As we enter into late summer, it’s once again the traditional time of year for putting up the season’s bountiful vegetables for enjoyment in the colder weather months. Some vegetables, like tomatoes, take to straight up canning. They are briefly cooked, either peeled and left whole (for pelati) or milled … Read More
Fagioli e tonno (White Bean and Tuna Salad)
Fagioli e tonno, or White Bean and Tuna Salad, is just about as quick and simple a dish as you can make. If you can open a can, you can make this salad. And it’s easy to double or treble the recipe if you’re expecting more dinner guests, or you … Read More
Polpette di sedano (Tuscan Celery Balls)
One of my favorite pastimes in the kitchen is finding ways to make underappreciated and undervalued ingredients shine. I love an underdog. Take celery for example. It shows up in any number of recipes, but almost always in a minor supporting role, either as part of the classic soffritto that … Read More
Strudel salato con asparagi e prosciutto
When we think of Strudel, for most of us the sweet German (and northerneastern Italian) dessert made with apples will come to mind. But did you know that a Strudel can be savory, too? Well, it can, at least in Italian cookery. And if anything I rather like the savory … Read More
Focaccia genovese
Back in the day, one of our favorite places for a nice affordable meal close by the apartment in central Rome was Taverna Parione. Located on a small side street off the tourist-mobbed piazza Navona, despite its location it was the real deal, with excellent food, especially the pizzas and … Read More
Fiori di zucca alla ligure (Ligurian-Style Zucchini Blossoms)
Lucky me! I found some zucchini blossoms at our local market this week, for the first time in at least two years. Why they waited until the very end of the summer to start selling them, I can’t imagine. But I’m not one to look the proverbial gift horse in … Read More
Asparagi in casseruola (Cavalcanti’s Sautéed Asparagus)
Asparagus generally doesn’t spring to mind when we think about Neapolitan cookery, but here’s an example that challenges our preconceived notions. This recipe for asparagi in casseruola comes to us from Ippolito Cavalcanti, the famed 19th century gourmand whose 1839 masterwork, La cucina teorica-pratica, is one of the Ur-texts of … Read More
Frittata di pane (Bread Frittata)
This is yet another recipe using leftover bread, as a frittata di pane or Bread Frittata. Here the bread is trimmed of its crust, then cubed and soaked in milk and water until soft. The softened bread is then mixed with eggs, cheese and parsley to make a surprisingly tasty … Read More
