Katherine | Katherine Martinelli

Baked Stuffed Squash Blossoms

August 27, 2012August 26, 201237 Comments

The theme for this month’s World on a Plate is stuffed vegetables and I couldn’t be more excited. I considered classic stuffed peppers (I found a recipe in an American cookbook from the early 1900s) but then I decided on one of my favorite summer favorites: Stuffed squash blossoms. Squash blossoms are the pretty yellow-hued edible flowers that grow along with zucchini and other summer squash. They have a subtle flavor on their own but make the perfect vehicle for delicious fillings. Squash blossoms are also a gorgeous addition to pastas, pizzas, and salads.

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Mango-Orange Smoothie and a Mango Blog Hop

August 24, 2012August 24, 201239 Comments

As much as I love breakfast, I’m a terrible breakfast eater. I know that all the research says that people who eat breakfast are smarter and skinnier. But most days I just can’t bring myself to do it. I’m not hungry right when I wake up and since I work from home I typically linger for hours over my coffee while I start my day. And then it’s time to eat lunch! But I’ve been making an effort to eat breakfast, whether it’s a bit of oatmeal, yogurt and granola, or a bowl of cereal. Or smoothies. These have become my go to breakfast – quick and easy to make, full of nutrients, and just enough to tide you over until lunch.

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Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta and a Tomato Blog Hop

August 17, 2012August 18, 201238 Comments

Bruschetta was one of the first dishes I taught myself to make. I was only just learning to love tomatoes, and I remember preparing batches freshman year in the communal dorm “kitchen”. It was equipped with a fridge, sink, and microwave, so no-cook recipes were key. As soon as the first hint of spring warmth hit I’d walk, bike or get a ride to the grocery store and pick up fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, and a nice crusty loaf of bread. That’s all that’s needed for this crowd-pleasing appetizer that tastes of summer.

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Buttered String Beans and a Julia Child Blog Hop

August 10, 2012August 9, 201229 Comments

And the Julia Child festivities continue! As mentioned at the beginning of the week, Julia Child would have been 100 this month and celebrations are well under way throughout the blogosphere and food world. This week I thought I’d honor her in my own way, with this delightful and simple recipe as well as a Julia Child blog hop. What better way to show what an amazing influence she’s had than coming together in a sort of virtual potluck, all sharing our own takes on her now classic recipes.

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Julia Child’s Poached Salmon with Cucumber Sauce for #SundaySupper and #CookForJulia

August 5, 2012September 25, 201261 Comments

If Julia Child were alive today, the Grande Dame of French cuisine would have been 100 this month. To honor this, Sunday Supper is teaming up with PBS to cook for Julia today. I’ve made a number of her recipes before, but more than anything it has been her words that have inspired me. Her memoir,Â My Life in France, is witty and humble, a love story between herself and her husband Paul, as well as her discovery of the joy of cooking. Julia Child’s personality always comes through in her cookbooks in a way that is rare and enviable. In her directions for poaching fish she says, “Fish that is resistant and flaky is overdone – too bad!”

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Thai Coconut Soup and a Coconut Blog Hop

August 3, 2012February 11, 201736 Comments

When Liz pointed out the lone stand with lemongrass in Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market a few months ago, I immediately became excited. It’s one of those ingredients that some of my favorite recipes call. It can be omitted, but you always get the sense that something is missing. You don’t need a whole lot of lemongrass to get the impact, and so Liz and I split a bunch and I quickly began thinking of how to put it to good use. In an instant I knew: Coconut mushroom soup, or Tom Kha Hed. This is one of those dishes that shows up on American Thai menus often, but I get the sense isn’t so far off from the real thing. Continue reading “Thai Coconut Soup and a Coconut Blog Hop” →

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for World on a Plate

July 29, 2012July 20, 201218 Comments

As soon as Pola announced that the theme for this month’s World on a Plate event I knew I would be making Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, perhaps the most quintessential American summer pie. You already know how I feel about strawberry and rhubarb from my cocktail, and if you have my e-cookbook then you’ve seen my strawberry-rhubarb turnovers. Nothing, though, is more classic – or more delicious – than strawberry-rhubarb pie. Apparently it became popular in the 1800s, some three decades after Benjamin Franklin introduced rhubarb (which he nicknamed “pieplant”) to the US. Fun fact: did you know that rhubarb is a vegetable?

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Ricotta Gnocchi and a Cheese Blog Hop

July 27, 2012July 27, 201250 Comments

If you’ve ever been too intimidated to make your own pasta, gnocchi is a great place to start. And if regular potato gnocchi seems like too much work, well ricotta gnocchi is the way to go. This Italian pasta dumpling has three – yes just THREE! – ingredients and doesn’t require the use of a pasta maker. You just mix together ricotta, flour, and an egg and gently knead it until it comes together. After a brief rest in the fridge, you roll the dough into snakes and cut into gnocchi of whatever size you like. Cook in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes and you’re done.

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Shrimp Curry and a Seafood Blog Hop

July 20, 2012July 19, 201250 Comments

I’m not sure when coconut curries became one of my meal staples, showing up almost weekly on my dinner table. It’s not difficult, though, to see why I keep coming back to this Thai-inspired dish: it’s easy, fast (ready in under 30 minutes), and infinitely adaptable. I can make a delicious curry with a can of coconut milk and whatever vegetables and/or proteins I have in my fridge. I often make tofu curry packed with vegetables. Sometimes I throw in some chopped pineapple or peanuts. A side of rice makes it a complete meal, and one that’s even better the next day, heated up for lunch. Usually I make no record of my recipe, and instead just throw everything together, knowing that the ingredients will work their magic (a la this post from early in this blog’s life).

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Classic Daiquiri for #SundaySupper

July 15, 2012July 16, 201257 Comments

The theme of this weekâ€™s #SundaySupper is Beat the Heat â€“ and I donâ€™t know about you, but when I think about cooling off in summer a cold, refreshing cocktail is one of the first things that comes to mind. This classic daiquiri recipe fits the bill. With only three ingredients (rum, lime juice, and simple syrup) itâ€™s clean and fresh, and oh so simple to make.

If youâ€™re looking for a sugary, frozen, flavored concoction then this is not the drink for you. This is a daiquiri in its purest form, favored by luminaries like Hemingway. It is believed to have been concocted in the late 19th century inÂ a Cuban mining town.. According to Rob Chirico onÂ Chow.com, “Although the locals had probably been knocking back rum and lime for years, in 1886 an American engineer, James Cox, and a Cuban engineer named Pagliuchi refined the rum and lime drink by adding cane sugar. When Admiral Lucius Johnson introduced the recipe to the Army Navy Club in DC, in 1909, the daiquiri was becoming one of the worldâ€™s most popular drinks.”

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