TURKISH HOT LAYERED HUMMUS

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Turkish hot layered hummus recipe - Panning The Globe

Here’s a dish I’ve been dreaming about for the past year and a half: Turkish hot layered hummus. It was one of the most surprising and memorable dishes I had on my culinary tour of Istanbul.  It was served at lunch as a meze (small plate) at a wonderful popular Istanbul restaurant called Kantin.  They’re know for their homey rustic dishes created from fresh, local, seasonal ingredients.  The ingredients are so fresh, in fact, that there’s no printed menu.  You don’t know what you’ll get until you arrive and see the daily offerings, freshly written on a chalkboard on the wall. Continue »

DUTCH STAMPPOT

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Dutch Stamppot: kale and potato mash with smoked sausages

Stamppot is quintessential Dutch fare – a kale and potato mash with sausages on top. If you’re in Holland or Amsterdam in the cooler months, you’re likely to find stamppot on restaurant menus, where the potatoes are mashed with bacon and curly endive, and piled onto a plate with a large Rookworst (Dutch sausage) draped over the top.  Or you might find a version with a carrot-onion-potato mash under a large slab of bacon.  You get the idea. For this recipe I picked kale for the mash – mainly because it’s healthy and I love it! Continue »

HEALTHY SPICY SHEPHERDS PIE

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healthy shepherds pie recipe

Shepherds pie is a savory meat pie with a mashed potato crust. I love that concept!! The recipe originated in Britain in the mid 1800’s as an affordable dish for the poor. Back in the day it was a practical recipe – a way to make use of leftover cooked meat. When made with beef, it’s was called “cottage pie” (named for the small cottages the poor folks lived in) and with lamb it was, fittingly, called shepherds’ pie. The meat was minced and topped with potatoes, which had become a reliable and affordable crop.  These once lowly meat pies are now widely adored and are served even in palaces.  According to longtime royal cook Darren McGrady, this dish has been a lifelong favorite of prince William, who began eating it as a puree when he was just a baby.

I’ve made some changes to the traditional shepherds pie recipe to take the calories and unhealthy fats down and amp up the flavor. I’ve packed the pie with chopped carrots, onions and red peppers, which are sautéed to bring out their natural sweetness.  The vegetables are mixed with sautéed lamb and topped with a fluffy layer of mashed potatoes (made with no cream or butter). The spice is kicked up with cayenne pepper. The pie is gluten-free and dairy-free too! Continue »

PANNING THE GLOBE’S TOP 10 RECIPES of 2014

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Chicken Adobo - Panning The Globes top recipes

The holiday season was an excited, hurried blur.  I loved it but it whizzed by so fast and I feel like my feet never quite touched the ground. I had three New Year’s Eve appetizer recipes developed, cooked, and photographed, but I never had time to get them up on the blog!

Before I charge ahead into another busy year I want to stop and reflect a bit on things.  Mostly I want to say how grateful I feel for being able to do what I love to do – to cook, photograph food, write about food, and engage with people about food. Thank you for visiting Panning The Globe this past year and for your thoughtful comments.  A food blog isn’t complete without comments from people who’ve tried the recipes. And because I love (live!) to make people happy with food, when I hear that you enjoyed a recipe, it’s like cooking for friends and hearing their  happy “mmms” and “yummmms” after they take a bite – the best!

I’ve got lots of great new recipes to share in 2015, but first here’s a little look back at the recipes on this site that drummed up the most excitement and enthusiasm this past year. Below you’ll see photos with links to Panning The Globe’s top 10 recipes of 2014.

Here’s to a happy healthy 2015!

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PÂTÈ GRAND-MÈRE

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recipe for pate grand-mere - panning the globe

This is my first foray into making pâté. I’ve always thought of pâté as an elaborate French delicacy, beyond the scope of the home chef.  On my recent visit to Formaggio Kitchen I was treated to a sample of their house-made pâtés. The flavors and textures were so unbelievably rich and complex. I started thinking (hoping!) that I might possibly be able to meet the chef and get a recipe. My wish came true! Continue »

THE ULTIMATE CHEESE PLATTER!

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the ultimate cheese platter - panning the globe

Do you agree that cheese is one of the world’s most irresistible foods? Just the sight of a soft brie or camembert, melting out of its rind, inspires passion!  For entertaining, a fabulous cheese platter is one of the easiest, most exquisite things you can serve – so many exotic flavors, textures and aromas on one plate – something to please every palate.

