Flavor of Italy's In-Person and Virtual Regional Italian Cooking Classes explore Italy’s various regional culinary traditions. Cooking classes can be tailor-made to explore a region of your choice in depth. Choose Tuscany with its hearty ribollita, roast game, fabulous Chianti wines. Or perhaps Sicily with its Arab and Greek influenced cuisine: couscous, bottarga, sarde beccafico,...
Italian
Eggplant Parmesan
Eggplant Parmesan is one of my favorite dishes, and one I make a lot when we have our summer garden.You can roast or grill the eggplant, but it doesn't yield the same flavor and texture satisfaction that frying does.Everyone has a different idea on how to prepare eggplant for frying: peel or not, salt & drain first,...
Vignarola
Vignarola is a celebration of spring and tastes just like spring in a dish. Prepare it at that magical moment when winter turns to spring and artichokes are still in season but you’re heralding the arrival of fresh spring peas and fava beans.Make this dish vegetarian or add some umami-rich pancetta or guanciale to the...
Flavor of Italy Podcast chat with Tina Prestia
In this Flavor of Italy Podcast episode Tina Prestia from tinastable.com and I chatted about three classic Emilia Romagna regional recipes, classic versus tweaked recipes and a few ideas for your Easter table. A little bit about Tina Tina moved to Bologna some years back with her husband and daughter for what was going to...
Spaghetti Carbonara with Artichoke Wedges
The inspiration for this Spaghetti Carbonara with Artichoke Wedges recipe came from the March 2021 issue of the Italian culinary magazine, Sale e Pepe. I tweaked it to fit my own taste and it’s absolutely delicious. The addition of artichokes to the recipe takes it to another delicious level by adding seasonal globe artichokes. It’s...
Ossobuco alla Milanese
Ossobuco alla Milanese is one of my favorite recipes. It’s a special and flavorful dish and one that I love to serve to guests. Make sure to purchase the veal shanks from a great butcher!Ossobuco is most often associated with Milan and the Lombardy region and dates back to the Middle Ages. To prepare it...
Dark Chocolate Cake: fudgy and simple
Dark Chocolate Cake: fudgy and simple! I’m constantly on the hunt for delicious, easy to prepare dark chocolate layer cake that uses ingredients you almost always have on hand. So far my favorite is the flourless Torta Caprese but it’s also nice to have a great recipe for a classic rich dark chocolate layer cake....
A Food Guide to Le Marche Region
Last week James Martin and I chatted about our travels through the Le Marche region and in today’s episode we share the best of the region’s food and local recipes.The region has a long Adriatic coastline and inland it’s filled with rolling hills, mountains and delightful, curious villages each with their own unique dishes. Le...
Taralli, delicious snack food from the Puglia region
Taralli are one of the most iconic foods from the Puglia region. Eat them any time of day as a delicious snack food (stuzzichini) or served as an antipasto with aperitivi. They are made either plain or with a variety of flavors like fennel seeds, hot chili pepper (peperoncino), or even sweet. The flavorings are...
Chewing the Fat - Italian women & food during WWII
Chewing the Fat, an Oral History of Italian Foodways from Fascism to Dolce Vitaby Karima Moyer-Nocchi delves into an exploration of Italian women and food during WWII and the fascist era that represents a departure from the romantic vision of Italian cuisine and food that many people believe has always existed. During the fascist period...
Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese
Buffalo mozzarella has a porcelain white color and is known as the pearl of the table. It’s a flavorful fresh stringy textured cheese with a very thin rind. When you cut into it its delicious white milky liquid seeps out. Buffalo mozzarella is typically made into round shapes often weighing 1 kg each. Sometimes it’s...
Pork Sausage and Lentils (Cotechino e Lenticchie)
Pork Sausage and Lentils(Cotechino e Lenticchie) Serves 4-6 Pork Sausage and Lentils is a traditional New Year's dish in Italy.Lentils are purported to bring wealth and good fortune. In Lombardy dialect zecchini - coins from the 1500's - were also called lenticchie, which gave rise to lentil's association with prosperity and good health. The best...