Tag Archives: tortellini

Aug10

Making dinner at home in Cassis

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Wednesday, 10-July-2024


I really am starting to love tortellini, you know that?

Okay, hear me out. It’s simple, it’s got all your major macros, it doesn’t really need many spices, and the Tortellini in Europe is shelf-stable. It’s a really good meal base to pick up while travelling long-term, when you don’t want to buy spices and such but do want to cook a meal at home every once in a while.

I first found them in Iceland, rocked ’em in Warsaw… and now, my Mom, Steve, and I rocked them in Cassis too!

Steve was our hunter – braving the French grocery store in order to return the required parts of the meal. I was the chef, combining them and plating everything. My Mom was the sous chef, assisting and helping me keep everything on-time and in order. Together, we made a rather excellent meal!

Was it complicated? Well… no. Not at all.

Was it delicious, though? Well, I’ll post some photos here so you can see… but yes. Yes it was, and I was very proud of that fact. Huzza!



Now, a quick recipe, for those travelling who may enjoy a simple meal that can be procured pretty much everywhere in Europe, and requires only a single pot (though I also used a skillet):

  • Tortellini – I prefer proscuitto or chicken fillings, but cheese works quite well
  • Broccoli – Easy to find, chopped up to taste
  • Tomatoes – Really any type, just cut up to be about the size of your thumb, maybe
  • Prosciutto – optional, but adds a nice saltiness to the meal
  • Parmesan cheese – optional, but it just makes everything better

Directions:
Cook the tortellini per instructions, taking it off the boil about 3min early. (Optional: fry up the Prosciutto in a pan, removing it once it’s crispy but leaving the rendered grease in the pan to season the broccoli.) Steam the broccoli with some of the leftover water from the tortellini, and make sure to strain out the rest of the tortellini. Don’t leave it to soak in the water! Toss in the Tortellini, tomatoes, and Parm cheese if you’re using it, and once the broccoli is firm but cooked then serve!

And, uhh… if you don’t have a bowl big enough, don’t be afraid to get creative. Like putting the broccoli in a flower vase.

Not that I’d know.

Jul13

Cooking at “home” in Poland!

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Wednesday, 19-June-2024, and Thursday, 20-June-2024


It’s been a while since I’ve cooked at home. Since… Iceland, I think? Huh, wow. Yeah, since Iceland. So just about a full month. I do think that may be a record for me.

I needed a break.

As strange as it sounds, eating out and going to restaurants was tiring me out. Regardless of how chill the place, and how little effort I had to put into being fed, eating out in countries that don’t speak English natively is tiring. I couldn’t really relax all the way while I was out.

I needed a chance to put on some music, dance around the kitchen while cooking, poor myself a glass of wine, queue up a stupid YouTube video, and just decompress during dinner.


So… I did.

My first day in Warsaw, I headed out and tracked down a grocery store near my apartment. I poked around, found some interesting looking food, checked out, and headed home. I’d checked the kitchen ahead of time, to calibrate what sort of food to buy based on what cooking implements I had, and so I pretty quickly dove into the fun of cooking. I cranked some music, whipped out the chefs knife, and flew around the kitchen.

It was absolutely what I’d been needing.


Wednesday, the first evening, I cooked up Pierogi with broccoli and red bell peppers. Simple, delicious, and paired well with a crisp Polish lager.



Thursday, the second evening, I boiled up some tortellini (stuffed with cheese, chicken, and prosciutto), along with some sliced tomatoes and broccoli… and Parmesan cheese, of course. I even used the same playlist for my kitchen dancing, simply picking up right where I’d left off the previous evening.




It was awesome. No two ways about it.

Don’t get me wrong – I do love traveling and adventuring, exploring new restaurants and living the good life out on the road. I also love cooking, though, and I love being home and cozy and quiet. I’m endlessly thankful for the opportunities that’re carrying me around the world, and around Europe, but I’m also just as happily looking forward to settling back down in my future apartment in Dublin. My cast iron in hand, a pot of pasta boiling on the back burner…

All aspects of life are beautiful in their own way, and the variety that I’ve been granted is simply superb.