This week I observed that the stock at Ciao Bella Gelateria on Shattuck in Berkeley was getting thinner and thinner and got down to the reason for it yesterday: they were closing. I stopped by yesterday and I’m sad I didn’t pick up one last treat (I would have if I had known it was their last day). Well, now there is just more excuse to make my own gelato.

Since the hubby has been out of town I have cooked almost nothing (multiple pots of popcorn probably don’t count). But my mouth is still watering over the blog posts I’ve been reading… and I’m looking at some of the Quickies but Goodies: Hummus with Green Goo over at 101 Cookbooks and Capellini with Fresh Ricotta at Serious Eats. I love the hummus idea and doesn’t it look cool with the eerie green parsley / jalapeno / garlic “goo” on it? Heidi calls for soaking and cooking dried chickpeas, which will definitely make the best hummus, but as with other recipes it can be sped up by using canned chickpeas, which is why I think of it was quick. Or prep the chickpeas over the weekend and bust them out as needed during the week.

Image of Hummus with Green Goo from 101 Cookbooks

And then we are onto the meat… yum… definitely worth the time…

Slow Roast Wild Boar Belly with Cider and Puy Lentils caught my eye over at Eat Like a Girl. Oh my god it looks so lusciously brown and lovely. I don’t even like lentils that much but I’m willing to give them a go in this dish since they’ve been in there with the boar belly and all of that fatty goodness… ok, my mouth is watering again. The only real question is how to get hold of the wild boar. I’m going to hold tight though and as soon as I see it this is first up on my list.

And then onto dessert: Hazelnut Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies at Smitten Kitchen. I’m not kosher (or Jewish at all for that matter), so I like that Deb made two recipes: one for Passover, and, as she puts it, “for the other 357 days of the year.” I’m crazy about hazelnuts and chocolate, and hazelnut and chocolate together is a dream combo. Just ask Nutella. Now I just have to overcome fear of baking and get back in the kitchen. And put my new Kitchenaid mixer to work.

They may not look very attractive, but they smell AWESOME.

Recipe adapted using Michael Ruhlman’s Ratio cookbook. Slightly less butter because I wanted less spread.

1 1/2 sticks of butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
I didn’t have any vanilla left or ordinarily I would have added it. Next time.

all mixed up, and then folding in

1 1/2 cups of flour
Pinch of salt
1 tsp of baking powder

and then folded in

1 cup of Recchuiti’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Pearls.

I wanted to make smaller cookies so I went with heaping teaspoonfuls instead of tablespoonfuls. In the oven @ 350F for about 10 minutes.