I spend a lot of time on this blog in wistful remembrances of the delicious fruits and vegetables that I used to enjoy in Italy and, conversely, moaning about the lack of flavor of much of the produce you are likely to find here in the US. But there are … Read More
Céléri rémoulade
I normally like my salads with a simple oil and vinegar dressing in the typical Italian manner, but once and a while I get the urge for one of those rich and creamy salads like cole slaw or Russian salad … or this French classic: céléri rémoulade, shredded celery root … Read More
Pinzimonio (Tuscan Crudités)
When things are really hectic at work, as they are now, even a hardcore food fanatic like myself doesn’t always feel like cooking. Or perhaps you’ve had a heavy lunch or midday dinner and feel like a light dinner. Or you’re looking for something to serve an easy and convivial … Read More
For a May Day Picnic: Fave e pecorino (Fava Beans and Pecorino)
Fave e pecorino —fava beans and pecorino— is not really a “dish” at all, you just set out the fava beans, in their pods, and a hunk of pecorino cheese. Each diner opens the pods for themselves and eats the raw fava beans they find inside with a bit of pecorino, washed … Read More
Insalata di sardine e ceci (Sardine and Chickpea Salad)
One of the most delicious and satisfying antipasti in the Italian repertoire is also one of the simplest: fagioli e tonno, or Bean and Tuna Salad. 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 … Read More
Aïoli with Spring Vegetables
While versions of it are made around the rim of the western Mediterranean, from Spain all the way to Sicily, this garlic sauce is best known in its Provençale incarnation known as aïoli. It is a commonplace to refer to aioli in English as garlic mayonnaise, but it is really … Read More
Spargel mit Sauce Hollandaise und Kartoffeln (Asparagus and Potatoes with Hollandaise Sauce)
This dish brings me back to my Vienna days: white asparagus and potatoes with hollandaise sauce. The appearance of asparagus in the markets of Vienna, as elsewhere, is a harbinger of Spring. Austrians (and Germans) have a thing for white asparagus. They prefer it to the green kind that is … Read More
Frittata ai carciofi (Artichoke Frittata)
The frittata is one of those categories of dishes, like risotto, where the main ingredient, in this case egg, can act as a foil to an almost infinite variety of flavors, being it meat, fish or vegetable. So by learning a single technique, you open up a whole new culinary … Read More
