Spaghetti in Spicy Tomato Sauce

I'm not a professional cook and I always appreciate learning something new. Recently, I posted a recipe for cacio e pepe, and one of the readers, Julio, told me I wasn't making it the right way. I decided to follow Julio's instructions on how to cook the spaghetti. The preparation was very simple: the pasta was cooked al dente and grated cheese and pasta water were added. I sprinkled a little freshly cracked pepper. To add a little twist, this time I topped the pasta with a spicy tomato and eggplant sauce.

The results were spectacular. Thank you so much, Julio for your much needed piece of advice! The sauce is optional but I think it makes a complete meal, and adds a little heat that lingers plus a kick just at the end. Perfecto!

Canh Bap Cuon (Stuffed Cabbage Soup Recipe)

Canh bắp cải cuốn, which literally translates to stuffed cabbage wrap soup is my way of using the leftover potsticker filling I recently made. I stuffed the leftover mixture into whole cabbage leaves that were previously softened by par-boiling. I served them phở-style, meaning that I brought them to the table in bowls and then covered them with celery and carrot broth just before everyone dug in.

Creating little cabbage “gifts” is a great way to vary the vegetarian meals we've been having this week for Tết (Vietnamese Lunar New Year, on February 3^rd). I tied the cabbage with green onions strings. The entire thing is edible and looks very playful.

Vegetable Honey Tofu Stir-Fry Recipe

While in Paris, my mother taught me a new trick for enhancing the flavor of vegetarian meals. She uses honey to caramelize tofu, then deglazes the dish with Maggi (or soy sauce). My parents aren't vegetarian but my mother used to cook a lot of vegetarian dishes for my grandparents who were. My husband Lulu was pleased to eat at my mom's because he got to discover new tofu dishes using these techniques. For this particular recipe, Mom and I sautéed some broccoli and bok choy along with tofu. Delicious!

Since I had to find the best honey available for this dish, it gave me another excuse to explore more Parisian open air markets. I found this wonderful creamy honey from a beekeeper who had come from the south of France to sell his wares. He was very passionate about his products. Lulu and I sampled several kinds, which were all fabulous. We got an absolutely delicious education in honey and brought many jars back with us.

Vegetable Pasta with Zucchini Sauce

Zucchini pasta is my way of using all the zucchini we bought at the farmers' market last weekend. I cooked the vegetable two ways and combined them in this flavorful pasta dish.

First, one part of the zucchini is boiled in a large amount of water until soft and tender, then cooked the same way as I would baigan bharta (Indian-style eggplant spread) but instead of only adding liquid smoke and plain yogurt, I also mixed in a little cream cheese. The second step is to sauté the rest of the zucchini with other vegetables. I also used diced carrots, green beans and sun-dried tomatoes.

Once all the ingredients are cooked, I combine everything and the result is a scrumptious meal. The smoky aroma from the zucchini sauce is very delicate and the added vegetables balance well with the softness of the pasta. 

Grilled Vegetable Summer Pasta Salad Recipe

After the pool party we recently hosted, we had lots of leftover grilled vegetables. Pasta salads are a great way to make use of leftover veggies, so today I prepared some for the family. It was really easy; all I needed to do was boil some pasta and add some salad dressing to it.

This time around I made a spicy salad dressing that I drizzled over fusilli pasta, roasted bell peppers, grilled eggplant, grilled Portobello mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. This meal met everyone's diet, except for my father-in-law who's allergic to mushrooms (no meat, not nuts, no eggs), so I placed the grilled mushrooms on the side.