frank fariello

Italian Heritage Month has just passed, but we’d like to remain focused on Italian-American food for one more week, instead of giving you a traditional Old-Italy recipe as we usually do. Today, we have a real crowd-pleaser: baked ziti. True …

If you like pasta – and who doesn’t? – and if you like cake -and again, who doesn’t? – then you’re sure to like timballo di pasta, pasta baked in a mold then served as a kind of pasta cake. Italian …

From the city of Taranto in the region of Puglia comes this simple but tasty take on mussels, cozze alla tarantina, or Mussels Taranto Style. Taranto has been famous for its exquisite mussels since ancient times when their deliciousness was praised by …

We don’t often think about it, but meats also have seasons. Just as lamb is a talisman of the spring, autumn and early winter is pork season. In the days before freezers, it was the time of the year when …

As everyone knows, zucchini (aka courgettes) are a staple of modern Italian cookery. Italians have come up with a nearly endless variety of recipes for their beloved cucurbita pepo: They can be sautéed in garlic and olive oil, stewed in tomato sauce, stuffed, fried …

This week we have a dish especially appealing for these chilly autumn evenings: spezzatino di maiale e zucca, or pork and pumpkin stew, featuring two seasonal ingredients playing a lovely duo of savory and sweet notes. Although the Italian word …

Italian-American dishes usually have a continental counterpart, and Baked clams oreganata is no exception. Italians make a nearly identical dish called vongole gratinate al forno, though I’d venture to say that its near cousin cozze al gratin, made with mussels, is rather …

It’s the beginning of October and our markets are full of autumnal produce, from pumpkins to pears, and it’s easy to forget that summer vegetables like peppers and tomatoes are still very much in season. So why not make use …

One usually associates Roman cuisine with hearty and robustly flavored dishes and, by and large, the image holds true. But there are some exceptions, like today’s offering: stracciatella, a light, and delicately flavored “egg drop soup.” Stracciatella is utterly simple and—if you have …

When temperatures reach astronomical highs as they have done lately, I often turn to salads for sustenance. To me, they’re the ideal hot weather food. Not only do you generally serve them chilled or at room temperature, but they’re quickly thrown together …