"I got 99 problems but a meal ain't 1"
Self-Taught Vegan Chef :: Food Network Champion :: TV Host
Did you eat Almond Joys or Mounds as a kid (or now, no shame)? Well, I did. I LOVE the combo of coconut and dark chocolate. It’s truly a classic. Coconut gives a tropical feel, while the dark chocolate adds a hint of French decadence. But onto the real topic – stolen bread. I am …
Chef Priyanka readers! Some of you may have noticed that I have been working on a few different things lately, mainly developing sponsored content and most recently freelancing for the Staten Island Advance! I’ll be doing a series of ‘Indian Twists on Italian Classics!’ As you all know, I’m born and bred in Staten Island, …
And the toast trend continues. I’m kind of over avocados – I mean don’t get me wrong, I still love me some ripe avocado and guacamole, but this whole “avocado toast” thing has got to stop. I’ve said this so many times, but PEOPLE can you tell me WHY you are paying $15 for a …
Diwali is right around the corner – literally – it’s in 3 days!! If you don’t know by now (which is shocking if you’ve been following my blog), Diwali is the one of the biggest celebrations and holidays for Indian people. It literally translates to ‘festival of lights.’ It is a celebration of good over …
Ever heard of carpaccio? Many Italian restaurants have it – generally at the higher-end restaurants. Its commonly thinly sliced meat or fish that is served “raw” with some sort of marinade, or it is cured. I’ve never eaten carpaccio before, nor do I have any interest in doing so. The idea of raw meat is …
I see all these towering pancake posts on Instagram. Like – who is spending the time to make these for breakfast?! I can barely wake up in time to do my makeup in the morning, let alone make a towering stack of delicious pancakes. Keyword – delicious. So,, I (or you) may not have time …
Do you remember back to your college days when all you had was a microwave and Maggi Noodle packets? Oh wait, you don’t?! Well that was me. Just as my freshman year roomie (and now forced bff) would say about my Maggi Noodle days. We had one crappy microwave, but is was just good enough …
Not your momma’s lentil soup – that’s for sure! I realized that I don’t cook with legumes as much as I want to. I have grown up (and still do when I go to my parents) eating a lot of legumes – Indians love them legumes! We generally use them in daals (thick soups/stews), in …
A lot of recipe are good enough for 2 people, but sometimes I take the selfish route and make a one person serving. Like when I’m hangry…but want something healthy…but not willing to make TOO many compromises. Wait, that sounds like me everyday, ha! I recently felt like this – shocker – so I decided …
I went to Italy last month – hold up – you didn’t know?! You haven’t seen my 89485948 pics?! Haha!
I visited Italy with my family when I was 6 years old, and although it was a beautiful country then as it is now, we didn’t exactly have a ‘beautiful’ experience. We experienced quite a bit of discrimination because of the color of our skin – weird, eh? So I was left with a very bad taste in my mouth at a very young age. That being said, I was hesitant to travel to Italy this time, but figured I’d give it a shot. One of my good friends had been living in Bologna, and obviously my foodie 6th senses perked up.
Bologna is among some of the foodiest cities in Italy, next to Modena and Parma. I ate my way through Bologna and made my way down to the Amalfi Coast cities. Let me mention at this point – I did not face any discrimination. Italian thought I was either Spanish (Espanola) or Sicilian or just didn’t know, haha!
In Sorrento, we discovered a delicious store that specialized in products of Umbria. Some of Umbria’s specialties include truffles, and black truffles were in season for the summer. So obviously I had to buy some! What I really wanted to do was shave them in my mouth, but I decided to act like a civilized human being, buy a jar and leave.
Truffles are generally very strong, but these fresh truffles are very fragrant – have a subtle truffle flavor, softer texture, and are just all around delicious. I decided to make a simple orzo with these.
Lemon-Garlic Orzo with Black Truffle
1. Place water in a medium pot, spray with a bit of PAM and set over high heat to bring to a boil. Pour in orzo and allow to cook.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add in all of the ingredients except for the olive oil. Whisk together. While slowly whisking, pour in the olive oil until dressing is emulsified and combined.
3. Once the orzo is al dente, strain out the water (but save it!) and place the cooked orzo directly in the bowl of dressing, add in a couple of slices of truffle, and lemon zest and toss to coat. Taste for salt.
4. Serve on its own, with toasted ciabatta, or over arugula!