Summer Clam Guazzetto
During my boyhood in New Jersey, summer meant trips to the Jersey shore, and the Jersey shore meant clams! From then till now, to me …
Beat the Heat Italian Style: Easy Pistachio Semifreddo
Buona estate a tutti!! Happy summer! The summer heat is upon us and if you are like me, you are always searching for that easy …
Buona Primavera! A Spring Vegetable Risotto
I tend to get emotional at the farmer’s market in spring. The colors at the market turn from the winter beiges to the vibrant glorious …
Warm Farro, Fava Bean and Pancetta Salad
Spring is in full swing. Last spring, when we were in Marche, Italy, fava beans were coming into the local farm stands right about this …
Childhood Memories and a Few Sauces from Sicily
I was reorganizing a few cabinets the other day and came across some old photo albums – those old photo albums that many of us …
Fava bean and mint “torta rustica”
It’s springtime in Los Angeles. The rain seems to be over; the days are getting warmer and longer; plants are growing and flowers blooming all …
“Wild” Mushroom Risotto
A few years ago I finally got around to reading Michael Pollan’s decade-old book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I loved the entire book, but as I …
A modern Coniglio in Porchetta
The first and only time I served a whole, intact rabbit was several years ago for Easter dinner (insert humorous comment about serving a bunny …
Simplifying Life and a Blood Orange Crostata
Over the past few years, I have had a growing realization that that the things I treasured most had nothing to do with the things filling my …
Nesting in Winter: Spaghetti Nests (Nidi di Spaghetti)
Winter. In all its frosty glory…how I pine for spring! To be fair, winter in my hood has been fairly mild this year. No snow …
In Search of Castelluccio Lentils
While in Umbria on vacation a few years ago, we went in search of fabled Castelluccio lentils. We had seen these lentils for sale when …
Detoxing Italian Style: Fabulous Fennel
Buon anno, tutti!! With the holidays behind us, many of us have gone a bit overboard with the continual stream of cakes, cookies, libations and …