Soffritto napoletano

FrankCampania, pasta, secondi piatti40 Comments

Soffritto napoletano

We don’t often think about it, but meats also have seasons. Just as lamb is a talisman of the spring, autumn and early winter is pork season. In the days before freezers, it was the time of year when pigs were traditionally slaughtered. The colder weather acted as a natural … Read More

Crostini di fegatini (Tuscan Chicken Liver Crostini)

Frankantipasti, Fall, Toscana13 Comments

Crostini (Tuscan Chicken Liver Crostini)

Crostini di fegatini—bread slices topped with a savory chicken liver paste—are the iconic Tuscan antipasto. In this version from Giuliano Bugialli’s classic work, The Fine Art of Italian Cooking, the liver paste is flavored unusually with  juniper berries, a touch that Bugialli says evokes the autumn hunting season. Whether or not … Read More

Quick Note: Picchiapò

Franksecondi piatti22 Comments

Picchiapò

We’re an old fashioned household in many ways. In the cooler months, making broth is a Sunday afternoon ritual in our house. And from broth comes boiled meat, an old fashioned treat that most people these days have never tasted. If it sounds to you like hospital food, think again. Italian … Read More

Beef Carpaccio: The Original Recipe

Frankantipasti, Veneto23 Comments

Beef Carpaccio: The Original Recipe

Beef carpaccio—known to Italians simply as carpaccio—is one of the most famous of Italian antipasti. But the version most people are familiar with—thin beef slices macerated in olive oil and lemon, adorned with arugula and shavings of Parmesan cheese— is actually rather closer to another dish, carne cruda all’Albese, a Piedmontese dish. … Read More

Rotolo di tacchino (Roast Turkey Roll)

Franksecondi piatti21 Comments

Roast Turkey Roll

Turkey is a popular meat in Italy, often providing a less expensive alternative to veal in dishes ranging from scalloppine to ossobuco. But a whole roast turkey, Thanksgiving style, is a rarity. Back in Rome, I remember we had to special order our bird from a local butcher and presented … Read More