I used to love pork chops when I was a kid, but I’ve more or less given up on grilling them even since they started marketing pork as “the other white meat” back in the 1980s. Generally speaking, pork is bred so lean these days that the leaner cuts like … Read More
Negroni sbagliato
It might have been a mistake, but I happen to like a Negroni sbagliato, or “mistaken Nigroni”, even better than the original cocktail. In this “mistaken” version, Prosecco stands in for the gin that gives a classic Negroni its sharp kick. This version is less alcoholic and, to my mind, … Read More
Pasta al tonno a modo mio
For the most part, the dishes we present here at Memorie di Angelina are taken from the time-tested canon of Italy’s rich culinary tradition. But like many other home cooks, I do enjoy improvising in the kitchen every once in a while, usually riffing off a familiar recipe. I call … Read More
Memorie di Angelina at 10
Dear readers, This week we’re taking time out from our usual recipe posts to mark a major milestone, the tenth “blogiversary” of Memorie di Angelina. It’s hard to believe that ten years has gone by since I published my first “welcome!” post, promising that the site would soon be filled … Read More
Pasta con zucchine e ricotta (Pasta with Zucchini and Ricotta)
It may be super quick and simple to make, but Pasta with Zucchini and Ricotta is as delicious in its own way as any fancy special occasion dish. And it’s customizable, too. You can adjust measurements, and mix and match all sorts of optional ingredients to suit your taste and … 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
Pollo in fricassea (Chicken Fricassée)
The Italian cooking term fricassea is a bit of a false friend for English or French speakers. Like a fricassée, it usually involves a two-step cooking process of a sauté followed by a braise. But for Italians the thing that makes a fricassea a fricassea—and not, say, a spezzatino—is the … Read More
Sciusceddu alla messinese
Sciusceddu alla messinese comes to us from Sicily, and specifically from Messina, where this unusual primo piatto is a fixture on Easter dinner tables. It has all the hallmarks of an Italian Easter dish. It’s rich, meat centric—although the meat is usually veal rather than the more typical lamb—and enriched … Read More