Category: Main

Dishes that we think of as the main portion of the meal. You might be able to use some as sides, too.

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Dutch Baby Pancake

What an odd name: Dutch Baby Pancake.

Super easy! Super tasty!

We’ve known about Dutch Baby pancakes for years, but we never had one. We knew that they are basically a large popover type dish that you bake in the oven, and for a long time we just figured that if we were going to eat something like popovers, we might as well eat popovers. Then we had a friend tell us about a Cacio e Pepe Dutch Baby that she made and showed us pictures of how well it turned out. With an example like that, we knew we had to try one (Thanks, CL!) . We figured you’d like to try one yourself.

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Buckwheat Pancakes

Slightly nutty, very delicious.

While we’ve not been going many places during the pandemic, we have been trying to keep it interesting at home. For example, most Sunday mornings we have a somewhat special breakfast. Now, we’re not talking a huge breakfast buffet, or anything like that, just something a bit more special (normally we have a bowl of oatmeal with raisins and a bit of our Best-Ever Scratched Granola sprinkled on top). So sometimes we have muffins, and sometimes pancakes, and lately we’ve added in the star of today’s post: buckwheat pancakes.

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Macaroni Gratin

It’s worth bringing out the good china!

Doesn’t Macaroni Gratin sound nice and fancy? Something you might get at an upscale restaurant. Of course, you and I know that Macaroni Gratin is pretty much Mac ‘n’ Cheese. Well, not that neon yellow sauce- coated macaroni that some pass off as Mac ‘n’ Cheese (yes, of course, we’ve had that kind, too). This recipe for Macaroni Gratin is far more upscale, and you wouldn’t really make it for the kiddies, either, as you definitely need to put effort into making this version.

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Potatchos (Potato Nachos)

A new invention perhaps: potatchos!

If you’ve ever visited with Rob, you’re likely to have had Rob’s Famous Baked Nachos, and, if you’re lucky, you’ve been able to watch as Rob prepares them. It’s a great treat, watching as Rob pulls out the special nacho pan, spreads the chips just so, then starts in on deciding on the toppings for that particular batch. There are always some items that are standard, some that change depending on availability, and a variance in the amounts of each. The nachos are never the same twice, but, they’re always great.

Now, we, being scratchers, rarely make baked nachos at home — we’d have to make corn tortillas, then slice and deep fry them to make chips, then finally put together nachos for the oven. But, we have come up with an alternative that we think will satisfy anyone’s craving for nachos. Trust us, we had to have them twice in one week; they were that good.

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Pear, Gorgonzola, and Walnut Agnolotti

Wow! Super tasty!

Before we go further, please note that we won’t cover how to make agnolotti (the easiest filled pasta shape ever) in this post. Yes, we know that it’s in the title, but, this post is really about making the filling for the agnolotti, not making the agnolotti itself. If you think this is unfair, rest easy; we have a tutorial on shaping agnolotti (and instructions for a whole bunch of other shapes of pasta), so you can make them, too.

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Risotto al Pomodoro (Tomato Risotto)

Creamy, steamy, cheesy, comfort.

What’s your favorite comfort food? Mac ‘n’ cheese? Grilled cheese sandwiches? Tomato soup and rice? Well, move all of those off to the side and meet your new comfort food: Risotto al Pomodoro. If you’ve had risotto, that creamy, cheesy, infinitely variable Italian dish, you already know that it’s a 10 on the patent-pending comfort-o-meter. This tomato-based risotto turns the comfort dial up another notch.

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Potato Frittata (Frittata di Patate)

With just a few staples: dinner!

When we get back from a trip, our cupboard is pretty bare. Before we leave, we try to eat all the fresh produce and anything that might spoil while we’re gone, so, when we get home, there’s very little in the refrigerator or on the shelves to make a dinner. At times, we think that maybe we should just order out a pizza and worry more about making meals later. But, during our travels, we’ve been eating out most nights; the last thing we want to do is get some sub-par takeaway food. With a little thought, we come up with something that will keep us filled and fueled.

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