The Walsh Cookbook

Another sunny day in Portland! To celebrate the coming of spring, I wanted to make something with lots of fresh, ingredients and flavors. This recipe is from the "Plenty" cookbook written by Yotam Ottolenghi. The cookbook is entirely vegetable recipes and I can't wait to try more of them out. Marinated mozzarella with tomato is a simple, fresh tasting starters that is easy to make and verrrrrryyyyy rewarding. The mozzarella is marinated in olive oil spiked with fennel seeds, lemon zest, basil and oregano. The tomato breaks up the richness of the mozzarella and makes it one delicious dish! Make sure you buy buffalo mozzarella (the kind that is sitting in the gross cloudy water) or else it won't be as tender.  The foodstyling credit goes to Brendan for his excellent ability to arrange my culinary tornado into an appetizing looking meal (see Brendan, I told you I'd give you credit!). what you'll need: for the marinade: 1/...

We had a sunny day in Portland (insert gasp here!). With the good weather I was inspired to make something that reminded me of summer. This past summer, I became mildly obsessed with Cuban food after eating at the Cuban restaurant, Alma de Cuba, in Philadelphia, PA. I'm salivating just thinking about it! We had perfect empanadas to start with, then delicious Latin cheese bread served with green sauce. For dinner, I ordered the crispy pork served with sour orange mojo (and a mojito of course!). Needless to say, I was hopelessly addicted.   I searched Powell's bookstore in Portland for a suitable Cuban cookbook and came across "Eat Cuban", by Andy Rose and Judy Bastyra which has made me a VERY happy girl.  Inside is a recipe for Cuban rice called "Moros y Cristianos", which in English is "Moors and Christians". The rice has black beans mixed in with the white rice. I'll let you use your imagination as to why they called it tha...

This is the faster, even easier version of Pavlova that uses store-bought little meringue cookies.  I usually do these in wine glasses for pretty individual presentations, but I have also done it in a big trifle-type bowl to take to picnics and potlucks.  We have even done them a few times in clear plastic tumblers for extreme portability and that works just great! what you will need: Store-bought meringue cookies: vanilla or chocolate chip, cut into pieces Whipped cream; whipped to soft peaks, unsweetened Fresh fruit, cut into pieces as necessary A few mint leaves are pretty, too if you have some Layer cookies, cream and then fruit in a large bowl or into individual serving dishes.  Best if done ahead a few hours to allow to soften, particularly since these cookies are baked until crisp all the way through.  That's it!  Can't get any easier or prettier than that! Portable version   And I have to add the gorgeous photo of Erin's version of Pavlova...