I often cook with metaphors as my guide. I tell stories with my food. And the two recipes I feature in this post definitely fit that theme. They’re dishes that celebrate something on the outside enveloping something wonderful on the inside. A cradling of sorts of the most yummy variety. 

Why? There are certain instincts we cannot ignore. And as women, nurturing others is just in our souls. (I know quite a few men who just totally get this concept as well!) We want to cradle those we love, soothing the wounds of life by encircling others with a protective embrace. It seems wrapping ourselves around special things just feels good. Shouldn't this also apply to the foods we love?

Each of these may seem uncomplicated. But I like to take everything to the next level of “bling-ness” which of course has to do with never ignoring the small details.

​I chose to leave the stems on my poblano peppers so that each vessel had more personality. It gave it more animation, more reality. And all “hugs” are real, yes? By adding carrots and onions to the meat mixture you create a very moist and smooth filling. Moistening it with homemade tomato sauce seasoned with a good quality cumin, (there are a gazillion different cumin variations!) helped the insides stay a little more structured. And it all rested on the nutty and herb flavored farro.

Why poblanos? Well, they yield ever so gently to being roasted. Keeping their structure but till fork tender, the swirling shape of their skin offers a hint of feminine beauty. Yeah, this dish definitely is comfort food.

Next on the list of nuzzling nourishment is this quick and lip-smacking appetizer I created to wake up a mid-week meal. Farm to table zucchini that are just the cutest size, (and also featuring a darling stem I just couldn’t part with,) are gently cored to receive a tangy filling of cheese, mayonnaise, spinach, and some preserved lemon which I use is so many things. Click here to get that recipe. 

​Wrapped in prosciutto like a bambino in a receiving blanket these last-minute beauties stole the whole show and baked to perfection in just minutes. 

After making these dishes, you’ll definitely feel more like a true nurturer of others, cradling them in the best culinary hug ever!

Serves 4 - 6 / click here for printable recipe

I am touted as a recipe developer and food consultant, which means that I am basically a mad scientist, sans the crazy glasses and radiation-proof rubber gloves. The rest of the image is somewhat true as I do hunch over my creations and laugh with a sinister gurgle when one of my imagined dishes actually comes to life with success.

One of my favorite tools in the lab is a simple immersion blender. Good cooking happens through an understanding of chemistry which is then manipulated with through a myriad of preparation methods. Why serve something whole when you can turn it into a perfectly velvety sauce, rich creamy topping, or perfect puree? The answer is, "why not?"

In this case, I opted for the puree as my expression of choice. Doing so turns this green squash into an ever so light green pillow for the hearty addition of sweet corn and potatoes. A chowder of sorts with secrets. Yum.

Or in other words, the controlled chaos of homemade pizza pies.

Yeah, you're saying, "whine, whine, whine. What could be so hard about making pizza." Well, nothing is hard, really, but there are a few details here and there that are rites of passage. And last night, because of two wonderful friends and a husband who agreed to do the dishes, we have a couple of stories to tell and photos to share.

We started this a few months ago; gathering innocently enough to make a slew of Turkish recipes courtesy Margaret Rossetti and her recent trip to the cradle of civilization, and now we're hooked on mastering some of the simple but important culinary techniques we haven't, well, mastered. A pizza seemed like a tame conquest. But wait until you scatter a bit of corn meal on a 500 degree pizza stone, without protective eye wear, and you will get a feeling for the ups and downs of dough, determination, and deliciousness.

It started with the basics: bring dough (some from Fresh Market, some from Trader Joe's...gotta say Fresh Market's dough is hand's down easier to work with and roll out), and the fresh fixings of our choice. When you're cooking at Margaret's there is no, "good enough." So our pizza sauce, olive oil, and accoutrements including the pizza peels, were all top notch. I encourage you not to skimp on any of these details.

As I arrived with my bread board and my grandmother's rolling pin in hand, we wasted no time before beginning on appetizers. Delving into a lovely group of zucchini, we began by slicing them lengthwise, then grilling, then cooling them, and rolling them up with a filling of feta, olive oil, lemon and fresh herbs. We topped them with lemon zest and ate them for energy. (You'll see the photos and I will get a copy of the recipe to acknowledge and share). It was a good way to warm up to the main course.

Now preparing the toppings is just plain fun. From funky mushrooms to whole milk mozzarella, to spinach and herbs from the garden and gigantic summer tomatoes, all that was missing was a bit of Italian music and local red wine. (We quickly found a CD with a bit of Andrea Bocelli so all was not lost!) Even rolling out the dough was pretty easy. We topped it with a layer of olive oil and a layer of the finest pizza sauce and then stacked away with all the pretty stuff. You can omit the sauce and add ANY TOPPING YOU WOULD LIKE. We especially moaned with pleasure over the addition of macerated fresh garlic. Now that is the BOMB.

However, the fun waned a bit when it was time to cook them. Why? Well, when it was time to schlep our pies into the oven, we underestimated how tricky it is to slide it off the peel or the board and into the oven. (We later learned that you use corn meal like water when it comes to greasing the pathway. We got the hang of it by the 4th pie!) Oh well. That's when you get out the pizza cutter and simple pre-slice and serve. No one need know you inverted a good half of the first pie onto the stone nearly blinding us with smoke and enlisting a "what's burning?" from the peanut gallery in the next room. "Everything is fine, drink your wine." we shouted, and sure enough, after 9 to 12 minutes we were in cheesy, herby, tomatoey, meaty and crusty heaven.

WINE: Just so you know, we served it with a Layer Cake Primitivo Zinfandel. Transcendent...