I have to admit, Sicilian food has always been something of a mystery to me. Many Sicilian dishes remind me of Angelina’s Campanian cooking—and Sicilians actually lay claim to melanzane alla parmigiana, one of her signature dishes—but there is something ‘different’ about some of the taste combinations you’ll find in Sicilian … 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
Scaloppine al marsala (Scalopini Marsala)
The scaloppina (in the plural, scaloppine) and its manifold variations may be the most common secondo in Italian cooking. To me, it is typical of that Italian knack for using a bland main ingredient as a foil for a flavorful sauce. Pasta is the example we all know and love, … Read More
Ananas alla sambuca (Pineapple Laced with Sambuca)
Here’s a really quick note on a combination that may surprise you but was simply meant to be: ananas alla sambuca, or pineapple and the Italian anise liquor called sambuca. Sprinkle a few drops of sambuca over freshly sliced pineapple, just enough to exalt the flavor of the fruit without drawing … Read More
Asparagi alla milanese (Milanese Asparagus)
Asparagi alla milanese, or Milanese asparagus, might just be the best known asparagus dish in the Italian repertoire. True to its Northern roots, it features butter and cheese, whose sweetness is the perfect offset to the somewhat astringent, slightly grassy taste of asparagus. A ‘sunny side up’ fried egg completes … Read More
Crocchette d’agnello e bieta (Lamb and Swiss Chard Croquettes)
About this time of year we often find ourselves facing the same culinary conundrum: what to do with leftover lamb? I have always thought that throwing food away was almost criminal, but, truth be told, it is hard to know what to do with leftover lamb. It tends to develop … Read More
Carciofi trifolati (Sautéed Artichokes)
The trifolati technique is one we’ve seen before on this blog. And although it is probably most often associated with mushrooms, you can make many different non-leafy vegetables using the same basic technique: slice it and sauté it in garlic and oil, and season with salt, pepper and finely chopped … 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
