Robin photobombs this picture of me and her mother-in-law as we chop away in the kitchen.

I had visitors from South America this weekend—JC’s mother and sister who live in Bogota, Colombia.  I’ve enjoyed a number of good meals in their home and country, especially homemade arepas—a delicacy that Robin and JC sometimes make. 

On the Menu

Chicken Parmesan

Since I had to work around a few Lenten diets, as well as food allergies for the evening meal at the farm, I went with a basic recipe: Chicken Parmesan. Few ingredients, easy and tasty. The chicken had a nice crunch after having been dipped first in flour, then an egg-water combination, and finally a Panko-Parmesan mixture.

I sometimes add tomato sauce and shredded Mozzarella atop and slip the cooked chicken into the oven until the cheese melts. But this time I kept with just a squeeze of lemon that gave a clean, pleasant tang to the parboiled pieces. 

Stay Calm and Carrot On

I also served carrots, a versatile vegetable that dresses up nicely for company. In food magazines, carrots are often shown with a bit of top still attached, giving a colorful, artsy look to the dish.

Carrot ready to be parboiled before going into the oven.

I’d planned to make the carrot recipe from Chef J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, that includes harissa paste and creme fraiche, but couldn’t find my harissa paste. Agggh! Hate it when that happens. I considered another recipe that uses rum, honey and butter.

But in the end, I turned the dish over to Robin, who brushed the root vegetable with oil, added a dash of salt/pepper, slivered green onions, toasted pistachios and a sprinkle of thyme. She served it in our oven-to-table, black La Chambra bowl from Colombia. 

Can you stand another picture of carrots? They’re such fun to photograph.

Roasted Carrots, sliced green onions, thyme, and toasted pistachio nuts.

Shells, Socca and More

Cyndy recommended a colorful side dish that she has served guests: Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Jumbo Pasta Shells topped with a tomato sauce. It tastes like lasagna, she said, but without the meat. She was right; everyone loved it! To cut corners, I used Rao Marinara Sauce, the favorite of America’s Test Kitchen. 

Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Jumbo Pasta Shells

Robin also cooked some Socca bread made with chickpea flour and a favorite street food in southern France. We gobbled it up before dinner.

Ken Alford’s newly developed loaf: Brioche with marmalade and orange streusel from Worthy Bread is a treat anytime.

Since cookies cross the language barrier nicely, I threw together a batch of Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip Cookies.  The two desserts of the evening: Strawberry Cake and French Patisserie Fruit Tart will be featured in my next post.

Mother and son in the kitchen