It’s not really the time of year for these as their flavor screams “Christmas,” but like so many of us, I did not see family during the holidays in 2020, so I made these out of season for an upcoming, outdoors, family visit. This recipe is heavy on the spice. My family likes them that […]
It has been thirty years since I’ve been in Umbria, and I have been talking about two meals that I had in Assisi ever since. I want to go back, yet at the same time I am afraid that nothing will ever live up to my food memories. Those two meals were both at a […]
One of my favorite appetizers for a crowd is a tray of mixed vegetable antipasti. You can prepare the vegetables in advance, display them on platters, and serve with breads, olives, and/or cheese as you like. Guests can serve themselves and nibble as you chat and prepare the other course(s). I also love old-school restaurants […]
Admit it – you’ve made bread in the last 11-12 months, true? Haven’t we all? I’ll confess right up front – I have not made sourdough. When the pandemic bread craze started, I read at least a dozen different sources about how to create my own starter, but ultimately I decided that I just didn’t […]
I have not actually been to Abruzzo – yet – so this post is purely virtual travel. I really want to get this one “right,” to the extent that any Italian regional food has a “right” way to cook it, because I have a dear friend from Abruzzo and one day I hope to visit […]
I am sure I have absolutely nothing new to say about Florence. What could there possibly be that has not already been said? Yet, even knowing that, I have a lot to say, and there will be many things that I leave out (to be used in another post someday, hopefully). Florence was the last […]
Everyone needs a go-to basic meat sauce for pasta. This is mine. Unlike most of my Italian recipes I cannot assign this to a particular region, unless we want to call it Brooklyn ragu.
Assuming that this isn’t the first Auntastasia post you have read, you have probably figured out that I love Italy. But Italy is far from a monolith, and there are some places that I might love a little more than others. Siena is one of those places. I have often said that I would retire […]
We had a big, pooh-bear-honey-pot shaped cookie jar in my house growing up. It must have been something from a local craft fair or potter shop. I still remember the little poem that was on the side (one has to wonder how much time I spent looking at that cookie jar). The word “fluffy” was […]
The first time I visited Rome it was 1991, we were on a serious budget, and it was during my vegetarian phase. If you’ve looked at any other posts here, it’s pretty clear that I’m no longer a vegetarian, but even then I was focused on food. When I started thinking about creating this blog, […]