Pre-cooked chicken, pasta and vegetables are baked in a creamy cheese sauce. Don’t let the Italian name fool you, this dish was actually invented by Ernest Arbogast, chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in honour of a famous opera star. At the height of her career as a sellout draw at opera houses…
Category: Precooked Ingredients
Save time and create a whole new meal using precooked ingredients
This oven baked stuffing recipe goes well with roast chicken. Cook it in the oven alongside your chicken and you have the perfect companion for a fall or winter meal. This past fall, I visited the early 18th century windmill at Pointe du Moulin just west of Montreal and it made me appreciate how our…
The fabled highlands of Scotland – rugged, misty and cool most of the year. After a day of boating on the loch or exploring medieval castles, there is nothing better to warm your insides than a hearty Scotch broth. This hearty soup is great for lunch on a chilly day. It’s also a perfect way…
There are many variations of Goulash, whose origins are found in the hearty stew that was made by Hungarian cattle herders known as puszta. As they drove their cattle to markets across eastern Europe, their recipe followed them. Many variations of the Hungarian Gulyásleves remain popular today especially in the territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire (which…
This is one of my favourite ways to use up cooked turkey breast and often gets made the day after a big Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. This one dish meal is packed with everything to bring excitement to that dry leftover white meat. The recipe is an adaptation of Chicken Tetrazzini whose origins may surprise…
This one dish meal is a fantastic way to use up leftover ham. It includes a tasty combination of potatoes, vegetables and a cheesy sauce.
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Festive Frittata
While traditional Italian frittata is skillet fried similar to an omelette, this version is baked in a shallow casserole dish. Since this recipe includes bread, baking allows time for the liquid to be absorbed. With some garnishing on top, the resulting presentation is both festive and easy to serve.
You’ve just asked your party guests to sit down for the main meal when you scan the appetizers and see that you have an uneaten shrimp ring and a partly eaten veggie platter. Before these prepared treasures sit out too long, put them in the fridge so that you can give them a reprieve and…
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Hearty Minestrone
The first time I read an Italian-only menu, I noticed a category called minestre where various soups were listed. Later, I learned that Italian cuisine has zuppa, originating as a meager peasant’s ration of broth served with bread and the more hearty minestre. The most hearty of them all, minestrone, is a soup with broth, vegetables and pasta or…
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Ranchero Eggs
Hueveos Rancheros, as they are known in Spanish, is a perfect brunch dish for Mexican food lovers. You can either use small tortillas or Charras Tostadas as shown here. This dish is a great way to use up yesterday’s pico de gallo.