Braciole—beef slices rolled up with a savory garlic, parsley and cheese filling—is one of those dishes common to both Italian-American and ‘Old World’ Italian cooking—of the Neapolitan variety. Italian-Americans will often add them to the pot when making Sunday Sauce, but they are equally good on their own, simmered in … 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
Zucchine alla parmigiana (Zucchini Parmesan)
Eggplant isn’t the only vegetable that you can make alla parmigiana, fried and baked in layers with a light tomato sauce, mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese. Zucchine alla parmigiana, or Zucchini Parmesan, is almost as popular. It is a fine way to exalt the sometimes rather bland vegetable. While the delicate taste … Read More
Angelina’s Pizza Dolce (Italian Cheesecake)
For most of us, pizza means just one thing: a round disk of dough topped with tomato, mozzarella and other goodies and baked in a hot oven. But ‘pizza’ really just means pie, and can refer also to Italian cheesecake, typically made with ricotta and eggs, flavored with sugar and other … Read More
Uova in purgatorio (Eggs in Purgatory)
A perfect light lunch or dinner for those times when you don’t feel like making anything too complicated, these Neapolitan ‘eggs in purgatory‘ take perhaps 25 minutes and practically make themselves. Ingredients For 2 people 4 eggs 1 small (14 oz.) can of tomatoes (or passata di pomodoro) 1/2 onion, … Read More
Chiacchiere (Fried “Ribbons”)
I wasn’t much on sweets even as a kid, but these little sugar-dusted ribbons of fried dough—variously known as chiacchiere, nastrini, stracci, cenci, frappe and a myriad of other names—were my one weakness in the sweets department. They are a traditional treat for Carnival, a time for over-indulgence, culinary and … Read More
Zeppole con le alici (Zeppole with Anchovies)
Zeppole are so easy to make—after all, they are basically just fried pizza dough balls—it is almost embarrassing to post about it, but since it was one of my favorite snack foods that Angelina made, it deserves pride of place on this blog. And, in any event, who doesn’t like … Read More
Purpetielli affogati (Braised Baby Octopus)
Purpetielli affogati, or Braised Baby Octopus is one of Naples’ favorite dishes. Octopus is a popular food all around the Mediterranean basin and yet elsewhere it is often, for some reason, ‘controversial’. Many people who will happily scarf down fried calamari will shudder at the thought of eating its close … Read More