A Father’s Day Post – Recipes from my Dad

In honor of Father’s Day, I’m recapping some of my favorite recipes that have been inspired by my amazing dad!

Happy Father’s Day to all out there that celebrate! Instead of posting a new recipe this week, in honor of Father’s Day I wanted to talk a little bit (and share some recipes) about my dad Joe. There are so many things I can thank my dad for, but teaching me how to cook and instilling in me a true love of cooking is definitely near the top of the list.

I love the way my dad cooks because he very rarely uses a recipe. Instead, he comes up with something on the fly based off of the ingredients he has. Before the whole world was thinking about food waste and striving to use the whole of an ingredient (“nose to tail”), my dad was throwing herb stems into omelets and saving the salt from the bottom of pretzel bags (ok, this one is still a little bit crazy). But that passion has informed the way I cook now, and my dad has inspired a large chunk of the of the recipes I have on this site. So I’m outlining a few categories of food – breakfast, bread and pizza – that always remind me of my dad, and sharing some recipes that are inspired by him.

BREAKFAST

Some of the fondest memories I have of growing up with my dad are the breakfasts that he used to make us. I can still smell the smoke from the wood burning stove in his house, and picture him frying bacon or flipping pancakes over a cast iron skillet. And much like the rest of the way my dad cooks, breakfasts with him almost always included some kind of otherwise wasted ingredients like parsley stems in eggs or bruised peaches in a compote for pancakes.

These are a few of my favorite breakfast recipes, either inspired by or actually made by my dad. Red wine and balsamic peach compote because, like I said, he would use any fruit on the verge of going bad to make a compote. Panettone French Toast because my dad collects all the unwanted panettone from the family around Christmastime and griddles it up so it doesn’t go to waste. And “kitchen sink” scrambled eggs because a big batch of eggs is one of his favorite ways to use up pretty much any leftovers, from moldy cheese to wilting greens.

BREAD

While I have my dad to thank for my love of cooking in general, if I had to pinpoint one food that always reminds me of my dad (besides pizza, see below), it would be bread. My dad didn’t bake a ton of bread while I was growing up, but its become a passion of his over the last few years. I now associate the smell of fresh bread with cozy winter mornings warming myself over the woodstove in his kitchen. So in an effort to re-create those comfy moments, I find myself baking bread pretty regularly. And, best of all, baking bread has become something that my dad and I can bond over and trade recipes for in my adulthood.

These are some of my favorite dad-inspired bread recipes. Stinging nettle focaccia made using nettle from my his yard, because he can’t let any edible ingredients go to waste (even if that ingredient is literally a weed). Jalapeno and Sausage bread, which he made for us one weekend when we were upstate. And Prosciutto bread, my favorite Friday afternoon treat from the bakery he always brought us to in Little Italy.

PIZZA

You can’t have a conversation about my dad without mentioning pizza. And that’s because he hand-built a wood-fired pizza oven. This pizza oven truly is a thing of beauty, from the hand-poured cement columns that surround its patio to the lovingly restored angel plastered above the oven, who oversees the creation of each pizza. But the most beautiful part of this pizza oven is the sentiment that inspired this whole blog; it brings people together. My dad and step-mom Nicole host pizza parties nearly every weekend in the summertime. And of course there’s my favorite family party of the year, my dad’s annual pizza party in celebration of my birthday at the end of August.

And really, the most important that my dad has taught me about food and cooking – above all the recipes and all stuff about food waste – is that food connects people. Cooking is an act of love, and meals shared between family and friends undoubtedly bring us closer. So as good as the pizza from his oven is, the connection it provides the best part about it. If you want to see and hear a bit more about this pizza oven, this post is a great overview of its story, but below I’m sharing some of my dad’s go-to pizza recipes.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy and try some of these amazing recipes. Happy Father’s Day to everyone who celebrates, and especially to my dad. I love you!