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…
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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…
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…
Easy Lemon Spaghetti – or use your favorite pasta shape!
If you haven’t figured out what to make for lunch today then go for a great plate of easy lemon spaghetti! I hadn’t made this spaghetti with a creamy lemon sauce for a while and since we have a wonderful lemon tree that yields lemons year round it was perfect. Best to use untreated lemons…
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…
Spring Ravioli: Stinging Nettle and Ricotta Filling with Spring Peas, Fava Beans & Asparagus
I’m still strongly in foraging mode, and stinging nettle is abundant. Along with seasonal spring vegetables I’ve thrown all these ingredients together to make a wonderful spring ravioli recipe. We’re in that magic moment of springtime when there’s an abundance of newly harvested fava beans and spring peas, and wild asparagus. It’s wonderful to be able…
Pumpkin Bread, or Muffins
This recipe is the only Pumpkin Bread recipe that I have been using for decades without changing a single thing in the recipe. I make it any time of the year, but especially around the holidays when pumpkins are in season. Now that we are in lockdown I’m using up a lot of the frozen…
Penne or Rigatoni all’Amatriciana
Amatriciana sauce in the making… Amatriciana or matriciana, the sauce is still the same: rich, spicy, with crunchy bits of guanciale. The name varies based on who’s trying to lay claim to this pasta sauce’s origins. The sauce is supposedly named after the town of Amatrice in the Appenine hills to the North East of…
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…