There’s nothing like the fresh crunchy flavor of fennel bulbs and they’re a perfect ingredient in this fennel, sliced orange and olive salad. I put fennel in just about any kind of salad; use a to slice fennel paper thin for your salad. Fennel tends to turn brown so toss the fennel slices in…
Recipes
Ferretti pasta, a Southern Italian eggless pasta
It’s even colder today than yesterday with lots of freezing rain, so what’s a person to do? I decided to hunker down at home with a roaring fire in my tinello and make some delicious heartwarming ferretti pasta! Ferretti eggless pasta are a short thick pasta similar to bucatini, about 5-10 cm long. How to…
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….
Deep-fried Artichokes
Carciofi alla Giudia, or deep-fried Roman globe artichokes, are one of winter’s most delicious side dishes. As the artichoke fries it opens up like a flower and yields a gorgeous golden-brown artichoke. The leaves are crispy and delicious and the inside flesh is tender and wonderful. Deep-fried artichokes are easy to prepare; the most important…
Pumpkin Gorgonzola Risotto
Pumpkin Gorgonzola Risotto is the perfect blend of flavors for a creamy and delicious risotto! I love just about all cheeses but if I had to pick one as my favorite it would be Gorgonzola. Gorgonzola has a long history dating back to around 880 A.D. Its exact origin isn’t certain and there are many theories…
Creamy Asparagus Soup with Poached Eggs
There’s nothing better than a one dish meal and this soup certainly satisfies everything you’d look for: fabulous taste, protein, vegetables, and warm creaminess. I first made this recipe with a group of culinary aficionados who get together twice yearly to experiment with new recipes. Originally the recipe appeared in an Oregon-based newspaper, the Oregonian,…
Pioppino mushroom soup with pancetta, spring peas, and green onions
So often what I make for lunch evolves right then and there with ingredients I have on hand and from the garden. Today was one of those days. It’s starting to feel just a tad on the chilly side, the sky is gray and rain for the next week is in the forecast so I’m…
Tiella, Stuffed Pizza from Gaeta
The view of the hill town of Sperlonga alone makes an excursion here worth it. I never tire of that view. The water is clean and crisp and delightful: Sperlonga prides itself on having the top water cleanliness rating along the coast. It always boils down to the seaside life and the food, and Sperlonga…
Balsamic Vinegar
One of the favorite and most used condiments in Italy and abroad is balsamic vinegar. It’s used to dress salads, as an ingredient in many dishes and to drizzle on top of foods like strawberries and Parmesan cheese. There are dozens upon dozens of balsamic vinegar products on the market purporting to be IGP Balsamic…
Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons
One of the most delicious Moroccan dishes is Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons. It’s wonderful because the tagine cooking technique yields a tender and flavorful chicken, while the preserved lemons add a tangy touch to the dish. To cook with a tagine you place all of the ingredients inside the tagine at the same time, cover…
Red Wine Cookies (Ciambelline al Vino Rosso)
Red Wine Cookies (Ciambelline al Vino Rosso) They make a nice gift, along with other biscotti, for almost any occasion: Red Wine Cookies (Ciambelline al Vino Rosso) are the best way to use up leftover red wine. How many times have you had a party or dinner guests and you find a few bottles with…
Sautéed Purple Cabbage with Fresh Coriander
Sautéed Purple Cabbage with Fresh Coriander What I love most about this dish is that it’s downright beautiful. Pantone has established that purple, and all its tonalities, are the food color for 2018 and I concur wholeheartedly. There are so many wonderful purple foods from purple cabbage to beets to eggplant and each one is…