When summer hits, we are also hit with a glut of vegetables from the garden. Actually not MY garden. We learned that we just cannot keep up with raising and eating as much as a few plants produce and we don’t have a big freezer or a lot of storage space for jars. I buy…
Seasonal Recipes- Grapes
This summer was killer hot. The hottest summer in 30 years. It wouldn’t be so bad if Italians used ice in their drinks and liked air conditioning. For me, just a little too extreme! But, August 15 is the breaking point almost always. It is a national holiday, based on a religious celebration, which are…
Amatriciana Sauce- My Way
I don’t want to start any fights, so up front just let me say that this is NOT the traditional way they make Amatriciana sauce in the town of Amatrice or in Rome. But in Italy, there are as many versions of recipes as there are cooks.If you go and look back at the original…
A Taste of Puglia- Plic/Plac
I have been going down to Puglia for about 8 years, each time researching new areas and looking for places to organize culinary weeks. I finally put it all together and created something special for a group of women that met on one of my Chianti Kitchen weeks and enjoyed each others company so much…
Summer Rosso
Today we are celebrating! Our first tomato is ripe. I am celebrating #Summerrosso on FB and Twitter. What most people don’t know is that Italians enjoy green tomatoes. Not hard unripe tomatoes, but as in this photograph, not fully ripened tomatoes. Green tomatoes are used often in salads as they have a nice tang to…
Walnut Sauce- Salsa di Noci
There are a lot of recipes to celebrate Saint’s days. In Florence, June 24th is Saint John the Baptist, San Giovanni, is the patron Saint and there are parades, a historic soccer game and fireworks. In the countryside people gather the green walnuts to make Nocino, which I have written about several times as I…
Sicilian Swordfish Polpette – Fish balls
What do you call meatballs made from fish? Fishballs? Italy simplifies things, polpette are small balls of minced anything, bound with an egg, seasoned and fried. When I am in Sicily, we tour the Capo food market in Palermo and stop and enjoy lunch at a small trattoria run by a fish shop. As part…
Saffron Sausage Pasta- Simply Divina
I am the queen of quick. When it is time for lunch, my husband wants to eat. In the time it takes to boil water, you can have a fabulous sauce ready at the same time. One of my first jobs in Italy was waitressing, as kitchens were small, not a huge staff was needed…