Not sure about you, but the weather here has crossed the line from pleasantly crisp to downright cold at night. That’s as good an excuse as any for some good, stick to the ribs eating like sausage and cabbage. It may sound eastern European, but Italians, too, like their cabbage, … Read More
Chicons au gratin (Belgian Endive and Ham Gratin)
There’s something about chilly weather that demands a nice gratin—that piping-hot, cheesy, gooey goodness is just the thing to warm your body and soul on a mid-Autumn evening. And here is one that is sure to satisfy: another classic, Belgian Endive and Ham Gratin, known as chicons au gratin in Belgium and … Read More
Tortelli di zucca (Homemade Pumpkin Ravioli)
One of the nicest parts of this, my favorite season, is the arrival of wonderful produce: mushrooms, endive, chestnuts, cabbage, radicchio… but for me no other vegetable is as typical of the season as hard squashes. They are sometimes called ‘winter squashes’ but they start appearing in the early autumn and … Read More
Catfish «en meurette»: A Classic Reimagined
The term en meurette refers to a dish that has been braised in a particularly delicious red wine sauce from the Burgundy region of France. Probably the best known of these dishes is oeufs en meurette, made from poached eggs. But even tastier, in my opinion, is fish made this way. … Read More
Coniglio alla ligure (Ligurian Braised Rabbit)
Rabbit is another one of those foods that many people seem to feel squeamish about. Perhaps because the live animal is so cute and furry, the thought of eating them strikes people, particularly North Americans, as strange or even disgusting. That’s too bad, because rabbit is actually one of the … Read More
Funghi trifolati (Sautéed Mushrooms)
This is one of the easiest and most versatile vegetable dishes in the Italian repertoire: funghi trifolati, or ‘truffled’ mushooms, so called because the thinly sliced and sautéed mushrooms are said to resemble that other, more highly prized tuber. I use two methods to make funghi trifolati, and both are … Read More
Gnocchi al gorgonzola (Potato Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce)
It’s Thursday, and the Romans out there will know that Thursdays in Rome (and perhaps in the rest of Italy, I’m not entirely sure…) is gnocchi day: giovedi’ gnocchi as the saying goes. Today’s offering is gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce. Here’s how you make this incredibly rich and unctuous … Read More
Coniglio alla cacciatora (Rabbit Cacciatore)
Rabbit is a wonderful meat, leaner but yet tastier than most chicken you’ll find in these days of industrial agriculture. Many people (at least in the US) have an aversion to eating rabbit, but it is quite popular in Italy, Spain, France and elsewhere in Europe. And why not? Those … Read More
