Celebrating summer vegetables – Emilia-Romagna style!!
The farmer’s markets in Los Angeles are finally filling up with summer vegetables. Summer squash of all shapes and colors, Italian and Japanese eggplant, bell …
In My Father’s Memory: Laughter, Ladybugs and Chicken Marinated in Red Wine
My father passed away in 1981 at the tender young age of 54. He died suddenly that day, leaving us all to figure out how …
Soul Food Italian Style: Piadina Romagnola
It never ceases to amaze me how different the breads of Italy can be from region to region. Emilia-Romagna’s bread is no exception. Unlike the …
Ragù Bolognese
Unlike many other Italian pasta sauces, Ragù Bolognese is serious stuff in Italy. Bearing little resemblance to the sauce in the USA of the same …
Spring’s Sweet Bounty: Strawberries with Balsamic and Black Pepper
The local farmer’s market is beginning to fill to the brim with spring’s fresh bounty – tender asparagus, baby peas, young lettuces and my favorite …
Bon Appetit’s June Cook the Cover Challenge: Spaghetti with Parsley Pesto
My family is a huge Bon Appetit family. We have subscribed for years and years and years. We have cellars full of back issues. We …
Polpo in Umido alla Siciliana (Sicilian Stewed Octopus)
As we wrap up our food-and-wine tour of Sicily, I thought I’d finish with one of Sicily’s most under-appreciated seafoods, the octopus. This is my …
Grilling a Sicilian fish at Sotto in Los Angeles @SottoLA
I had an opportunity to hang out in the kitchen with the staff at Sotto earlier this year. Reality food TV would have you believe …
Pasta con le sarde (Pasta with sardines) – The national dish of Sicily
My sister Michele visited me this week in L.A. for my official IBM retirement party. We thought hard about what to cook together. We’re focused …
The Magical Little Island of Pantelleria: Pasta with Shrimp, Toasted Almonds and Breadcrumbs
A few years back, I was on a mission to visit as many of the islands of Italy as I could. I still have quite …
Involtini di Pesce Spada (Sicilian Swordfish Rolls)
Sicilians really do love their fish and especially their swordfish. Sicily’s enviable position surrounded by three seas explains why fish holds such a revered place …
Blood orange olive oil cake (Torta di arance rosse e olio)
I can’t think of anything more Sicilian than olive oil cake and blood oranges. This Easter, I went looking for something to do with blood …