Home At Last! with Patty Gironda

Click on the "Watch A Show" tab above this post and enjoy a trip to the Sweet Grass Artisan Cheese facility. Also, I'm showcasing the use of garden-fresh tomatoes I use in a favorite pasta with a silky, tangy goat cheese!   Sweet Grass Dairy

I find myself going back to the same conversation about saving money and time. . .and still creating delicious, healthy meals at home. The gnocchi that I made early in the week were somewhat of a "cheat". I just can't indulge every craving and have to make substitutions that still deliver the results we have come to expect from eating out. The substitution in my cream sauce was homemade vegetable stock, a tablespoon of flour and a little half and half and a bit more 2% milk. AND, a great German whisk that makes a ultra smooth sauce of anything! It takes practice-but I challange anyone to really taste the difference. There is so much flavor, texture and substance that it really doesn't seem like much of a sacrifice! Tonight's meal was my leftover cream sauce, Goya White Beans (delicious) and canned black olives. Most of the added flavor came from slivered fresh garlic and the addition of my own garlic olive oil. The pasta was whole grain angel hair; one of the...

  Looking through pictures today I stumbled upon some favorite images from Tuscany; including my friend's ragu simmering on the stovetop of their tiny kitchen in the back of the grocery store owned by Ombretta's family. Every treasured photo album of Tuscan vacations includes images of delicious foods proudly showcased by village markets, restaurants and chefs-including several images in my slide show. Deep in the Chianti region we dined on the chef's recommendation of a wild boar ragu and wonderfully crisp polenta. Of course this is exactly the type of memory that triggers meals that I will recreate through-out the year-including tonight's dinner-Ragu of Sweet Sausage, Porcinis and Asiago Cheese. Another building process, I start the ragu with olive oil and fresh sweet sausage-searing the sausage with the casing on to ensure tender meat. I sear the sausage for about 8 minutes-cool it down and remove the sausage from the casing. I deglaze the pan with red wine and q...