pasta

Short Ribs with Tagliatelle

by Malcolm Bedell November 11, 2011

There’s something about taking inexpensive, tough cuts of meat, and slowly, over the course of a cool, rainy autumn Friday, turning them into tender, fall-off-the-bone hunks of succulent flavor and fat, that is immeasurably satisfying. It’s the kind of thing dads seem to know how to do automatically, and it’s high time you learn it, [...]

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Ribollita

by Jillian Bedell October 27, 2011

Everything you need to know, is in the name. Ribollita is unselfconsciously rustic, simple, and satisfying. In short, everything we like in a neighborhood restaurant. This never was our neighborhood, though. Ribollita isn’t striving to be a destination, I don’t think. It serves its purpose well. As a place to meet your spouse or girlfriend [...]

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Rigatoni with Roasted Peppers and Sausage

by Jillian Bedell October 25, 2011

Right now, in my kitchen, there is sauce bubbling on the stove. And it is rich and good. The cutting board is green with parsley and basil, ready to be chopped, and two good hunks of hard Italian cheese – Parmigiano and Romano – are waiting to get grated. A bottle of zinfandel has been [...]

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Signature Series: Lasagna

by Jillian Bedell August 29, 2011

Here in Maine, we weathered yesterday’s storm mostly unscathed. Our power was out for much of the afternoon, the wind blew strongly, whistling through the trees, which frightened the dog, and we spent a cozy, house-bound Sunday making the most fantastic lasagna. This is nothing like the lasagna I grew up eating; it is richer [...]

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Sun-Cooked Heirloom Tomato Pasta Sauce

by Jillian Bedell August 18, 2011

It is high summer in Maine. Though the nights are cooling, our days are glorious, green and breezy. Fields and farm stands are bursting with string beans, corn, tomatoes, and melons. Everything is ripe. I was sitting in the grass, brainstorming ideas for dinner and remembered – how could I forget – one of the [...]

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Linguine Carbonara with Mushrooms & Red Pepper

by Malcolm Bedell June 27, 2011

On the Gulf coast of Mexico, outside of Progreso, a small, somewhat rough-and-tumble Mexican port town famous for its 4 1/2 mile pier, there sits an Italian restaurant called “Elio al Mare.” The restaurant, a converted beachfront house, where the living room serves as the dining room, and the front deck places you in the [...]

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BLT Pasta

by Jillian Bedell April 18, 2011

You must make this. I made it up myself and it is awesome. Like most everything I cook, it’s super simple. There are components, which are comprised of steps, but those are very easy. You may need to consider the timing, but the tomatoes can be refrigerated for days and pesto improves as the flavors [...]

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Classics: American Chop Suey

by Malcolm Bedell January 21, 2011

Everyone who lives west of Massachusetts thinks they know what this dish is, when I try to describe it. “Oh,” someone from Florida will say, “We eat that, too. It’s called Chili Mac.” Or someone from Arizona will say, “That’s easy to make; that’s Cheeseburger Macaroni.” No… no, it’s not. American Chop Suey is a [...]

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Caiola’s

by Jillian Bedell November 18, 2010

Finally, a gorgeous meal in a charming restaurant. Last night at Caiola’s was everything I wanted it to be: an intimate dinner for two at a good, really good! neighborhood place just around the corner from our apartment. I called for reservations and was told 7:15; we were seated immediately upon arrival in the front [...]

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