Italian cuisine is not generally known for potato gratin dishes. But here’s one from the little-known cuisine of Basilicata that is sure to be a crowd pleaser: patate alla lucana, potatoes layered with onions and tomatoes, scented with oregano and pecorino cheese. Considered a side dish or contorno, I sometimes like … Read More
Stinco di maiale al forno con patate (Oven-Roasted Pork Hock and Potatoes)
I am taking some poetic license with today’s recipe. You see, stinco di maiale is actually the shank of the animal. It is a fairly easy to find cut in Italy, sold in many supermarkets already skinned and trimmed and ready for the oven. Here is the US, I’ve never been able to … Read More
Schiacciata all’uva (Tuscan Grape Focaccia)
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
Uova alla fiorentina, Bugialli’s Original Eggs Florentine
Delicious as it may be, the dish known in most of the world as Eggs Florentine —eggs sitting on a bed of spinach braised in butter, topped with mornay sauce and shirred in a hot oven— is, in fact, not Italian but a French invention. Some say it was invented … Read More
Strudel di mele (Apple Strudel)
I first learned to make Strudel when I was living in Vienna, its birthplace. Strudel is also made in Italy, in particular in the Northeastern regions that were under Austrian rule, and most especially the region known to Italians as Alto Adige and to German speakers as Südtirol, which was … Read More
Cannelloni ricotta e spinaci (Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni)
Incredible as it may seem, after nearly six years of blogging on Italian cooking—my blogiversary is coming up later this month—I realize I’ve never written a post about cannelloni. That’s an incredible omission, since cannelloni are probably the easiest stuffed pasta you can make. You simply roll square sheets of fresh … Read More
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
Patate al forno (Italian Oven Roasted Potatoes)
It’s often the most obvious things that we overlook. And so I just realized that I’ve never blogged about patate al forno, Italian Oven Roasted Potatoes —without a doubt the most classic Italian contorno of them all. There’s no mystery about its popularity. It literally goes with any meat or fish … Read More