I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: is there anything more primally satisfying than fried pizza dough? If there is, I haven’t come across it yet. The Neapolitans have come up with all sorts of tidbits made from fried dough, of which we’ve already seen two examples, zeppole and … Read More
Calzoncini napoletani (Neapolitan Miniature Calzones)
It probably won’t come as a surprise that Neapolitan cooks have come up with a vast variety of ways to fry and bake dough. Pizza is, by far, the most famous internationally and most people will have heard of calzones, and zeppoles, but there is much more to the Neapolitan … Read More
Quick Note: Vongole alla brace (Grilled Clams)
I don’t know about you, but even for an inveterate cooking enthusiast like myself, the dog days of summer take their toll. I like to keep time spent over a hot stove to a minimum, so I turn to lots of quick and easy dishes that need little or no … Read More
Zucchine ripiene al forno (Stuffed Zucchini Boats)
It’s zucchini season again! Zucchini are sometimes dismissed as ‘bland’ but in fact their mild flavor can be put to good use. They make an ideal foil for all sorts of flavors, whether simmered in tomato sauce and marinated with herbs and vinegar or baked alla parmigiana. They also make … Read More
Carciofi Imbottiti (Angelina’s Stuffed Artichokes)
It seems like the artichoke was designed for stuffing. That huge cavity in the middle surrounded by all those layered leaves make it a perfect receptacle for all sort of savories. No wonder there is an almost endless variety of stuffed artichoke recipes. Here is the way that Angelina made … Read More
Casatiello (Neapolitan Easter Bread)
One of my fondest taste memories from my childhood was a bread we used to call “Anzogna bread” (the name, I am told, is a dialect word for lard). My grandparents would buy it at a local bakery in the Italian neighborhood they lived in. These days, sadly, it’s very … Read More
Involtini di asparagi e pancetta (Asparagus and Pancetta Rolls)
For a quick and easy, but elegant, starter or even a light main course, these little roll-ups of asparagus and pancetta (Italian bacon) are hard to beat. And it’s tasty, too! Cured pork and asparagus is one of those taste combinations that were just meant to be. This is just … Read More
Sautè di cozze (Italian Steamed Mussels)
When we were living in Rome, there was a great little roadside restaurant close by called “Il Cantuccio”. They made a number of dishes well, but one of our standbys was sautè di cozze, literally “mussel sauté”. They are, in fact, an Italian version of that near universal dish: steamed mussels. … Read More
