Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi

Nettle Pasta

It's nettle season here in Northern California, and as I am on a pasta jag lately, I thought I would make pasta dough with stinging nettles. Seemed like the right thing to do.

Italian

Crab Risotto

We're in the thick of our Dungeness crab season here in California, and crab risotto is one of my favorite things to do with them.

Recipe

Arrowhead or Wapato Pasta

Wapato, arrowhead, katniss, duck potato: Sagittaria is an aquatic tuber of American marshes said to be the equal of a potato. I have never found it. But a friend sent me some, so I got my first tantalizing taste.

Recipe

Porcini Risotto

There's nothing quite like a porcini hunt. The mushrooms are huge, meaty and can go for $30 a pound or more, so finding them is like striking gold. And boy did we find them last weekend!

Recipe

Wild Turkey Risotto

Today is a day for leftover turkey, domestic or wild. Whichever kind you ate yesterday, this risotto recipe is a great way to use leftover bits.

Recipe

Pickled Cauliflower

When I was growing up, I thought “antipasti” specifically meant pickled cauliflower, carrots and onions. Well, I've recreated the recipe for Italian-style pickled cauliflower here.

Recipe

Duck or Goose Ragu

Duck seasons are opening all over the country now, and this rich, bolognese-style pasta sauce is a great way to use legs and wings of wild ducks and geese.

Recipe

New England Mushroom Bonanza

My family never hunted mushrooms when I grew up. But after an epic mushrooming trip on Cape Ann yesterday, they may well become mycophiles in a hurry.

Recipe

Sicilian Tuna Meatballs

Some days you remember forever. Last week I spent a couple days with a boatful of new friends, 40 miles offshore in search of tuna. We found them. Oh yes, people, we found them...

Pheasant, Grouse, Quail

Pheasant Piccata

Chicken or veal piccata, simple cutlets of meat served with a zingy lemon-butter-caper sauce, is a dish that speaks to my childhood -- memories that all came flooding back when I made it again recently.

Fish

Italian ‘Glutton’s Style’ Shark

It's summertime, and the fishing is easy. After an epic shark fishing trip in San Francisco Bay, I decided to celebrate summer with a classic Calabrian dish that uses lots of fresh tomatoes.