I’m pretty sure my favorite pie of all-time is strawberry rhubarb, but it’s hard to choose. Sometimes though, I just don’t want to go to the trouble of making dough and rolling it out. This was one of those days. And then I remembered a blackberry fool recipe I saw somewhere and thought I would create something similar.

A fool is a British dessert that consists of a fruity, jam-like mixture folded into whipped cream. It’s light and rich at the same time, and the leftover strawberry rhubarb mixture was just fantastic on some vanilla ice cream the next day.

Strawberry Fool

4 rhubarb stalks, chopped into 1″ pieces

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced

1/2 cup water

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1 pinch salt

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Combine the strawberries, rhubarb, water, sugar, lemon, and salt in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook together for 15 minutes, until the fruit has softened and broken down. It should look like jam. Refrigerate for at least a couple hours.

Beat the cream with the powdered sugar until stiff peaks have formed. Layer alternating with the fruit mixture into glasses or fold together gently before spooning into glasses.

I have been making this recipe for almost 10 years, which says a lot. It’s simple enough that I never have to look it up, and it’s always delicious. You could riff on it and add things like chicken or red pepper flakes or anchovies and it would totally work, but I like to keep it simple. I sometimes pair it with some chicken or veal saltimbocca and a side salad, but the options are endless.

Red Wine Spaghetti with Broccoli Rabe

1/2 pound spaghetti

1/2 bunch broccoli rabe, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 bottle of a big red wine like primitivo or zinfandel

1/2 cup grated pecorino

2 tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil

Blanch the broccoli rabe in salted, boiling water for 5 minutes and then remove to a frying pan. Saute the broccoli rabe in a little olive oil. Add the garlic and continue to saute for a minute or two. Remove to a bowl for later.

Meanwhile, start cooking the spaghetti in the salted, boiling water. Start reducing the wine in the frying pan. About halfway through the spaghetti cooking, add it to the wine with a little of the pasta cooking water. Continue to cook in the wine until the pasta is al dente and the liquid has cooked away. If you need more liquid to finish the pasta, you can add more of the pasta cooking water. Add the broccoli rabe back in and the pecorino and stir through. Serve with a little extra pecorino and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

I’m a big fan of quinoa because it reminds me of pasta but it’s actually a seed so it’s healthier. You can basically treat it as you would any small pasta and it works, although my favorites are either mushroom-based or citrus-based. When I saw these beautiful snap peas at the farmers market, it seemed like a natural fit for a healthy Sunday lunch.

Quinoa with Snap Peas and Mint

1 cup quinoa

2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock or water)

1/2 cup white wine

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1.5 cups snap peas

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon mint, chopped

Saute the onion and garlic in a little extra virgin olive oil until they soften. Season with salt. Add the quinoa and allow to toast for a minute. Add the chicken stock and wine and let cook until the quinoa softens. Add the vinegar, lemon juice and zest, and honey and stir through. Add the snap peas and cook for the final minute. Top with the mint and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil when you serve it.

Mozzarella in carrozza is basically an Italian grilled cheese, or the Italian version of a croque monsieur without the ham. There are different variations on it, and it doesn’t usually have tomatoes but I like a little freshness in my sandwich. The cheese makes gooey, delicious strings as you bite into it, and the marinara dipping sauce gives the right zesty topping.

Mozzarella in Carrozza

2 slices of your favorite bread (traditionally, it’s plain white bread with the crust sliced off)

2 slices of fresh mozzarella 1/2 inch thick

3 cherry tomatoes, sliced

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup marinara sauce (homemade or your favorite bottled kind)

2 tablespoons chopped roasted red peppers (bottled, or roast a red pepper until soft and then peel off the skin)

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Layer the mozzarella and tomatoes on the bread and cover with the other slice. Carefully flour both sides of the sandwich and then dip in the egg mixture. Fry in a little butter or olive oil, making sure the side that’s down gets nicely browned and crisp before flipping. Once the outside is crispy and browned and the mozzarella has gotten weepy, it’s ready.

Meanwhile, combine the marinara, peppers, and red pepper flakes over low heat to warm through. Pour into dipping container and serve with the sandwich.

We immediately recreated orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage once we got home, and it was almost like still being in Puglia. I find myself missing it already. The orecchiette from Eataly was actually from Maglie, a town we seemed to keep driving towards, no matter what direction we were going.

This is the traditional pasta of Puglia, and you can find it in this combination on most Italian menus. The spiciness from the sausage and broccoli rabe really complement the chewiness of this egg-less pasta. It’s also one of the quickest things you can make, and perfect for a weeknight. The version I made in Puglia had pancetta in it as well, since I needed to use it up, and it made it extra delicious.

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

1/2 pound orecchiette

1/2 onion, chopped

4 spicy Italian sausages, removed from casings

1 bunch broccoli rabe

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove, sliced

1/2 cup white wine

2-3 slices pancetta, minced (optional)

Blanch the broccoli rabe in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Cook the pasta in salted, boiling water (you can use the water from the broccoli rabe) a couple minutes less than the cooking time on the package.

Meanwhile, if using pancetta, render it in a large saute pan in a little olive oil. Add the sausage and break it up in the pan. Let it brown well, and then add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Add the broccoli rabe after the onions have softened a bit.

Add the wine and a bit of the pasta water to deglaze anything on the bottom of the pan. Add the pasta and continue to cook together for the last 2 minutes. Off the heat, you can add an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some grated pecorino or parmesan.

Pictures are always a little more difficult on the road, but I tried my best given the lighting….here are the cooking adventures. Puglia is the home of burrata, so of course I had to make some burrata and tomato crostini. I also did some mozzarella and tomato crostini because these little bocconcini were so delicious. Both had local olive oil and salt on top, and they were absolutely amazing.

