I have not traveled in Valle D’Aosta, but in my effort to “see” every region of Italy through food while we’re still not traveling, I went looking for recipes from the region. Everything that I found seemed to include beef, or fontina cheese, or both, which makes sense given the location. Because I felt like […]
Picture, if you will, five Americans, the oldest 21 years old, driving the cheapest possible rental car through the Loire Valley in an era before GPS. Then imagine that only one of those five Americans – that would have been me – could drive a stick. It was an adventure. Despite the lack of digital […]
If you’ve ever thought that you’d like to throw a yearly party on a day that doesn’t conflict with major holidays, the first Saturday of May is pretty much a perfect choice. To start, there’s a built in theme that comes with an official drink and flower. And there’s just the right amount of entertainment […]
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.