anna romano & angela desalvo

So you may read this and, like my husband, wonder what would possess someone to roam ditches and pastures for asparagus when you can find locally grown spears in all the stores. Fair enough. But try it and you will …

Carnevale in all of Italy is like Mardi Gras to New Orleans. What you may not know is that both of these hugely popular festivals represent a last celebration before the beginning of Lent, 40 days before Easter. It is …

Salted cod, known as ‘baccalà’ in Italian, is a fish that has enjoyed extreme popularity in much of the Mediterranean. You would think such a staple food was available locally, but actually cod has never been seen to swim those …

Try to imagine a time without freezers, fridges, or canned food and we can begin to understand how cooking methods became not only popular but necessary. The ancient Romans learned that baking their bread twice made it durable and allowed …

I don’t think there is another food in the world that has reached the popularity or stretched the imagination as much as pizza. Let’s not get into where the best pizza is made or who made it first because we …

Easter is around the corner and there are plenty of Italian traditions that go with it. I would say that for Italians, Easter is the second most popular holiday of the year next to Christmas. In my mom’s Calabrian hometown, …

When I think of comfort food Italian style, I think of polenta and this is the perfect time of the year for it. Not only because of the cold temperatures, but because many of us have likely just finished making …

Nduja, pronounced “an-du-ra” or “an-du-ya” depending where you are in Italy, originates from a Calabrian village called Spilinga, the original home village of one of my Nonnas.  Spilinga is located in the Calabrian province of Vibo Valentia. It is a …

“Alla gloria di Dio, ci’a racommando a papà mio” is what my mom says every time she makes this dish – an Italian tradition of sending a salute to a loved one when eating or drinking something you know they …

Have you ever heard of “struffoli?” They are deep fried morsels of dough that expand as they cook. Have you ever tasted “struffoli?” After they are fried they get bathed in warm honey and adorned with sprinkles and some orange …