Cherry preserves are so easy to make at home it’s a wonder more folks don’t do it. Not only are you saving money, you know exactly what’s going into the product. The Italian take on fruit preserves begins like so many other fruit preparations, by coating the fruit with sugar and lemon. … Read More
Homemade Passata di pomodoro: Step by step
Passata di pomodoro (or passata for short) is the multi-purpose tomato purée that every aspiring Italian cook should learn how to make. Fortunately, it’s really quick and easy, but you do need one special piece of equipment: a food mill. The method is simplicity itself. You take ripe tomatoes, simmer them just long … Read More
Bucatini alla pizzaiola
Most of us don’t much like to use the oven in the dog days of summer, but you might want to make an exception for bucatini alla pizzaiola, a delicious baked pasta dish that sings all the favorite flavor notes of southern Italy. It’s styled alla pizzaiola, literally “pizza style”, for … Read More
Peperoni in padella (Angelina’s Fried Peppers)
Everyone knows about fried peppers—they’re a summertime standby. They make an appearance at just about every Italian cookout or street festival. But while the dish has become something of a cliché, Angelina had her own, special way of preparing them. Her recipe is simplicity itself, with just a few ‘tricks’ that give this … Read More
How to Trim and Slice a Bell Pepper
If you’re like me, you probably slice peppers in half lengthwise through the core, and proceed to trim out the seed core from each half (which inevitably send seeds flying around) and then slice up the flesh, trimming off the bitter pith attached to the ridges along the way. Well, if you’re … Read More
Fiori di zucca fritti (Angelina’s Fried Zucchini Blossoms)
Zucchini is everywhere in our markets in the summer, but zucchini blossoms are another story. They are awfully hard to find. Forget about supermarkets, a better bet is your local farmers market—and even then you may need some luck. So your best bet is to grow your own zucchini, and then you’ll … Read More
Pesche al vino rosso (Peaches in Red Wine)
Sometimes the simplest things are the best. And today we are featuring peaches in red wine, a dessert that takes practically no effort to make. The fruit is softened a bit with a mixture of sugar and lemon, then bathed in red wine. That’s really all there is to it. However simple … Read More
Zucchine «a scapece» (Piquant Fried Zucchini)
There are four quintessential Italian summer vegetables: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and zucchini. Of these, zucchini seems to get the least respect, maybe because zucchini plants are so incredibly prolific. New zucchini can literally sprout from one day to another, and the production can really get out of hand. I remember that … Read More
