I daresay there is a traditional dish from somewhere on the Italian peninsula that resembles this dish in some way, but in a radical, free-form departure from our blogging norms, we didn’t follow any kind of recipe here nor do the slightest bit of research in preparation. By way of an excuse, we didn’t really [...]
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Posted in Argentina, Buenos Aires, Galician, Gallego, Genoa, Italian, South America, Spain, Uruguay, baking, duck, history, travel on May 12th, 2010
Being the innate pessimist that I am, watching a small boat being knocked around like a dodgem car on the rollicking, blue-grey seas at the normally placid Jersey Shore this past weekend put me in mind of the Costa de Muerte, the coast of death, on Spain’s north-west coast, where Galician fisherman have taken their [...]
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Posted in Arezzo, Florence, Italian, Tuscan, beans, braised, fabada, hearty, herbs, pork, pressure-cooker, tuscany on Apr 28th, 2010
“I eat my candy with pork and beans.
Excuse my manners if I make a scene.”
-Pork and Beans, by Weezer
I could begin this post with a rose-tinted anecdote about how, during the run-up to our wedding in Italy, as Amy and I were lingering romantically over a typically rustic Tuscan dinner one warm June evening against [...]
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Posted in Arezzo, Florence, Garlic, Italian, Italy, Meat, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Olive Oil, Pasta, Recipes, Tuscan, bolognese, carrots, celery, chicken stock, duck, flour, game, guanciale, hearty, herbs, indulgent meal, mushroom, mushrooms, noodles, philosophy, porcini, sauce, tomato, tradition, travel, tuscany, wine on Jan 23rd, 2010
It might be generational, or, perhaps, philosophical, but there are, on the one hand, those who enjoy and appreciate handmade things, and the art and craft they require to make, and, on the other, those who prefer their things machine-made, reliable, and standard. The ‘things’ here could be quite literally anything. My father, who, to [...]
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Posted in Alba, French, Italian, Italy, Pasta, Recipe, butter, cream, easy, indulgent meal, nuts, vegetarian, walnuts on Dec 1st, 2009
As with a few other fellow bloggers, we were lucky to receive one of my favorite “blog freebies” to try recently – truffle products by La Boutique de la Truffe. Cha-ching! As some know, for most of us, blogging will barely help us buy a cup of coffee at a year’s end – that is [...]
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Posted in Bologna, Emilia Romagna, Italian, Italy, Meat, Modena, Pasta, balsamico, cream, ground meat, pork, ravioli, sandwiches, sausage, travel on Sep 16th, 2009
At Via Clavature 18, hidden in the back streets of Bologna, is the comparatively charmless little Ristorante da Gianni. It’s dimly lit, almost to the point of stumbling darkness — especially if you enter, as we did, from the sharp rays of a late midsummers’ afternoon nursing a fierce hangover brought on by a handful of Negronis the night [...]
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Posted in Italian, Italy, Sicilian, cornichons, game, gherkins, grilled, grilling, pine nuts, sour, sweet, vinegar on Jul 30th, 2009
One of the most familiar (and enjoyable) flavor combinations to many cultures – sour and sweet or, as the Italians call it, agrodolce. There is something about tartness and sweetness that just makes you want more. Think Sour Patch Kids, Pisco or Whiskey Sours or your favorite Chinese take-out order. Yes, sweet and sour is [...]
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Posted in America, Argentina, Atlantic City, Buenos Aires, Italian, Italian-American, Italy, Meat, Napoli, beef, bread, breadcrumbs, fried, hearty, history, obesity on Jul 24th, 2009
“In Argentina, a vegetarian is someone who orders a salad with their steak…”
-Unknown
Those with even a basic understanding of food history probably know that the hamburger as we know it today is an American adaptation of the “Hamburger-style steak” which originated in the now-German city of Hamburg, and was brought to this country by immigrants [...]
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