Category Archive for 'Italy'
Eggs Cooked in Ragú and Our New Bête Noire
Posted in Bologna, bolognese, Bon Appetit, bread, easy, egg, Florence, food magazines, ground meat, hearty, Italian, Italy, magazine, Meat, New York City, Recipe, Recipes, sauce on Jan 7th, 2009
It’s a truism of my life that some of the more sickening feelings of depression are experienced immediately after the most smugly satisfying. But, I think this maxim applies almost universally when that wonderful sensation of happiness in having discovered the perfectly authentic tapas bar turns to acrid bitterness and choking rancor as a bloated family in sweatsuits and fanny-packs strolls [...]
Make Friends With Your Butcher: Herb and Lavender-Stuffed Standing Pork Loin Rib Roast
Posted in Brooklyn, chops, Coco Lezzone, easy, Europe, Florence, Garlic, herbs, Italian, Italy, Olive Oil, pork, Recipe, Recipes, rosemary, sage, thyme, travel, Tuscan, tuscany on Dec 11th, 2008
I feel kinda cheesy. I admit it, I feel cool about using a butcher. I understand this is lame and that butchers have been around for ages, but, truthfully, in the recent year, we’ve really gotten to know our neighborhood butchers. Growing up in the ‘burbs, meat was only bought pre-cut and pre-packaged. Yes, every [...]
Bagna Caoda: A Warm Bath for My Crudite Please, Waiter
Posted in anchovies, appetizer, butter, condiments, easy, Fall, fondue, Garlic, grilled, Italian, Italy, Liguria, Olive Oil, Piemonte, Potato, Recipe, tradition, travel, vegetables, winter on Nov 29th, 2008
And, while you’re at it, good fellow, I’ll have a warm bath with virtually anything you’ve got on the menu: pasta, potatoes, fish, chicken, soup, bread… Stop me if you’ve heard this one before… A man goes to the doctor complaining of neck ache. The doctor gives him some painkillers telling him to take two [...]
You’ll Gain Weight Just Looking At This Post! Lardo.
Posted in acorns, balsamico, delicacy, Emilia Romagna, indulgent meal, Italian, Italy, lard, lardo, Modena, pigs, Pizza, Recipe, rosemary, salami, tourism, travel, Tuscan, unhealthy, vinegar on Nov 7th, 2008
Have you ever eaten something so fabulous, so lucious, so decadent that you almost felt the need to run to confession (to confess your indulgent food “sins”), say three Hail Mary’s (that’s for you Catholics out there) and pray really hard that you can zip your jeans up again? Ok, a bit exaggerated, but looking [...]
Gnocchi alla Romana (Roman Gnocchi) – Those Romans Do It Again
Posted in butter, cheese, cream, crispy, egg, gnocchi, history, Italian, Italy, parmigiano reggiano, polenta, Recipe, Roman, Rome, semolina, vegetarian on Sep 4th, 2008
As I wrote in the title of this post, the Romans do it again… and again… and again. Roman cuisine is one of our favorites and Rome is one of our favorite cities to visit and eat in. This dish, gnocchi alla romana, is a dish that reminds me how versatile, creative and (I’ve said [...]
Farinata: Crispy, Nutty Canvas for Your Creations
Posted in appetizer, batter, broiled, chick peas, chickpeas, Europe, flour, Genoa, Genovese, Italian, Italy, lower fat, pine nuts, Recipe, Recipes, rosemary, sage, salad, salt, savory, street food, travel, vegetables, vegetarian, vinaigrette on Jul 30th, 2008
The Italian region of Liguria is famous for its dramatic landscape of mountains plunging into crystal clear waters, and narrow terraced fields leading down to tiny, colorful villages precipitously perched on the edges of cliffs of which the Cinque Terre (five lands) of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore in La Spezia province [...]
“Open” Raviolo with Hare/Rabbit and Juniper Berry Ragu
Posted in bunny, culture, dining, Europe, game, hearty, Italian, Italy, Pasta, rabbit, Recipe, Recipes, restaurant, slow cooking, spices, stew, tourism, travel, Tuscan, tuscany, wine on Jul 8th, 2008
Remember way back yonder, when the weather was still cool, we were on the search for some rabbit to make? We ended up calling around to butchers around Brooklyn and found a place that had them and asked them to save two for us. When we arrived, the butcher handed us our babies and, with [...]
Pasta with Bresaola, Roasted Veggies and Roasted Garlic Sauce: Another One of Those “Need To Use Up Stuff” Meals
Posted in easy, egg, Italian, Italy, Olive Oil, pancetta, Pasta, quick meal, Recipe, Recipes, vegetables on Jun 20th, 2008
Ok, so this is just a quick entry for a nice, summer Friday (where I’d rather be outside than blogging!) for a quick, nice summer meal. It was one of those ‘fridge meals’ where we had to use up some veggies and is not super different from some of the other ‘fridge meals’ (often pasta) [...]
Baked Spinach and Eggs: Uova e Spinaci Cotti alla Fiorentina
Posted in baking, butter, cream, easy, egg, hearty, Italian, Italy, pepper, Recipe, salt, side dish, spinach, Steak, Tuscan, tuscany, vegetables, vegetarian on Jun 15th, 2008
On almost every diner breakfast menu in the United States you’ll find eggs florentine – a breakfast dish of poached eggs over wilted spinach sitting on half a toasted English muffin (we’ll get into the Englishness of English muffins at another time) and dressed with a hollandaise or bechamel sauce. What makes them Florentine or [...]
How Sweet It Is: Casunziei/Casumziei (Beet Ravioli) with Brown Butter and Poppy Seeds
Posted in beets, Brooklyn, butter, cheap meal, healthy, Italian, Italy, Potato, Recipe, Recipes, restaurant, vegetarian on Jun 6th, 2008
The first time I ate a version of this very old Venetian meal was at a very popular restaurant in my neighborhood in Brooklyn called Al Di La. The restaurant serves simple Italian food at it’s best and this is precisely why it is so popular. But since that dinner, a few years ago, I [...]
Drink of the Month – May: Vin Santo
Posted in alcohol, alcoholic drink, beverage, biscotti, delicacy, dessert, drink, Food Commentary, grapes, Italian, Italy, madeira, malvasia, sweet, tourism, tradition, travel, trebbiano, Tuscan, tuscany, Vin Santo, wine on May 29th, 2008
Regular readers must find us horrible bores as we bang on about our wedding and honeymoon in Italy last year almost constantly. On our penultimate day of our three week trip, we raided an enormous supermarket in the suburbs of Montevarchi for the Tuscan products we cannot find or cannot afford here in NYC, and [...]
















