Place all ingredients in a Vitamix, blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth.
Taste for seasoning, and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice as you prefer.
When serving, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle paprika or chopped fresh mint or parsley. Serve with pita wedges, pita chips, chunks of crusty bread, focaccia or vegetables.
Notes
KTINA’S TIPS
I prefer the Vitamix or blender as it makes a smoother hummus.
If the mixure seizes up while processing, you may need to add a little more water or lemon juice.
A crumble of Feta cheese and drizzle of Pomegranate Molasses is a tasty serving suggestion.
For Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, add 2 roasted red peppers, peeled and seeded. You can use jarred peppers, but freshly roasted peppers on the grill create a fresher, smokier taste.
Experiment with other combinations . . .add a 1/2 cup of Cilantro or Basil leaves (omit the cumin), a jalepeno pepper, pitted Kalamata Olives, etc.
3Hot Italian Sausages,removed from casings and broken into 1” pieces
1poundBroccolini or Broccoli Rabe florets andstems cut into 1” pieces (4 cups)
½tspCrushed Red Pepper Flakes
¼CupExtra Virgin Olive Oil,total
¼CupWhite Wine
1CupParmigiano Reggiano,grated
250GramsOrrechiette1/2 pound
Instructions
Bring 6 quarts of water to boil in a pasta pot with 1 ½ TBSP of Salt. Cook orrechiette according to directions until al dente, 12-15 minutes.
In a large saute pan, brown the sausage in 1 TBSP oil over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks. If very lean, you may need to add another TBSP of oil. Remove from the pan.
In the same pan, add 1-2 TBSP oil (depending on how much remained from sausage), reduce heat to medium and add the red pepper flakes and garlic and give a quick stir, being sure not to let the garlic brown. Add the broccolini and stir fry to coat in the oil.
Increase heat to medium high and add the wine, give a quick stir to deglaze, scraping up the bits and cover. Allow to steam for 1 minute and remove from heat. It should be bright green but still crunchy.
Return sausage to the pan. When the pasta is ready, bring heat to medium.
Drain the pasta and add to the sausage and broccolini, along with 1-2 TBSP pasta water. Add the cheese , ¼ tsp black pepper and stir together until well blended and the cheese has melted.
Serve immediately with a fresh grating of cheese and drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
KTINA’S TIPS
This works equally as well with pork, chicken or turkey sausage.
You may need to brown the chicken or turkey sausage with a bit more oil if it is super lean.
Substitute Mild Italian Sausage if you prefer less spice.
You can use regular broccoli, but broccolini or broccoli rabe provide a bit more texture and a stronger flavor that really stands up to the sausage and cheese.
Orecchiette should be available at most major supermarket chains. I personally like a brand called Rusticella d’Abbruzzo which can be found at Whole Foods, Plum Market and other shops that carry more artisanal ingredients. DeCecco and Barilla are brands that are widely available.
To make the simple syrup, whisk together equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan and boil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow to cool completely before using. This will keep for weeks in the refrigerator.
Run a lime wedge around Martini (straight up) or Old Fashioned (rocks) glasses and dip the rims in Kosher salt. If serving on the rocks, fill each glass with crushed ice (if you don’t have an machine, place ice in a Ziploc bag and smash with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer).
Pour the liquors, juices, bitters and simple syrup into a pitcher and give a quick stir to blend. You may do this in advance until ready to serve.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add ½ cup of Margarita mix. Shake well and pour into prepared glasses.
Garnish with a Blood Orange slice or lime wedge.
Notes
**For Individual Margaritas, use 2 ounces Tequila, 1 ounce Solerno (or Cointreau), 1 ounce of each juice, ½ tsp of simple syrup and 6 shakes of Bitters.
Keyword Blood Orange, Compound Santa Fe, Margaritas, Santa Fe Margarita Trail
The Bunker Hill Monument, Charlestown; Paul Revere, Old North Church and Italian Pastry shops in the North End, Boston.
If you’ve ever visited Boston, chances are you have taken the Freedom Trail, the 2.5 mile walking tour that winds its way from Boston Common and the Massachusetts State House to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, passing 16 landmarks that are historically significant to the birth of the United States. After departing Faneuil Hall, you arrive in the North End, home to Paul Revere’s House and the Old North Church (1 if by land, 2 if by sea) which warned of the impending British invasion, and then cross the bridge to Charlestown and the USS Constitution and Bunker Hill Monument.
Cinco de Mayo is a big deal in Chicago where we have one of the largest Mexican populations in the US. This may seem surprising given Chicago’s location in the center of the country and over a thousand miles from the border. So, why is there such a large Mexican population here? The reason is jobs. Chicago was a growing industrial hub with a railway network that allowed for easy access to immigrants fleeing political unrest in Mexico and southern Blacks seeking more opportunity than was available in the rural south. Today, the south and west sides are predominantly Mexican and Black as a result. I could go to the markets in Little Village or Pilsen for tomatillos, cilantro, masa harina or tortillas, but even the standard chains usually have these ingredients in abundance, such is the popularity of Mexican cuisine.
In a small glass or metal bowl, pour the warm water over the yeast and honey. Whisk to blend and then let sit for 10-15 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
In a large bowl, add the flour, salt and rosemary and give a quick whisk to blend.
When the yeast is foamy, pour over the flour mixture and mix together with a rubber spatula until all of the flour is blended and there are no streaks, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom, of the bowl. The dough will be very wet and shaggy.
Pour 4 TBSP of the oil into a very large bowl. Add the dough mixture and toss to coat in the oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place a plate on top and allow to rise for 4 hours in a warm place, such as the stove top.
After 4 hours: Butter a 13” x 8” baking pan (wih 3” sides, such as one you would bake brownies in) and drizzle 1 TBSP of the oil in the bottom.
