AN ITALIAN PARTY

When someone is married with an Italian, as it is my case, you learn 2 basics; family is the most important thing in life and food can’t be poorly executed.

My husband is one of those Italians who does not speak Italian, has never been in Italy and knows nothing about wine. But what he knows very well is the perfect recipe for meatballs (sponsored by his mom Diane), the best stuffed artichokes (sponsored by grandma Roslyn) and the best “gravy” which for all of us is tomato sauce (sponsored by grandma Rose) He knows exactly the difference between a good and bad canolli, italian sausage with pepper and onions and penne a la vodka. 

I remember the first time I met the family, it was a thanksgiving week where grandma Roslyn made me chop tones of onions, garlic and parsley for which I did not complaint a bit, because like people say “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” We made an Italian feast that the ladies cooked for 2 days and the gentleman ate in 2 hours. But that is Italian, a great homemade meal in a long table filled with family and infallible olive oil for the bread.

I miss it all.

That is one reason I am very excited about the Festival Italiano at Belmar. An entire weekend where I feel I might have the chance to enjoy all those homemade Italian specialties I usually enjoy with La Famiglia. The festival promises to have great live music, kids activities, like grape stomping (so bad I am not a kid anymore) a bocce tournament 

and much more. 

Don’t miss the chance to have a slight idea of what La Famiglia means to Italians and to try the richness of their cuisine. It is a free event.

Mangiare! ! !

Belmar

408 South Teller Street
Lakewood, CO 80226

For more info click here.

By Loren Escandon

Pasta with Oyster mushrooms and Beet Greens

As I told you in the last post beets have entered my life and are here to stay!

Having found the most beautiful beets at the farmers markets on Sunday I have been on a "find a way to use beets quest" and my husband seems to be happy with my finds.

For the actual vegetable I made this raw salad which was delicious and very easy. The green tops were so crisp and fresh that I had to find a way to utilize them and what a better way than making a pasta with other vegetables and fresh herbs.

Brown Dog Farm - Golden, CO - Raw beet salad

I have had a couple of busy weeks and there are many topics for the blog so keep tune.
Yesterday, I went back to the market, which I hadn't had a chance to do in a few weeks, and had some great finds.

My favorite was a small vegetable booth from a farm in Golden, Brown Dog Farm. It is sometimes obvious when perusing the market that some of the produce isn't Colorado grown or aren't all that fresh. Reason why I was so impressed with this small booth. The produce looked fresh, vibrant and nicely displayed in clean baskets; plus the couple of young vendors were friendly and helpful.

I fell in love with the mesclun greens, arugula, the squashes, radishes and beets...yes, beets! You should know that I too used to dislike beets very much, but I have been to beet rehab and have learned to love them, I wish I could say the same about green beans!

Shrimp and Vegetable Rice noodles

 I fell in love with these noodles years ago while working with a lovely Thai girl, I didn't, however, love their appreciation for hot food!

Rice sticks or "noodles" are extremely simple to cook and flavor. In fact, if you know how to boil water you know how to cook these crystal clear goodness.

As always the use of herbs and naturally flavorful ingredients is a plus, so here we use cilantro, ginger root, soy sauce and sesame oil to liven up the dish.

An arrangement of vegetables can be used based on your taste, I have a big crush on mushrooms so if you are a constant follower of the blog you will realize it sooner or later; might as well tell you now.

As always feel free to contact me with any questions. Enjoy!


Recipe

1/2 of a package of Rice sticks (easily found in most grocery stores)
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/2 of large onion, small diced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 small head of broccoli
1/2 lb shrimp, shelled and devien and seasoned with 1/4 salt and pepper
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp ginger root, grated
3 scallions, chopped



1/2 cup cold water, chicken stock or pineapple juice
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tsp sesame oil
Chopped cashews or peanuts (optional) 








In a large pot bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Once it comes to a boil add 1 tsp of salt, turn off the heat and add the "noodles" cover and let rest in the hot water for 10 minutes, drain.






















In a separate large sauce pan at medium heat add 2 tbsp of olive oil and add the mushrooms, saute for 5-7 minutes or until reduce in size by half, add onions and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the rest of the vegetables and cook for 7-10 minutes. Add shrimp, scallions, ginger and garlic, mix well

Mix the water (or other liquid of your choice) soy sauce, and cornstarch and pour it over the vegetables and shrimp. Let it boil until it forms a thick sauce, add the noodles and coat them well. Add cilantro, sesame oil and nuts if using. Check seasoning.
Enjoy!



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 PS: I use a product called Liquid Aminos which is made of Non-GMO soy beans and it doesn't have added salt, reason why I didn't give exact amounts of salt in the recipe other than to taste as this product is slightly different in taste.

By Paula Thomas