A perfectly round, thin-crusted pizza of the kind you can eat in the best pizzerie is a hard thing to make at home. It takes practice and talent to be a first-rate pizzaiolo, or pizza-maker. (I know because I’m trying to master the art!) But there is a simpler … Read More
Spaghetti fatti in casa con pomodori al forno (Homemade Spaghetti with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes)
This dish of homemade egg pasta spaghetti with roasted tomato sauce is one of my favorite dishes from one of my favorite cookbook authors, Giuliano Bugialli. The sauce is simple to make and, if you use dry spaghetti (or store-bought fresh) the dish becomes extremely simple to execute. But if … Read More
Aglio, olio e peperoncino (Pasta with Garlic, Oil and Hot Pepper)
Here’s another super simple pasta that I call the “mother of all pasta dishes” since its garlic and oil base forms the foundation for countless other pasta sauces. It’s also the quintessential impromptu snack the Italians call una spaghettata. I’m sure all the Italians and Italo-Americans out there have grown up … Read More
Insalata Caprese
It’s a warm, wonderful Summer-like day, and I didn’t feel like doing any ‘real’ cooking (yes, even I feel lazy about cooking sometimes) so I just threw together—almost literally—this typical summertime salad of tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil that we’re all familiar with. This is a ‘composed’ salad like the … Read More