Memorie di Angelina

Insalata di riso, or rice salad, is another staple of Italian summertime cooking. It’s quick and very easy to make, it can be made ahead—in fact, it only gets better after a day in the fridge—and it’s light on the stomach. And it lends itself to variations limited only to your imagination. Last August, I […]

One of the wonders of Italian cuisine is its incredible variety, and much of that variety comes from the mix-and-match nature of so many of its dishes. You take a staple base ingredient like rice or pasta, and you pair that with all sorts of flavoring ingredients and come up with literally hundreds of variations […]

Zeppole are so easy to make—after all, they are basically just fried pizza dough balls—it is almost embarrassing to post about it, but since it was one of my favorite snack foods that Angelina made, it deserves pride of place on this blog. And, in any event, who doesn’t like fried dough? Zeppole can be […]

Being a lover of good food, I find it almost impossible to answer the question ‘what’s your favorite dish?’ But if I had to, my answer would probably be eggplant parmesan–parmigiana di melanzane–the way Angelina used to make it. This is a simple dish to make, but it involves several steps. Allow yourself a good […]

Mid-August, when the temperatures climb to tropical heights, is a time when even the enthusiasm of even the most avid cook can begin to wane. Italians often turn to easily prepared dishes that need minimal or no actually cooking. Salads are an obvious choice, and rice salads are a favorite. Not only are they delicious, […]

A staple of summer picnics and tavole calde, pomodori ripieni di riso, tomatoes stuffed with rice and oven roasted, make for a simple and relatively quick weekend dinner, part of a buffet or a tasty antipasto for a summer dinner for guests. Here’s the recipe: Take as many tomatoes as you have dining companions, cut […]

It’s a warm, wonderful Summer-like day, and I didn’t feel like doing any ‘real’ cooking (yes, even I feel lazy about cooking sometimes) so I just threw together–almost literally– a typical summertime salad that we’re all familiar with: alternating slices of tomato and mozzarella, some fresh basil leaves, salt and a generous amount of fruity […]