Our Grandfather’s Le Marche: Antipasto of Grapefruit and Shrimp with Balsamic Vinegar
For the past month, I’ve been doing research on Le Marche, the region on Italy’s Adriatic coast where my paternal grandfather was born. It started …
Cooking Le Marche Style: Vongole in Potacchio
Ciao, tutti! As I write this post, my brother and Mark are relaxing in the little village of Scapezzano, Italy – in the very house …
Le Marche: Polente con le vongole
Le Marche—the region of Italy on the Adriatic Coast east of Umbria—remains largely unknown to most Americans. Europeans and South Americans know about it and …
Zucchine ripine all marchigiana (Stuffed zucchini Marche style)
This is a very special recipe for me. In 1993, I visited my relatives near Senigallia, Italy for the first time. Lena, my dad’s cousin …
Finding Our Roots in Le Marche: ‘Passatelli Asciutti’ with Sausage and Tomatoes
Growing up, my brother and I often helped our mother make a holiday staple – ‘passatelli in brodo’ – a recipe she learned from my …
Calamari in Umido: Stewed squid in tomatoes for a chilly winter night
Even with all the warm weather we’ve been having here in Los Angeles, the nights are still chilly. It’s that way almost all year round …
Pollo in potacchi and Italian Americans in LA
Last week I attended a talk and book signing for The Italian Americans of Los Angeles at our local Barnes and Nobles, Thhe author, Marianna …
Romanesco Goes to Sicily
Sicily has been on my mind. Both my maternal grandparents came from Sicily, but I never met that grandfather, Antonio, who died before I was …
Lenticchie in Umido – Stewed Lentils
Autumn 🍁 is finally in the air in Los Angeles. All and all, we had a pretty mild summer. The real heat in LA comes …
Easy Tuscan Peposo and Magical Montalcino ❤️
On our recent trip to Montalcino, Joey and I cooked up a Florentine stew called Peposo, which has a long history dating back to when …
Pasta mari e monti
Here’s another tasty and simple summer 😎 😎 😎 dish that won’t heat up your kitchen. Pasta mare e monti is a wonderful dish from …
A Sicilian-influenced Monkfish Brodetto
Our paternal grandfather, Giuseppe Becci, was born and raised in the little village of Scapezzano in the region of Marche, Italy, which sits not far …