Fennel Gratin

Fennel is one of my favorite vegetables, both raw and cooked. Fennel’s flavor is subtle and decise at the same time, it is very unique.

There are two types of Fennel, male and female. The male is a plumb bulb like shape that has both a light citrusy and a sweet aromatic licorice flavor. (I personally am not a licorice fan but I do like Anise.) The female is a longer and flatter shape, a lighter taste and is best baked, grilled or braised. The male has a stronger, flavorful taste and is delicious raw, cut into salads or just by itself with a grind of pepper and a little evo, delicious!



Italian “Finocchio Gratinato” or  “Fennel Gratin ” was one of my favorite dishes.  A crust of bread crumbs, grated Parmigiano, seasoned and toasted under the broiler until golden. I tried it my way, the Judifood way, no gluten and I omitted the Parmigiano. I used almond flour, ghee, thyme, salt & pepper. My Autumn has a whole new feel, deliciously healthy and tasteful with a crisp warm coating!


My recipe:

Steam the Fennel slices for 10 minutes or until tender.

Turn on the broiler and melt 1/2 tbsp Ghee in a 10″ x 6″ broiler and oven proof dish.

Place the steamed Fennel in a single layer in the dish and drizzle with 1 tbsp Ghee.

Lightly salt the Fennel.

Cover the Fennel with the Almond flour and distribute remaining Ghee over the Almond flour.

Sprinkle with ground Thyme, Salt and Pepper.

Brown the Fennel Gratin under the Broiler for 10 minutes or until golden.

Buon Appetito!

Sugo di Pomodoro/Tomato Sauce

Italian tomato sauce is something unique but so very simple. Every household in Italy has its own. How I make my tomato sauce really depends on what I am going to eat it with. On pasta, for example, which in my case is only non gluten, meaning made purely of Buckwheat in this plate. I do not consider non gluten pasta if not only made with pure food ingredients, I don’t love packaged foods, (see “What Judifood is all about…” if you haven’t already.) http://www.livestrong.com/article/255892-soba-noodles-nutrition/

In Italy Buckwheat pasta is wellknown as “Pizzocheri”, in the Northern Region of Lombardy


Sigh, Italy, the most beautiful place in the world, sigh…..
Ok, so my post is about Tomato sauce. Here is my recipe below, but like I said, you can change it to your liking. More onion, less onion, no celery, more garlic etc…

  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 lrg carrot
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 lbs. tomatos (roma, vine)

Chop all but tomatos in a food processor or chop them finely with your cutting board and knife. Sautee’ in a couple tablespoons EVO, lightly salt and pepper. Dice the tomatoes and add them when your sautéed veggies are soft. Add herbs you like, sage, oregano, thyme, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste, let cook at medium heat, let boil but not fiercely until desired consistency. When off the heat add basil.

*If you don’t like the tomato skin in your sauce, you can peel them

Buon Appetito!!

Banana Bread


I woke up early to fix something heart warming for Boss’s Day to take to the office. Both of my Supervisors deserve something sweet and deliciously healthy to celebrate their special day!

This Banana bread is definitely a keeper, delicious! I didn’t use an extra ripe banana, I used a yellow banana, it was soft but not overly ripe. I don’t like the sweet, overly mature taste they give. I also used half a 78% extra dark chocolate bar instead of cacao nibs. The recipe’s method/instructions are perfectly explained. I appreciate this in a recipe!