Gourmetcentric

Sometimes I get tired of eating meat.  This recipe for Roasted Vegetable Lasagna fits the bill for a meatless dinner.  It’s rich and creamy and full of healthy veggies. The roasting method removes lots of the liquid content in the vegetables so you don’t end up with a watery lasagna, and gives this dish a nice caramelized taste.  I made two versions, one with pesto and one without.  The consensus…

My Best Holiday Side Dishes and Desserts

With the holidays fast approaching, I thought I’d share some of my best holiday side dishes and desserts.  Just click on the link for the full recipe.  Enjoy!   Roasted Asparagus   Mac and Cheese   Fennel Gratin   Tin Roof Bistro Brussels Sprouts Pomme De Terre Sarladaise Tomato Bread Pudding Pumpkin Pie S’Mores in a Jar Raspberry Clafoutis Chocolate Soufffle Calvados Apple Pie             Save…

I call this no-knead sourdough bread recipe, “Our-dough bread” because this truly was a family affair.  There are very few things in life that we continue to eat that go back as far as bread.  The combination of the most simple ingredients and skill can produce such a masterpiece that can rival any store bought or bakery bought bread that you can make at home. Of the steps necessary and of most…

Pumpkin Pie S’Mores in a Jar

  Yes, it’s that time of year again, time for holiday dessert planning.  The pumpkin craze is not going anywhere, and pumpkin pie can be boring and so predictable. This pumpkin pie recipe adds the element of S’mores, all neat in a mason jar.  Pumpkin Pie S’Mores in a Jar is a crowd-pleaser, especially with kids.  There’s something about eating a dessert in a jar that’s so satisfying.  I think it…

Preserved Lemons is a wonderful use of lemons, when you have an excess amount of lemons and you want to use them before they go bad.  Preserved Lemons are typically used in Moroccan cuisine, but are more versatile than that.  They are wonderful in pasta dishes, salads, stews and plenty more.  When I made Moroccan Chicken with Lemons and Olives, I didn’t have any preserved lemons to use.  I…

I bought an excess of wild caught salmon, and at $27 a pound, I didn’t want to go to waste.  It was my husband’s idea to make Salmon Rillettes, so that’s what I did. Rillettes is most commonly made with pork, but can be made with a variety of meats, such as duck, goose, tuna or salmon. The technique for making Rillettes is really quite simple.  It appears more complicated than it is.  In 25 – 30…

Moroccan Chicken With Lemons and Olives

You could say that Moroccan Chicken with Lemon and Olives is one of the national dishes of Morocco.  This can be made with Preserved lemons, or my version, with a regular lemon and a Meyer lemon.  Preserved lemons is not something you usually have in your pantry, so I made it without.  I will be posting a recipe for Preserved Lemons, in the near future.  Moroccan Chicken with Lemons and Olives,…

Since I’m not able to go to the legendary Gabriele Bonci’s Pizzarium in Rome, for Pizza Streudel anytime soon, I am making it at home, and you can too. (Correction, Mark is making it, and I am merely assisting him.) Gabriele Bonci is known as the Michelangelo of pizza.  How appropriate that his Pizzarium is just 5 minutes from the Sistine Chapel. It is not just the skill of Bonci that makes his…

Pasta Primavera with Roasted Vegetables

Being that it’s spring season, and that Primavera translates to spring in Italian, Pasta Primavera is a perfect pasta dish for the occasion.  You can make this two ways, with or without cream.  If you omit the cream and cheese, it becomes a vegan dish.  I had planned on making this without cream, but at a last minute decision, (based on if my kids would eat it or not), I made the creamy version. …

Making Sourdough starter is more like a mini science project, than a recipe.  It takes lots of patience and attention, and sometimes trial and error.  But in the end you will have something that you’ve created, out of two simple ingredients, flour and water.  Make that three ingredients, time.  Having more patience than me, this became my husband’s project.  Be prepared for this culture club to…

Roasted Asparagus is one of the simplest vegetable dishes to make.  You get so much in return for such little effort.  I suggest giving it a try. Thoroughly wash 1 – 2 bunches of asparagus.  2 bunches will serve 8.  Preheat the oven to 400° F.   Cut about ½ – 1 inch off the bottom of the asparagus stalk. Spread out the asparagus on a baking sheet. Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle…

Jamaican Chicken Soup with Dumplings

My close friend Lorraine, hails from the beautiful island of Jamaica.  She is responsible for introducing me to Jamaican food.  In my previous work life, we used to frequent a little Jamaican restaurant for lunch, called Natraliart.  To the locals, this place is known as Juicy.  This is where I had my first Jamaican Chicken soup with dumplings. Being in the mood for that soup, but not wanting to…

Meyer Lemon-Earl Grey Sorbet

With the arrival of spring and warmer weather, comes seasonal desserts and dishes.  A friend of ours sent us a box of beautiful Meyer Lemons.  This sorbet is made pretty much the same way you make a lemon sorbet, with a few differences.  First difference is the obvious one, Meyer Lemons are used instead of regular lemons.  Myer Lemons are a sweeter, less acidic variety of lemons.  The other…

Moroccan Lamb Shanks with Apricots

I had this dish at my father’s home last summer in France.  I really wanted to make it, so I waited till it was morning, and gave him a call.  He gave me the recipe and cooking instructions over the phone.  I am very happy that it came out just like his, so delicious. To me, Moroccan Lamb Shanks really showcases what Moroccan cuisine is all about.  You will find the extensive use of olive oil,…

Honey – Liquid Gold

This is just a quick post about the fortune of having fresh honey and the appreciation for local bee keepers.  In this case, our friend Andrew Ward has taken it upon himself to cultivate and care for his own colony of bees here in Southern California.  To Bee specific, they are European Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera) and non-native to California.  Who says Angelinos are all self absorbed yuppies who…

°I’ve never been a huge fan of beets.  The earthy taste has always turned me off.  But if I roast the beets and dress them with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, they taste divine.  The natural sugar in the beets allows them to caramelize beautifully.  They are perfect alone, as a side dish, or as the centerpiece of a salad.  So here you go, my recipe for Roasted Red and Golden Beets.…