I always thought of my mom as a movie star. Not only was Mamma beautiful but she dressed the part, too! Many would think it odd that I would regard her in this way since she came from a remote volcanic island off the coast of Naples, Italy. When she was born, this underdeveloped tiny … Read more
Serves 2. This dish was actually invented by an innkeeper in Ischia. The story is that late one night guests were hungry and there was no food left. The innkeeper quickly put together a pasta dish with whatever he had on hand which included some tomatoes, olives, capers and anchovies. He said he put together … Read more
My favorite part of my job is talking to all the people I meet. This past year at one of my seminars I met a woman who, as soon as I said hello to her, she proclaimed her love for Adams Fairacre Farms (the specialty grocery store in my area where I have my seminars). … Read more
Here’s a pasta recipe that was a family favorite! Ingredients: 2 garlic large garlic cloves sliced thin½ cup extra virgin olive oil2 tablespoons of chopped fresh Italian parsley¼ cup of sliced Kalamata olives or Gaeta Olives¼ cup of sliced green olives with herbs¼ cup of sliced green French olives¼ cup of capers (drained)¼ cup of … Read more
I just can’t let Easter go by without writing about my family’s Easter tradition of Easter Bread. It is a paschal ritual in my dad’s hometown of Monte di Procida in Italy. The old fashioned way is to start with a mother yeast that everyone makes themselves called “criscito” which is mixed into sweet bread … Read more
Ingredients 3-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour2/3 cup sugar1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast1/4 teaspoon lemon zest1 teaspoon of dry vanilla1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon3 large eggs, room temperature¼ cup lukewarm water1/3 cup of orange juice1 tablespoon warm honey2 oz of Strega Liquor11-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter (10-1/2 tablespoons softened and cut into tablespoons; 1 tablespoon chilled) … Read more
Italian cooking is a very simple cuisine. What sets it apart from other cuisines is not by technique but by knowledge of the ingredients. Italians know that it’s the authenticity of the ingredients that makes their dishes absolutely delicious! There are not a lot of ingredients in a typical Italian dish but each of the … Read more
Ingredients: Shrimp (size at your discretion), peeled (tails left on) and deveined6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil1 cup basil leaves (There are numerous varieties of this spicy, aromatic herb, but sweet basil and bush basil are the most common. It is used mostly in dishes that contain tomatoes, and in salads, soups and on pizzas. … Read more
Ingredients: 1 garlic clove, minced3/4 teaspoon (or more) fine sea salt1/2 teaspoon (or more) black pepper1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper1/2 teaspoon (packed) grated lemon peel3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil3/4 cup (packed) chopped Italian parsley ( Italian parsley is the flat-leaved variety as opposed to the curly “moss” variety common … Read more
Ingredients: 2 fennel bulbs, cored and sliced (Fennel-finocchio) Fennel is used in three ways in Italian cooking. The bulb, known as Florence fennel or finocchio, is used whole, sliced or quartered as a vegetable, and either braised or baked au gratin. It is also chopped raw in salads. Wild fennel stems (finocchiella) and the frondy … Read more