So how do you choose the cheeses for your platter?  If you’re like me, you’ve been overwhelmed by a case filled with a sea of cheeses.  I always enjoy reading the charming little blurbs about the farms or the animals that the cheeses came from – but I still don’t know which ones to buy.  Year after year I end up with many of the same familiar cheeses – like Robiola and La Tur.  They are always great, but I’ve missed out on trying what’s new or fresh or super exciting or perfectly ripe!  This year I asked my favorite cheese experts, at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge,  for some help putting together my ultimate cheese platter. Then I took the cheeses they recommended and enlisted the help of two creative foodie friends for styling advice.  I’ll show you what they came up with to inspire you to take your cheese platter to a new level of excitement!

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EASY POTATO LATKES

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easy potato latke recipe

You don’t often (ever?) hear the word “easy” associated with making potato latkes, but I’m happy to share this recipe for delicious,  oniony, crunchy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside potato latkes, that are easy to make!

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SICILIAN TURKEY MEATLOAF with POTATOES CAPERS and WINE

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sicilian turkey meatloaf recipe

Meatloaf may be one of the most iconic American dishes, yet it’s also a popular dish across the globe. Dozens of countries have their own version. In Italy meatloaf is called polpettone, which means ‘Big Meatball’ – an exciting and comforting concept!

Lately I’ve been cooking my way through one of my old cookbooks – Foods of Sicily and Sardinia. When I came across a recipe for Sicilian style turkey meatloaf, it called out to me and I had to adapt it for PTG.  I love the use of cooked potatoes to soften and bind the turkey.  I adore the lively fresh flavors of garlic, parsley and capers. It’s an elegant departure from the typical ketchup and breadcrumb meatloaf (not that I don’t love that one too!). Continue »

CARROTS COOKED IN WINE

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carrots cooked in wine

Before I disappear from the blogosphere for few days to spend time with my family for our Thanksgiving holiday, I want to leave you with this beautiful, simple, healthy recipe for carrots cooked in wine.  It’s a Sicilian recipe that I’ve adapted from an old cookbook called Foods of Sicily and Sardinia and the Smaller Islands.  It takes less than a half hour to cook this dish, and it would be a great addition to the Thanksgiving table or to any table.  Continue »

TURKEY KREPLACH SOUP #SundaySupper

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Turkey Kreplach Soup Recipe

Leftovers.  Sometimes they seem like ‘yesterday’s same old same old.’  Sometimes they inspire.  I think Thanksgiving leftovers inspire!  Leftover turkey, for example, has so much potential to be transformed into something new and even more exciting than its original incarnation.  I could list so many ideas, but I have something even better than ideas:  at the end of this post – after the recipe for turkey kreplach soup and a bonus recipe for  quick potato knishes, you’ll find links to 45 other fabulous Thanksgiving leftovers recipes – brought to you by the talented food bloggers of the Sunday Supper Movement.

I think you’ll be covered for all of your Thanksgiving leftovers recipe needs!

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BLUE CHEESE and SAGE ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH APPETIZER

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Adapted from Tina Nordström’s Scandinavian Cooking

Roasted Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese Appetizer - Panning The Globe

There are so many things I love about this dish – not just the deliciousness: the great colors, the wonderful shapes, fresh seasonal ingredients, the combo of healthy and decadent, the rustic excitement of being cooked yet still in its raw form, the fact that it’s easy to assemble and throw in the oven.  Also, I always love a dish that draws a crowd around it – this one does! Continue »

SPICY YOGURT MARINATED TURKEY and OXO TURKEY DAY GIVEAWAY

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spicy yogurt marinated turkey recipe - panning the globe

If I tell you how many turkeys I’ve roasted in the past 2 weeks – promise not to laugh?  I think I’ll wait ’til the end to tell you – better if you hear the whole story first.  But I will tell you that the result of my two-week turkey preoccupation resulted in this tasty, tender, spicy yogurt marinated turkey.  It’s a Turkish-inspired recipe with bright and zesty flavors of yogurt, lemon, garlic and Aleppo pepper.

