make eggs… callee always loved them and she could smell them from all the way on the other side of my apartment when i was making them in the kitchen… after i was done eating, i would always let her lick the plate… and in her later days in life, i would make a special egg just for her… because she was always worth it… ❤

#nomnom!


how do you like your eggs?

 

{homemade classic chicken cutlets}

3 Mar

how silly is it that i had never made chicken cutlets before yesterday?! haha. my best friend and i were talking about this the other day and was asking how i should prepare them. i did a lot of research and took his advice, but ultimately added my own little flair to it 😉

and basically it doesn’t matter that i had never made them before or that i was making it up as i went along… because when i finally made them, they were AHH-mazing!


after pounding out some already-thinly-sliced chicken breasts…

i created a seasoned flour/egg mixture/parmesan breadcrumb dredging station…

fried in some coconut oil… then i finished them in the air fryer for a perfect crisp… and dusted with parmigiano reggiano…

finally, dressed the cutlets with an arugula salad doused in meyer lemon and olive oil…

OH MY WORD! so good!!!


#nomnom!

this has quickly become one of my new favourite staples in the food and foto kitchen! what is your favourite way to enjoy chicken cutlets?!?!