Taccole con pancetta e pomodoro

Frankcontorno22 Comments

Taccole con pancetta e pomodoro

Snap peas, called taccole or piselli mangiatutto in Italian, are one of spring’s most delightful vegetables. Sweet, crisp and toothsome, they are very easy to cook. And, best of all, they don’t need that tedious shelling needed that fresh peas do. The specimens you’re likely to find in Italy (at … Read More

Scaloppine di pollo alla valdostana

Franksecondi piatti, Val d'Aosta32 Comments

Scaloppine di pollo alla valdostana

I’ve always been puzzled by the popularity that chicken breasts enjoy, in particular here in the US. If you ask me, I’d nominate them as the world’s least interesting protein. Especially in this age of industrial poultry farms, chicken breasts tends to lack any discernible flavor, and then they dry … Read More

Negroni sbagliato

Frankbeverage, drink, Lombardia, summer20 Comments

Negroni sbagliato

It might have been a mistake, but I happen to like a Negroni sbagliato, or “mistaken Nigroni”, even better than the original cocktail. In this “mistaken” version, Prosecco stands in for the gin that gives a classic Negroni its sharp kick. This version is less alcoholic and, to my mind, … Read More

Italian Tomato Salad: The Essential Guide

Frankcontorno44 Comments

Italian Tomato Salad

Nothing says summer like and insalata di pomodori, or Italian Tomato Salad. It’s a simple dish. So simple, in fact, you might not think it needs a recipe at all. But in fact—as so often happens in Italian cookery— the simplicity is deceptive. An artfully-made Italian Tomato Salad can be a … Read More