I saw some really beautiful zucchini with the blossoms still attached at the little supermarket, so I combined those with some fresh langoustines from the fish guy and some onion and fettuccine.

And of course, Puglia is known for orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. So I had to have some while there, along with some artichokes (which were not a great success because I couldn’t get them to cook through after being on the stove for an hour and a half!). For the orecchiette recipe, stay tuned because I have my official version later this week!

I’m back from Italy, and now it’s time to share the amazing meals we had. After a long day of travel, it’s no wonder I forgot to bring the camera to our first dinner at Alberosole in Bari. You’ll have to take my word for it, it was delicious and we feasted. The next day, we were off to some more towns in Puglia, and lunch was at Il Fornello da Ricci. It was an incredible lunch and we didn’t hold back even though we were probably still full from dinner the night before.

We started with the antipasto, which was as decadent and delicious as advertised. Then we moved on to pasta, which included a squid ink pasta with pea pesto and these ricotta gnocchi with truffle shavings. Then there was some lamb and a millefoglie. I was definitely ready for a nap after this one, but it was worth it.

We had many other wonderful meals in Puglia, but I didn’t bring the camera for all of them. The one that I would recommend if you’re ever in the area is the Restaurant at Grotta Palazzese in Polignano a Mare. The food may not stand out, but it’s a truly unique experience because you eat in a beautiful grotto with the waves crashing all around and the candles flickering on the cave walls.

While in Puglia, we visited two wonderful wineries that were gracious enough to give us tours of their facilities. The Cantele Winery outside Lecce gave us a tour of their property, showing us the entire production line. It’s worth trying their wines if you can find them.

We also made it to the I Pastini Vineyard after getting lost countless times. Their vineyards were incredible and they showed us the trulli (a traditional home from Alberobello and nearby) on their property. I can recommend their whites and their Fiano in particular.

Our last dinner in Rome was at Roscioli, a fabulous restaurant where I had such trouble deciding what to get because everything sounded incredible. I ended up starting with the artichoke salad and the salumi (the best salumi I’ve ever had, by the way). And of course, I had to have the carbonara because…When in Rome…

We stayed near the Campo de Fiori, and what better place to go food shopping! I brought back a new ravioli cutter and gnocchi board, so stay tuned for their debut!

I have a lot of meatballs on here by now: classic spaghetti and meatballs, tuna meatballs, and chicken meatballs, and I thought it was time for vegetarian meatballs. These were inspired by a couple different recipes I saw across the blogosphere and they disappeared so quickly that I will have to make them again. They’re perfect for a party where meat-eaters and veggies alike will love them.

Lentil Meatballs

2 cups cooked lentils

1 cup drained and rinsed chickpeas

2 eggs

1/2 cup ricotta or goat cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon aleppo pepper

2 tablespoons chopped basil

2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until it creates a paste. Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until they start to brown on top.  Squeeze a whole lemon over them before serving.

Lemon Pesto

3 cups basil

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Juice of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until combined. Spoon over the meatballs or use as a dip on the side.

The last ramps of the season were sitting in my fridge, and what better way to use them up but with some eggs and bacon. I also had some leftover homegrown swiss chard that was given to me, so I threw those in with the ramps. A healthy way to start the day! Of course, there had to be a little bacon jam added but who doesn’t like bacon?

Eggs with Ramps and Bacon Jam

2 eggs

6-8 ramps, sliced in half

1 cup swiss chard (or other leafy green)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons bacon jam

Saute the ramps and swiss chard in the olive oil until they have wilted and caramelized a bit. Remove to a plate. Add the eggs carefully so as not to break the yolks and fry to desired cooking (I like the yolks runny so I leave them sunny side up). Season with salt and pepper and serve on top of the greens with a spoonful of bacon jam. If the jam is straight from the fridge, you can warm it up in the pan.

I suppose the most memorable recipe I’ve posted in the first year of Meatballs & Milkshakes has to be my Shaved Asparagus Salad because it won Best Spring Vegetable recipe on Food52 at this time last year. They have been nice enough to spotlight me here and I can’t say enough good things about their wonderful site.

For Christmas, the Feast of the Seven Fishes was definitely another memorable moment– I made seven fish dishes in one night! And we had delicious chocolate pudding to end the night, it doesn’t get much better.

Some of the recipes that really stick out in my mind over the year are obviously pastas. This linguine bolognese that I made for Valentine’s day was unbelievable and it still makes my mouth water.

This tagliatelle with shrimp and cabbage was a recreation from one of my favorite restaurants, and it got some press over on Serious Eats, another of my favorite blogs.

Of course, it all started with my homemade pappardelle with duck ragu. You can see that hopefully my pictures have improved a bit…the recipes were yummy even then though!

And of course, I made my first pork shoulder, slow roasting it and shredding it for tacos which were a big hit. Who knew pork could be so good!

While we’re talking meat, I can’t forget this beef stew that I made…it was by far the tastiest beef stew ever with amazingly delicious carrots. They soaked up the beef juices are were almost better than the beef itself. Almost.

And of course we can’t forget my obsession with the Flour cookbook this year. I made all sorts of cookies from it, including these yummy oatmeal raisin cookies

and chewy chocolate cookies. I’ve almost baked my way through all the Flour cookies, and they’ve all been amazing. Definitely a go-to cookbook that I recommend buying.

As far as other desserts go, there were a lot of pies but the ones I’m looking forward to again most are these: the mini strawberry rhubarb pies that were great for individual servings straight from the freezer, and the quick berry pie. Both are great for summer and I’m hoping it will be another good one!

I’m off to Italy for a week, but I’ve left a couple posts for you while I’m away….and hopefully I’ll bring back some new Italian inspiration! Bring on the broccoli rabe and orecchiette!