MENU
Minestrone Romagna Style

Minestrone Romagna Style by John Spottiswood

This is the way minestrone is made in Romagna. It's not a lot of prep time, but you simmer the soup for a long time until all of the vegetable flavors mellow into one mild but delicious soup. The subtle flavors of this soup are even more delicious the next day, so it is a good dish to prepare in advance of guests arriving for a…

14 votes
21619 views
Italian Spinach Soup

Italian Spinach Soup by John Spottiswood

Suprise, surprise. Another amazing recipe adapted from Marcella Hazan's Essential's of Italian Cooking. This is one of my bibles. Not only did I love this spinach soup, but all four of my kids did too! Everyone had mutiple servings. We served it with simple sourdough toast, though Crostini (Italian croutons) is what Marcella…

11 votes
39441 views
Awesome Split Pea Soup

Awesome Split Pea Soup by John Spottiswood

We made this soup by combining the best of two recipes...one from America's Test Kitchen and one from Cook's Illustrated's the Best New Recipe. I think this is a split pea soup that can't be beat!

8 votes
11858 views
Creamy Lentil and Broccoli Soup

Creamy Lentil and Broccoli Soup by John Spottiswood

This is a creamy, flavorful, and incredibly healthy soup. The next time you're in the mood for split pea soup (also very healthy), try this instead. It has a wonderful body and a great hearty flavor. If you haven't had sumac before as a seasoning, this is a great dish to try it with. Sumac is commonly used in the middle east to…

8 votes
4074 views
Harira Soup

Harira Soup by John Spottiswood

This is the traditional soup served at sunset to break the daily fast observed during the 30 days of Ramadan. Recipes vary from family to family throughout Morocco and the rest of North Africa. I'm particularly fond of this version. If you have not had this before, you MUST try it. It is truly delicious!

6 votes
24254 views
Famous Nagano Kabucha & Shitake Soup

Famous Nagano Kabucha & Shitake Soup by John Spottiswood

When I lived in Japan for 2 years I was introduced to many delicious foods. One of my most distinct food memories is of a hot, piping Kabucha (Japanese Pumpkin) soup I had in Nagano Prefecture after a very cold day of skiing. As is common in Japan, this was a small restaurant which was famous for and served almost nothing other than…

6 votes
7490 views
Moroccan Butternut Squash Soup

Moroccan Butternut Squash Soup by John Spottiswood

This is a fantastic winter soup to serve at home or for a party. It's got the sweetness of butternut squash soups you've had in the past, but with some spice and salt to counterbalance the sweetness. I loved it and hope you will too.This is adapted from Paula Wolfert's The Food of Morocco.

6 votes
4902 views
Chilled Italian Zucchini Appetizer

Chilled Italian Zucchini Appetizer by John Spottiswood

This is a fantastic recipe that I adapted from Marcella Hazen. She recommends serving this at room temperature, but I've had a similar broccoli appetizer at a great local Italian restaurant and they chill it, so I thought I would too. I think it would be great either way. If it's hot out, and a chilled appetizer would be nice, then…

6 votes
4450 views
Garlic Ginger Green Beans

Garlic Ginger Green Beans by John Spottiswood

These are an excellent, healthy side dish to any grilled meat. I highly recommend them with the Chinese BBQ chicken recipe below, but honestly these would go well with just about anything. Unfortunately these were tapped out long before our chicken, so make more than you think you need. They are great the next day too!

6 votes
6284 views
Marinated Asparagus

Marinated Asparagus by Robyn Savoie

This versatile recipe made with fresh asparagus can be made year around. Serve it cold or warm as side with any meal. My favorite way to serve this is grilling it. It produces rave reviews every time. Even from guests who may not be fans of asparagus.

5 votes
13443 views
Spinach and Ricotta Balls - Gnudis

Spinach and Ricotta Balls - Gnudis by John Spottiswood

I've been looking for tasty ways to cook spinach and wild greens because they are so healthful. This one is fantastic. These are called Gnudis in Florence because they are "nude", e.g. missing the pasta on the outside. These are sort of like a spinach ravioli without the pasta. If that doesn't sound all that flavorful to you, wait…

6 votes
6703 views
Eggplant and Peas Stew

Eggplant and Peas Stew by John Spottiswood

This recipe was invented by my good friend Brian Bedrosian. He recommends that you "Should drink red wine while cooking and eating for best results." I haven't tried this one yet...but every other Armenian concoction I've tasted of Brian's has been outstanding!

5 votes
4635 views
Moroccan Beet Salad

Moroccan Beet Salad by John Spottiswood

This is a classic beet salad. If you like beets, you're going to really enjoy this. My personal preference is to boil the beets as little as possible That way they still have a crunch to them but aren't as hard as raw beets. I think raw beets are perfectly delicious, and I don't like them soft, so I boil them just enough to soften…

5 votes
3858 views
Ricotta and Greens or Spinach Pasta

Ricotta and Greens or Spinach Pasta by John Spottiswood

This is another excellent dish that takes advantage of delicious and healthy greens. This is a Sicilian dish that I absolutely love. Our kids all went back for seconds. It's also quite beautiful...the lousy picture I took does not do it justice. A healthy and yummy treat! This is also adapted from Red White and Greens by Faith…

4 votes
2540 views