The history of the Torta Caprese I love a rich moist dark chocolate cake and there’s none better than this classic Torta Caprese – Chocolate Almond Cake – from the exquisite island of Capri. There are lots of stories about where the original recipe comes from but the history that makes the most sense to…
Recipes
Pan Seared Sea-bass with Cherry Tomatoes and Chickpeas
I love a recipe that’s simple and delicious that I can make all in the same pan. A heavy bottom nonstick skillet like cast iron is ideal. If the olive oil gets too dark after you cook the fish you can always change it to cook the tomatoes and chickpeas. Personally I love the seared…
A Roundup of Favorite Easy Summer Recipes – Podcast Episode 23
We’re just about ready to head into September so it’s time to share a roundup of Favorite Easy Summer Recipes that you can use once summer rolls around again! Michele Di Pietro and I talked about all our favorite easy summer recipes in this week’s podcast episode 24. What we look for in a summer recipe…
Zucchini Parmesan and Prosciutto
Zucchini Parmesan & Prosciutto is a deliciously gooey and cheesy dish that makes great use of all your summer garden zucchini. No frying or precooking needed! It’s not fair to call zucchini a weed but in many ways it acts like one in the garden. It self-propagates from year to year from any seeds left…
The magic of Pasta Grannies: a chat with creator Vicky Bennison – Podcast Episode 17
Don’t miss this wonderful interview and chat with Vicky Bennison from Pasta Grannies. Her videos of octogenarian (and older) Italian women making homemade pasta are captivating and heartwarming. Plus they dig deep into the hundreds upon hundreds of different pasta shapes throughout Italy. Vicky’s Pasta Grannies brand started off six years ago and she realized…
Eating Your Way through Sicily – Podcast Episode 14
Sicily is a haven of art and architecture, millennia old monuments and incredible history and food, and Eating Your Way through Sicily is a divine way to enjoy this amazing island. Think gelato, delicious stuffed fried rice balls known as arancini and luscious cannoli. Not to mention incredible seafood throughout the island plus fabulous wines….
Spaghetti with a Spicy Tomato Anchovy Sauce
, Spaghetti with a Spicy Tomato Anchovy Sauce is one of my favorite pasta dishes and incredibly easy to make! If you think you don’t like anchovies you might actually change your mind once you try them in this dish. They’re not the hero ingredient here but instead they add rich flavor and wonderful umami…
Peperoncini and ‘Nduja, the darlings of Calabrian Cuisine – Podcast Episode 7
Peperoncini – hot chili peppers – and ‘Nduja, the darlings of Calabrian Cuisine, are used to add delightful heat to dishes in Calabria and throughout Italy. Italians add heat to their food with peperoncini, or hot chili pepper. The peperoncino is a mainstay in Calabrese cuisine and is celebrated each September in the lovely coastal…
Parboiled Baby Turnips Sautéed in Olive Oil and Garlic
Springtime is the perfect moment to find beautiful baby turnips. You won’t always find them in the market but when you do grab them and whip up this delicious Parboiled Baby Turnips Sautéed in Olive Oil and Garlic dish. You may think turnips don’t appeal to you and that their flavor is too strong: think again!…
Homemade Cavatelli
Homemade Cavatelli are one of the wonderful homemade pastas so typical of the poorer areas of southern Italy, like Puglia. In the past eggs were scarce, so farmers and home cooks made do with eggless pasta dough. Cavatelli are made with a semolina flour and water rather than with all purpose, or “00″ flour that’s used for…
Cavatelli with a Spicy Tomato Mussel Sauce
Cavatelli with a Spicy Tomato Mussel Sauce is a wonderful southern Italian dish typical of the coastal area of the Puglia region. We order everything online now that we are in lockdown which is infinitely safer than going to a grocery store ourselves. The one caveat with our favorite store is that orders must be for…
Stinging Nettle Pasta
Stinging nettle pasta adds great color and some added nutrition to your pasta dishes. How many of you have started foraging now that we are in lockdown? Since there are no longer frequent visits to the grocery store – in fact none in our case since we are ordering everything for home delivery – there’s…