Coconut-Carrot-Ginger Risotto with Carrot-top Pesto

Coconut-Carrot-Ginger Risotto with Carrot-top Pesto

I went to the market earlier and picked up a gorgeous bunch of fresh carrots with an excess of feathery green tops as well as a can of coconut milk for no good reason except that it was on sale. When I got home, I came across the lone ghost pepper I'd bought last week. While cooking dinner for the boys, I thought about risotto...

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Cheesy, Garlicky Potato Soup with a Tiny Chile Kick

Cheesy, Garlicky Potato Soup with a Tiny Chile Kick

On days when a comfort dinner is needed or simply desired, soup often fits the bill. It warms us when we're cold, soothes us when we're sick. It just feels good going down. I've been on a potato tear lately, craving them all the time and in every which way: mashed, roasted...you get my drift. Next step: soup!

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Rustic Shrimp Bisque

Rustic Shrimp Bisque

Do you love seafood bisques but find yourself wishing for something lighter on occasion? This cream-free bisque is a beautiful marriage of shrimp, brandy and aromatics and uses cooked rice in place of the cream. You'd never know!

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Greens, Goat Cheese and Lemon Ravioli

Greens, Goat Cheese and Lemon Ravioli

To me, this dish is simple perfection and highlights the beautiful bounty of local farmers markets and eating seasonably from them. I had a huge mess of just-picked mixed baby greens -two kinds of kale, mustard- and some fresh, young goat cheese- wouldn't a combo of those make a lovely stuffing for fresh ravioli? Yes! 
I always like whole wheat with greens so incorporated some whole wheat pastry flour into the pasta dough. As well, since spring is on the horizon, I added lemon zest to the ravioli filling and made a lemon-butter sauce to top it all off. 

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Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Chicken, Fennel, Currants and Mascarpone

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Chicken, Fennel, Currants and Mascarpone

In the mood for pasta, I was rummaging in my fridge and saw shredded rotisserie chicken, fennel and a bit of mascarpone. Some random flash of old reminded me that I’d once seen a dish with pasta, chicken and currants. YES! So, I sauteed some garlic, fennel and currants in some olive oil, salted it well, added a healthy dash of cinnamon and some chicken, sauteed some more, deglazed with some of the white wine I was drinking and kept warm. 
In the meantime, in super-well-salted water, I cooked some whole wheat spaghetti until al dente, reserved 1/2 cup of cooking water, and then tossed the pasta, a nice knob of mascarpone and about 1/4 c cooking water into the fennel-chicken mixture. I stirred/cooked it all over low heat, adding a bit more cooking water as I went to keep it vaguely saucy, and served with freshly grated parmesan and some chopped fennel fronds on top.

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