Tomatoes, Fennel and Saffron Risotto with a Pan-Fried Scallop

As I promised in the original risotto post the possibilities are endless.  The possibilities with tomatoes, fennel and saffron are also endless.  That’s a broth or sauce that I use a lot with seafood, and I have a bunch of recipes already published such as Squid ink pasta with tomato-fennel-calamari sauce,  Saffron tagliatelle with tomato,…

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Beef Bourguignon

It was quite cold and rainy in San Francisco last winter, and on a rainy Saturday afternoon we got together with our dear friends the Shahs for an evening of cooking, drinking and eating.   Beef bourguignon is that quintessential comfort stew that hits the spot on a day like that.  And in reviewing my photo…

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Rabbit Cacciatore

Rabbit Cacciatore or Italian hunter’s stew is another recipe that I originally found in the Williams Sonoma catalog more than 20 yrs ago.  And I have been making it ever since.

Algerian lamb stew

This is a recipe that I have been cooking for 20 yrs. There is nothing better on a cold winter day than a hearty stew cooked in the Bulgarian earthen pot.

Scallops with English peas purée and porcini mushrooms

This is a seafood variation of the Duck breast with mushrooms and English peas, and like that recipe, it uses ideas from two previous recipes: Duck breast with lavender and honey, and English peas purée with mint and Bulgarian feta.

Gazpacho of tomatoes and watermelon

As a good Bulgarian I eat tomatoes all summer long, and my husband makes fun of me for never getting tired of the Bulgarian tomato salad (with a twist).  This recipe mixes two of the favorite things that Bulgarians combines with feta cheese – tomatoes and watermelon.

Squid ink pasta with tomato-fennel-calamari sauce

This dish is a variation of the the Squid ink pasta with tomato-fennel-saffron sauce and pan fried shrimp. Here, chef Mark Doraszelski and I substituted the shrimp for calamari, and it was a very successful experiment. Ever since I discovered a new source for squid ink, our local fish monger in Noe Valley Billingsgate, I have…

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Duck breast with mushrooms and English peas

I cooked this dish for my husband’s birthday.  It uses ideas from two previous recipes: Duck breast with lavender and honey, and English peas purée with mint and Bulgarian feta.

Hamachi crudo

This is a very quick and easy appetizer that is a great crowd pleaser. The slight difficulty is finding sashimi-grade hamachi (yellow-tail tuna). In San Francisco, my go-to fish monger is Billingsgate.

Vernal family farms fava beans

My colleague Mike Vernal recently invited us to his house and we were sent off with a bag of fresh fava beans. Nothing says spring better than fresh fava beans and English peas. I have quite a few English peas recipes (Risotto with English Peas, Linguine with English peas, preserved lemons, and pancetta, Chilled English…

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