The Tetrazzini family of dishes is hard to classify. Despite being a kind of baked pasta dish with an Italian name, it is most definitely not Italian. In fact, it’s not really even Italian-American, if you define that term as meaning the cooking of the Italian diaspora in America. In … Read More
Pasta con la zucca alla napoletana (Pasta with Winter Squash, Naples-Style)
Pairing pasta and vegetables is common throughout Italy, but it is probably fair to say that no region puts so much emphasis on this classic combination as Campania, the southern Italian region from which Angelina hailed. Campanians are so associated with their love of vegetables that they used to jokingly … Read More
Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe (Orecchiette con cime di rapa)
A quick pasta dish with vegetables that you can whip up in less an 30 minutes, Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe makes for a fine meatless dinner, with cheese and fruit for dessert. It’s pretty typical of the kind of thing we like to eat in our house on a weeknight when there’s … Read More
Lobster «Fra Diavolo»
As regular readers will know, it’s become a traditional here at Memorie di Angelina to feature an Italian-American dish every Columbus Day weekend. This year’s entry is Lobster Fra Diavolo, or “Brother Devil’s Lobster”. A distant cousin to Southern Italian seafood and pasta dishes like spaghetti allo scoglio, its pairing … Read More
Gnocchi alla sorrentina (Potato Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella)
Potato gnocchi are pretty filling, the kind of food you may associate with the cooler weather. But, in fact, you can enjoy gnocchi all year ’round. They are delicious with pesto, for example, or with a simple tomato sauce. In fact, one of the classic Campanian summer dishes is gnocchi … Read More
Homemade Potato Gnocchi
Potato gnocchi are one of the easier types of ‘pasta’ to make at home and are most definitely worth the effort. The mini-hockey pucks that are sold commercially are, to put it bluntly, hardly worth eating—especially after you’ve tried the real thing. The best homemade potato gnocchi are as light and … Read More
Crocchette di patate (Potato Croquettes)
Crocchette di palate, or potato croquettes, are wonderfully versatile. They are probably most often served as an antipasto, but they can also do fine service as a lovely contorno, especially with fried meat or fish dish, or as part of a fritto misto, or as a first course instead of pasta, … Read More
Calamarata con Salsiccia, Ricotta e Piselli (Calamarata Pasta with Sausage, Ricotta and Peas)
This was a dish I made up on the spot one day, finding a few stray links of  sausage and some leftover ricotta in my fridge, and some frozen peas at the bottom of the freezer, to serve as a condimento for some calamarata pasta I had in the pantry. … Read More