Tuscans love beans. They eat them as part of many of the famous Tuscan soups like ribollita, they eat them in a salad with tuna as an antipasto, and, of course, they eat them as a contorno, or side dish, especially with grilled meats like the mythical bistecca alla fiorentina. … Read More
Another milestone (Updated)
Gentle readers, A quick note to share with you some wonderful news: Memorie di Angelina now has over 4000 subscribers via email, readers and various social networks, up from 2000 in February, only three months ago! And that doesn’t count those of you who read Memorie di Angelina through the … 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
La vignarola (Roman Spring Vegetable Medley)
A Springtime Roman treat, la vignarola is a vegetable ‘medley’ made from spring onions, fava beans, artichokes, peas and tender lettuce. It comes in an entirely vegan/vegetarian version and one that uses a bit of guanciale or pancetta to lend flavor. Ingredients Serves 4-6 1 kilo (2 lbs) mixture of artichokes, … Read More
Linguine con alici (Linguini with Anchovies)
Linguine con alici, or Linguini with Anchovies, is another quick and easy dish for those days when you don’t really feel like cooking but you want to eat something tasty. It’s a riff off of the classic ajo e ojo with anchovies. Ingredients Serves 4-6 persons 400g (16 oz) linguini … 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
Caserecce e fagiolini (Pasta and Green Beans)
Weeknight dinners at our house much of the time revolve around pasta and vegetables. They are quick and easy, and the combinations are almost endless. For some reason, however, the combination of Pasta and Green Beans is not a particularly common one in Italian cooking, with the notable exception of … 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