The dough should have double or tripled in size and look very bubbly. Wearing vinyl kitchen gloves, pull the dough from the far side of the bowl and fold toward the near side of the bowl. Turn the bowl a quarter of the way around and repeat until you have gone all the way around (4x). Repeat for 2 more rotations and gently place in the prepared pan.
Allow the dough to rise for another 4 hours uncovered.
The dough should rise over the pan and seem like it is about to pour over the sides. With your fingers, press into the dough, as if you a punching on piano keys. There should be little crags and indentations. Allow the dough to rise another 30 minutes to an hour.
Preheat the oven to 450*. While the oven is preheating, drizzle the last TBSP of oil over the dough and sprinkle with sea salt flakes (and additional chopped rosemary if you like). Allow to rest until the oven is at temperature.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden/dark brown on top. Depending on your oven, check at 20 minutes to make sure it hasn’t cooked to quickly.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes then remove from the pan with a spatula and move to a cooling rack.
Notes
KTINA’S TIPS
Skip the Rosemary for a delicious plain focaccia.
This makes a thick focaccia which would work for sandwiches or bruschetta.
Make sure to use a good quality olive oil, as it gives a wonderful flavor to the bread.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with other herb combinations, or try adding olives after the punch down, being sure to allow to rise for an hour before baking.
Cut a slice and toast it to use as a crouton for French Onion Soup.
A trip to the Asian markets yields ingredients for Thai curry pastes
When you have a taste for Thai food, usually you simply order for delivery, right? Pad Thai, Green Curry Chicken, Red Curry Beef, Tom Yum Soup, Satay with Peanut Sauce all can be delivered within about 30 minutes for a taste bud tingling, and usually inexpensive dinner from your favorite local Thai restaurant. They are plentiful in most big cities with a diverse population, which is certainly the case in Chicago as well as London, where we lived for 5 years. London was ahead of the US in food delivery, with any type of ethnic food readily available for delivery when you had a taste for something a bit exotic and didn’t feel like cooking . . . Thai, Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, you name it in the cultural melting pot that is London, could be at your door quickly and easily with a quick phone call. And if you felt like going out for it, there were no end of choices, from casual spots to Michelin starred restaurants.
Here it is, 8 weeks into the Stay Home order during the Corona Virus pandemic of 2020, when I embarked upon my cook book project and starting posting what I’ve been cooking to FaceBook and Instagram. While I’ve been creating and trying new things in the kitchen, I am now firmly in the “Learn Something New” camp with this site and blog. As a bit of a perfectionist, I had rationalized that the delay in getting to the first post was to be more proficient and make sure everything was looking and working right. It dawned on me that is was pure procrastination and it could end up going the way of those many false starts at writing a cook book in the past. I had registered the site, designed the logo, took the tutorial and announced that I was going to do this and then froze as I realized I may have bitten off a bit more than I had anticipated. Well, I put the pressure on myself knowing I’d need it for the motivation, so like Nike says, it’s time to JUST DO IT!
If my project is going to result in a book, it will need a title, right? My friend Marie, who has been one of my biggest cheerleaders (and yes, we were both cheerleaders back in the day), was brainstorming and tossing out ideas. Since my initials are KK, and some people call me that (as I can’t stand when the last syllable is dropped from Kristina) she was suggesting things like “Kristina Kuisine” and “Kooking with Kristina”. . . I know I can be a little kooky, but that just didn’t ring right. My brother in law suggested “Cooking in the Time of Corona”, but I just couldn’t embrace that, even if it was the impetus for getting the project off the ground. My sister in law, Julia, married to my good friend John Lynch from BC, proposed “Duv Cooks Like a Lady’, based on my college nickname (Duvall being my maiden name) and the Aerosmith song they used to sing to me “Duv Looks Like a Lady”. I’m Auntie Duv to their 3 boys, and it is a cute family joke, but it didn’t seem to have broad enough appeal to those that aren’t in the know. The wheels kept on churning and I realized it was right in front of me … quite literally, in email and Instagram accounts. I have used Ktina (Kay-tina) ever since college when I worked at The Mooring Restaurant on Cape Cod and the kitchen needed to differentiate between 4 of us named Kristina, Christina, Kristine & Christine. We became K-tina, C-tina, Krissy & Chris. Friends from my first 2 years at BC will recall that I went by Kris until that summer when I migrated to my full name and never went back. A quick web search revealed that while someone was using Kristina’s Kitchen, no one was using Ktina’s Kitchen, and the domain was available on WordPress…Done!
Next up was to design a logo. Fortunately, WordPress directed me to a site that helps with this. After answering a few questions and selecting a few images I like, they sent me a few designs to choose from . I was able to edit colors and fonts. I wanted something clean that wouldn’t detract from the food. I selected the colors based on the accent colors in both Chicago (red) and Cape Cod (blue) homes. My slogan, FOOD * FUN * FAMILY * FRIENDS sums up how I feel about cooking and what’s important to me. I love going out to dinner, but having someone to your home is so much more intimate and I love bringing groups of friends together. Chances are we will start, or even spend the entire meal, in the kitchen. Honestly, it’s usually because I’m still pulling things together having tried to squeeze in a little too much. The picture on my home page is of a painting that hangs in our kitchen and seems to embody the slogan.
And so the Ktina’s Kitchen experiment begins. I hope you will follow along and enjoy the ride. I will post recipes and hope you will try them and provide feedback so that I can make modifications as necessary.
Thank you to my family and friends who have encouraged me to do this, most especially my wonderful husband, Dennis who is the chief taster and dishwasher. There’s no one I’d rather be stuck at home with.
KTINA’S TIPS 
