New Year’s Resolutions with an Italian Flavor
Forget those short-lived diet and exercise resolutions. I’d rather dream up aspirations for 2013 with a connection to Italy–a new dish, wine or restaurant to try, a region to visit (or revisit), a...
View ArticleMountain Salad with Bacon, Fontina and Caramelized Onions
Travel to the extreme northwest corner of Italy and you’ll be in Valle d’Aosta, a semi- autonomous alpine region with a fierce sense of its unique identity. It’s also known as Val d’Aosta and therein...
View ArticleCooking with Olive Oil: Really, It’s Okay.
In a recent talk on Italian cooking, I emphasized–as I always do–the importance of good olive oil as an ingredient whose flavor is essential to many dishes. We tasted and compared the two Sicilian oils...
View ArticleBittersweet Italian Cocktails with Gin
I’ve always loved Italian vermouth and liqueurs, known as amari, that teeter on the tightrope between bitter and sweet. They vary from one another in color, alcoholic strength and proprietary formulas...
View ArticlePizza Rustica for Easter (or Anytime)
Pizza rustica has nothing to do with pizza. Also known as torta pasqualina or Easter pie, it is a southern Italian specialty. Creamy ricotta (or basket cheese) and salty salami in a flaky crust, that’s...
View ArticleSpring Greens and Rice Soup
In the Piemonte region of northern Italy where Margherita Aloi grew up, this potful of spring greens in broth, thickened by fat rice kernels and potatoes, is known as a “cleansing soup”…especially for...
View ArticleNYC: Rethinking the Italian Neighborhood Grocery
Looking for Louis Coluccio’s new store in Bay Ridge, we spotted “Italian Grocery” in old-fashioned stenciling on the brick storefront. ”Are you sure that’s it?” asked my son-in-law. But even from a...
View ArticleUnder the Tuscan Rain Clouds
Since we arrived in Tuscany, it’s rained almost every day. From what I hear, it’s been an unusually cold and rainy spring. And that’s saying something, because Tuscany is actually not the reliably...
View ArticleSteam-Train Ride in Tuscany
I was researching cooking classes in Tuscany, not steam-train experiences, but somehow I ran across a site describing a day-long treno a vapore excursion leaving from Siena. My husband is a huge...
View ArticleMontevarchi: More than a Prada Outlet
It’s easy to spot visitors in search of designer fashion bargains at Space, the Prada outlet in Montevarchi, about 45 minutes south of Florence. Invariably dressed in black, they’re the ones sprinting...
View ArticleItalian Spa Day, with a Big Salad
Italy is a geologically active country with lots of warm thermal springs, prized for their therapeutic effects on skin, body and state of mind. Hotels and spas congregate around these termi, and often...
View ArticleVariations on Pasta with Uncooked Tomato Sauce
I remember the “Aha!” moment back in the ’80s when I discovered the brilliant Italian idea of featuring summer’s superb tomatoes in an uncooked pasta sauce. For years I made this dish the way I’d...
View ArticleBirmingham: Civil Rights Shrine and Culinary Mecca
Not long ago I visited the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, where four girls were killed in a Ku Klux Clan bombing 50 years ago. A small exhibit in the fellowship hall tells the story in a...
View ArticleKale Craze: Let’s Move On…to Other Greens
The New York Times article about an American kale enthusiast trying to win mystified Parisians over to her favorite greens brought scoffs from online foodie friends. “Kale is so passé,” said one. Not...
View ArticleImprovising a Mango-Peach Jam Crostata
I opened the refrigerator a while back to find an jar of glistening preserves, burnt orange in color. My husband said it was from Emmanuel Roux, known in Tampa Bay and beyond for his flourless...
View ArticleThanksgiving Side: Braised Sweet-Sour Onions
I’m not sure when braised sweet-sour onions, based on a Marcella Hazan recipe, showed up on our otherwise relentlessly American Thanksgiving menu. But now it’s unthinkable to leave them out, any more...
View ArticleNYC: Rethinking the Italian Neighborhood Grocery
Looking for Louis Coluccio’s new store in Bay Ridge, we spotted “Italian Grocery” in old-fashioned stenciling on the brick storefront. ”Are you sure that’s it?” asked my son-in-law. But even from a...
View ArticleUnder the Tuscan Rain Clouds
Since we arrived in Tuscany, it’s rained almost every day. From what I hear, it’s been an unusually cold and rainy spring. And that’s saying something, because Tuscany is actually not the reliably...
View ArticlePanbriacone, Italy’s “Drunken Sweet Bread”
I’ve given and eaten many a Christmas panettone, and always cross my fingers it won’t be dry. No chance of that with Panbriacone, a sweet bread with an eggy panettone base, all natural ingredients and...
View ArticleSteam-Train Ride in Tuscany
I was researching cooking classes in Tuscany, not steam-train experiences, but somehow I ran across a site describing a day-long treno a vapore excursion leaving from Siena. My husband is a huge...
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