Adri Barr Crocetti

These little pasta squares, known as tacconi, hail from Italy’s Mezzogiorno, and are particularly well known in Molise and Abruzzo.  Toothsome and with plenty of corn flavor, they are made with a blend of finely ground wheat and corn flours, …

Spring is here, but that does not mean we have to leave hearty ragus behind.  I decided to make spinach garganelli and sauce them with the ragu.  The handmade garganelli make this dish special enough to serve at any celebration …

  This hearty salad starts with tiny brown lentils from Umbria, legumes prized for their earthy, nutty flavor and wholesome satisfying character.  Some of the finest lentils are grown on Italy’s Colfiorito plateau near the border of Umbria and Le …

Liguria is a verdant strip of Italy that stretches along the Italian Riviera. Green herbs, fruit and nut trees, garlic, and vegetables grow in profusion, kissed by the briny air and protected from the bitter northern winds by the mountains …

In 1779 Bortolo Nardini arrived in Bassano, opened his grapperia, and a tradition was born.  To this day from their gleaming stills near the river Brenta the expert craftsmen of Nardini produce some of the finest, smoothest grappa and liqueur …

Crostata al limone – Lemon Tart Gone are Winter desserts of apples and pears.  Spring is here.  Color rules the day and fresh flavors reign supreme.  The melons and berries of summer have not yet arrived, but this Lemon Crostata …

This is one your Sicilian nonna used to make.  Also known as maccaruna di casa, busiate are made of durum wheat and water, and are perhaps Sicily’s most famous pasta lunga.  The deft hands of the Sicilian women can turn …

Sardinia is Italy’s second largest island, and like so many islands, its culture has developed in relative isolation from the surrounding land masses.  In the case of Sardinia this holds especially true for its cuisine.  Along with a multitude of …

The weather is starting to warm up, so why not think about refreshing drinks that double as digestivi and dessert?  The Negroni, first made by Florentine barman Fosco Scarselli, is the quintessential aperitivo – one part gin, one part Italian …

I make frozen desserts year round – gelati, sorbetti, semifreddi  – and my gelato machine occupies pride of place on my kitchen counter.  I like to put a new spin on the classics, and here is one.  This simple gelato …