No. 511Recipe Card Posted on Leave a comment

Marsala Olive Oil Cake

Marsala Olive oil Cake Bijouxs Little Jewels

Bijouxs has lots of love for Olive Oil cakes. Baking got me through the days of cooking confinement. Thank goodness that is all behind us. I bring you Marsala Olive Oil Cake, another Little Jewel from the Kitchen.

OLIVE OIL CAKE

Marsala Olive Oil Cake is a version of the the now famous olive oil cake, Torta di Olio, from Maialino Restaurent in NYC. I posted my citrus take on that cake here. I love to see recipes get passed around, and changed, as happens many times with most of us who cook. Just a little more of this and less of that. I saw this cake by Chef Camilla Marcus, via Eye Swoon and adapted it. Just what I needed another olive oil cake recipe! One reason I love these sturdy olive oil cakes it that they are not a bit fussy and one-bowl wonders. I chose Marsala for the fotified wine, I feel Marsala is under utilized for baking. Marsala was a popular cooking wine back when I started my food education. 

Marsala Olive oil Cake |Bijouxs Little Jewels

RECIPE ARCHIVE

This cake is a recipe I photographed during the dark days of the confinement. I was able to get some groceries delivered so I kept calm and cooked.  Was it really two years ago? I built quite an archive during that period, with about 20 more recipes that are waiting to be shared. “Cooking can keep a person who tries sane” this truth from John Irving.

So, let’s keep cooking with Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen.

 

No. 398Recipe Card Posted on Leave a comment

Crispy & Cheesy Roasted Fennel

Crispy Cheesy Roasted Fennel

Happy Spring Holidays. We are still going to celebrate, even though many of us are on our own this year. Most definitely a different kind of holiday, but food creates comfort and reminds us how grateful we are for our lives. Crispy Cheesy Roasted Fennel is on the menu. Yes, it’s crispy-buttery and full of spices, cooking at home, always a little jewel. Continue reading Crispy & Cheesy Roasted Fennel

No. 256Recipe Card Posted on 1 Comment

Chicken alla Cacciatora

Chicken alla Cacciatora | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Big Night cooking…it’s all about the sauce. Chicken alla Cacciatora, yes, an old school classic, a simple, family-style way with a chicken. Bijouxs la dolce vita!

One of my favorite food movies is “Big Night” and I can’t help but think of it whenever I cook a family favorite, Chicken alla Cacciatora (chicken in honor of the hunter’s wife). Leave it to the Italians to create the most fabulously simple food and this recipe is no exception. What you will need is a chicken, an onion, garlic, a can of tomatoes and oh, yes of course a bit of white wine. Result? A tender stew with fall-off-the-bone chicken, plus a healthy serving of sauce to embellish rice or pasta. Simple right?

Cooking from the heart and memory is a joy. You might have grown up with a version of the dish too. This is a flexible recipe, that is, I adjust the oil needed based on the size of onion, adjust garlic to taste, etc. The technique works with other meats as well to create a substantial sauce for Sunday night. With only a 45-minute stovetop stew, a budget chicken becomes a memorable, family-style meal, sending off an aroma throughout the house that just begs the pot to be opened and tasted.

I serve Chicken alla Cacciatora family style on a large platter, extra sauce on the side, and a bowl of fluffy white rice with fresh parsley. Of course, this dish is even better reheated the next day, if you can wait.

Wishing you a big night from the Bijouxs.