Recipes

Princess Bars are those jam filled sweet, crumbly, coconutty encased treats that have been around forever. The bars are great for tea, picnics, in lunch boxes or a late night snack. They were a constant at our bakery and my father would cook dates with just a touch of lemon and some sugar for the center filling. This recipe was not in his journal, but I was very fortunate to find that my sister’s friend, Carol had gotten a copy from my parents. They are really easy to make and will stay fresh for several days.

I found this recipe for French Shortbread Cookies in my Dad’s journal, but do not remember him every making them. The original recipe had a very low ratio of sugar, and I liked that as so many cookie recipes are just loaded with sugar. The rice flour and cornstarch give them that slightly sandy crunch that I find so appealing in shortbreads and sables. I also wanted to make them a bit different, so I added the lavender blossoms, along with the sprinkling of flaky Maldon salt across the tops. You could also try a bit of chopped Rosemary and a sprinkling a Black Lava Salt for an even different twist. These savory shortbread cookies are equally good with a coffee or a glass of wine. Store them in an airtight container or ziplock bag. They are best eaten within 4 to 5 days.

This Raisin Bread recipe is rich in flavor, with the addition of butter and egg and the touch of cinnamon and sugar that clings to the raisins. It’s great plain, or toasted with or without butter. If after a day or two you have any left over it also makes fabulous French Toast.

Broccoli Rabe or Rapini as it is sometimes called is in the broccoli family. The flowerets are smaller than conventional broccoli and the taste tends to be sharper and just a bit bitter. The stems as well as the leaves are all a tender edible part of this vegetable. It’s popular throughout Mediterranean countries and served as a very tasty side dish, as part of a hearty soup, or if you add a bit more olive oil and some spicy Italian sausage as a great sauce for a classic pasta dish.

Orecchiette shaped pasta (Little Ears) is typical of Apulia in the Southern region of Italy. Many of the traditional recipes include bitter type greens, like this recipe with Broccoli Rabe, but Arugula works well too. The greens are often combined with red pepper flakes, spicy sausage or Anchovy fillets. The thin little shells cradle all the flavors added to any sauce. DeCecco is my favorite brand followed closely by Montebello, and both are generally available in better stores.

Braised fennel, and fennel in general is a vegetable that I use on a regular basis. It’s great raw in green salads, tossed with olive oil and slices of oranges, part of seafood stews, or braised as it is in this recipe. This super simple, super fast recipe is good served with just about any grilled chicken, pork or fish dish. In addition, fennel, well very low in calories is a good source of vitamin C, Magnesium and Potassium.