Memorie di Angelina

The proper dressing of a salad has got to be one of the most overlooked techniques in all of cookery. For many people, a salad is something so common that it hardly merits thinking about. But there is actually a kind of art to this everyday task that can really transform your salads from the pedestrian […]

I once knew a charming couple from Milan named Omer and Maria Grazia. My memory of them is a bit hazy by now—sadly, we lost contact and it’s been years since I’ve seen them—but two food-related memories still stick out in my mind. The first was the time I made them minestrone alla milanese and […]

Panzanella, a Tuscan bread salad, is a great way to use old bread and avoid cooking in hot weather at the same time. And it is so simple to make, too. Take some slices or chunks of stale bread and dunk them in water until they begin to soften. This should not take long. Remove […]

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, […]

I guess it’s Mexico week here at Memorie di Angelina and why not? If you think of it, some of the foods that most typify Italian cooking—tomato, zucchini, peppers, pepperoncino, corn for polenta, just to take a few examples—all come from the New World and more specifically from Mexico. (Potatoes, another New World import, are […]

  One of the most delicious and satisfying antipasti in the Italian repertoire is also one of the simplest: tonno e fagioli, or tuna and beans. Well, the other day I was rummaging through my pantry, not really feeling like cooking—yes, it happens even to me sometimes—and found a can of ceci (chickpeas) and a […]

One of the dishes I miss most from my Roman days is the winter salad known as le puntarelle. Puntarelle are a kind of chicory native to the countryside around Rome. In fact, the vegetable is sometimes called “Roman chicory” in English. The shoots are rather thick but tender, white at the base and green […]