One of the most iconic ways to start a holiday or other important Italian meal is with an assortment of cured meats, called salumi in Italian, thinly sliced and arranged artistically (or not) on a serving platter. Each diner then helps themselves to the ones that appeal to them most. … Read More
Authentic Bruschetta: A Basic Recipe
Bruschetta is a dish of such astonishing simplicity that you might say it’s not even worth blogging about. After all, the basic recipe for authentic bruschetta is nothing more or less than grilled bread, rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with a sprinkling of salt. And besides, there are … Read More
Crocchette di patate (Potato Croquettes)
Crocchette di palate, or potato croquettes, are wonderfully versatile. They are probably most often served as an antipasto, but they can also do fine service as a lovely contorno, especially with fried meat or fish dish, or as part of a fritto misto, or as a first course instead of pasta, … Read More
Farinata genovese (Genovese Chickpea Flatbread)
One of the iconic dishes of Ligurian cuisine, just as typical of the region as pesto, the chickpea flatbread known as la farina genovese deserves to be better known. It has a wonderful, mildly nutty flavor that marries well with just about anything you want to serve it with, but it is perfectly delicious … Read More
Mozzarella in carrozza (Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches)
Don’t know about you, but I love cheese. Just about any kind. In our house we tend to eat more cheese during the cool winter months, but the arrival of warm weather doesn’t mean we give up cheese altogether. Far from it. Rather, aged cheese tends to give way to … Read More
Uova sode in salsa verde (Hard Boiled Eggs in ‘Green Sauce’)
Salsa verde, literally ‘green sauce‘, is a quick, parsley-based raw condiment, intensely flavored with garlic, anchovies, capers, a dash of vinegar and, if you like, a pinch of hot red pepper, all bathed in fruity olive oil. It is a culinary cousin to other such sauces like the Sicilian salmoriglio … Read More
Pizza rustica (Easter Cheese and Salumi Pie)
Pasquetta, or ‘Little Easter’, known in English as Easter Monday, is a holiday in Italy and much of Europe. Folks traditionally take to the roads to drive out to the countryside and enjoy a fresh air picnic. In Campania and elsewhere, one favorite item in the Pasquetta picnic basket is the … Read More
Calzone di cipolla alla pugliese (Puglian Onion Pie)
This dish brings back some of my fondest childhood food memories. Calzone di cipolla, or Puglian onion pie, is one of the signature dishes of the cuisine of Puglia. My grandfather Lorenzo hailed from a small town outside of Bari, the capital of Puglia, called Grumo Appula. His sister, whom … Read More