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SHREDDED PAN BROWNED BRUSSELS SPROUTS with CRISPY FRIED SHALLOTS

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Adapted from Cooking Light

brussels sprouts with shallots

I love when vegetables take center stage.  I’m always on the lookout for great vegetable recipes.  Here’s one that I just found in the November Cooking Light Magazine, and I’ve already made it three times. I plan to make it again for Thanksgiving, if not before: shredded pan-browned brussels sprouts with crispy fried shallots.   Continue »

JAMAICAN CURRIED CHICKEN STEW with RUM and MANGO

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Curried Chicken Stew Recipe

Imagine floating in the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean. You’re relaxing to the rhythm of Reggae music, sipping an ice cold fruity rum drink. The whole beautiful day lies ahead of you, with nothing to do but enjoy your surroundings – the turquoise sea, swaying palm trees, a good book, something bright and spicy for dinner… That’s how I would describe Jamaica – It’s one of my family’s favorite destinations.  Food has its own special way of transporting us to far away places, and this curried chicken stew with rum and mango takes me right to Jamaica. Continue »

NO NOODLE EGGPLANT LASAGNA

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no noodle eggplant lasagna recipe by panning the globe

I’ll let you in on a little secret that only my family knows – I develop an addictive personality when there’s lasagna in the house.  I joke that I can’t be left alone with lasagna – but it’s really no joke – I can’t focus on anything for more than five minutes before I’m headed to the fridge to slice off “just a little taste”.  That goes on all day until the lasagna is gone and I’m crashing from an overdose of carbs, meat and cheese!  So sadly, I rarely make lasagna.

But a few days ago a lightbulb popped on in my head about a way that I could make my favorite dish a lot more light and healthy. So instead of panning the globe, I spent the week experimenting in the kitchen. (My family and neighbors ate lots of lasagna this week!) The happy result is No Noodle Eggplant Lasagna. Continue »

MOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP: HARIRA

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moroccan lentil soup recipe - Panning The Globe

I’m a very big fan of this Moroccan Lentil Soup. It’s got so much to love – it’s thick and creamy, hearty, healthy and colorful, and it’s flavored by the beautiful, warm, fragrant spices that characterize Moroccan cuisine.

I discovered this soup a couple of weeks ago when I attended a cooking class on “Mediterranean Street Food” at Sofra Bakery and Cafe in Cambridge.  My cooking teacher that night – Cara Chigazola - is the Chef de Cuisine at one of my all-time favorite restaurants – Oleana - also in Cambridge.  I was thrilled that Cara gave me the recipe and permission to share it here on Panning The Globe! Continue »

INDIAN LAMB BIRYANI

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lamb-biryani-6

I had a very biryani week.  Biryani is an Indian curry and rice casserole that I’ve been hearing about, thinking about, maybe even dreaming about – for a long time.  Finally, this past week, I immersed myself in it.  It started when I was invited by a friend to take a cooking class at Whole Foods and I got to choose the dish we cooked. I picked biryani. We learned to make a very tasty, quick biryani with boneless chicken and precooked rice.  After that I came home and pulled every international cookbook and Indian cookbook off my shelves… I scoured the internet….and the cooking began.  My (poor? lucky?) family had Biryani for dinner three nights in a row – lamb, chicken, lamb.  The lamb was the unanimous winner.  This is definitely not of the “quick and easy” genre of recipes, but it’s SO worth the effort! Continue »

THE HONEY HARVEST and a recipe for HONEY ROASTED PINEAPPLE with YOGURT and PISTACHIOS

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honey roasted pineapple by Panning The Globe

It was a sleepy sunday morning in August. I had just returned from a long sunny walk with my dog Baxter, and was filling his water bowl.  I had no idea what an exciting day it was about to be.  As I was grabbing my coffee – newspaper in hand – my cell phone rang.  It was my friend Sheryl. “What are you doing right now?!?  (nothing) You should grab your camera and come to my neighbor’s house!  She’s having her yearly honey harvest.  It’s amazing!!!”  So I did, and it was.

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GARLICKY ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH #SundaySupper

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butternut-roasted-1

Winter squash has taken its prominent place in the market – every colorful variety: pumpkin, carnival, delicata, acorn, hubbard, and butternut (just to name a few).  I’m a huge fan of roasting vegetables all fall and winter long, and it’s the sudden sight of all that gorgeous colorful squash that gets me pulling out the roasting pans. Butternut squash is a great candidate for roasting. Continue »