Panelle (Sicilian Chickpea Fritters)

Frankantipasti, Sicilia, snack47 Comments

Panelle (Sicilian Chickpea Fritters)

These Sicilian chickpea fritters, known as panelle in Italian, are often associated with Sicily’s capital city Palermo, where you can buy them sandwiched inside a sesame seed bun at street-side snack bars. But if you can’t get to Palermo any time soon, no worries. Panelle are pretty easy to make at … Read More

Schiacciata all’uva (Tuscan Grape Focaccia)

Frankdessert, Fall, snack, Toscana61 Comments

Schiacciata all'uva

No one understands simplicity quite like the Tuscans. As Leonardo da Vinci famously said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.  This rustic Grape Focaccia, which the Tuscans call Schiacciata all’uva, is a case in point. Almost austere in its simplicity, the result is nevertheless both beautiful and—if your ingredients are topnotch—unfailingly delicious. … Read More

Taralli pugliesi

Frankantipasti, Puglia, snack35 Comments

Taralli pugliesi

It is said that the three pillars of Puglia’s agriculture are wheat, wine and olives, and all three make their way into this simple but tasty Puglian snack. Flour, white wine and olive oil are mixed to make a simple dough, formed into rings and, much like bagels, briefly simmered and … Read More

Sciatt (Buckwheat Cheese Fritters)

Frankantipasti, Lombardia, snack12 Comments

Sciatt (Buckwheat Cheese Fritters)

Sciatt are cheese-filled buckwheat fritters from the Valtellina, the same region where the buckwheat pasta pizzocheri come from. The cheese used for sciatt, Valtellina Casera, is also typical for dressing pizzocheri. Although they share the same basic ingredients, the two dishes could hardly be more different, a wonderful example of how method can create incredible … Read More

Torta di porri (Tuscan Leek Pie)

Frankantipasti, snack, Toscana25 Comments

This recipe for torta di porri (Tuscan leek pie) comes from the Florentine chef and food historian Giuliano Bugialli. He is one of my favorite Italian cookbook authors. But he’s is relatively little known, particularly as compared with his near contemporary Marcella Hazan. Bugialli produced a number of wonderful cookbooks, … Read More