JOSEPH BECCI

When I was recently in Rome, I enjoyed a plate of “abbacchio alla romana” at Da Bucatino (www.bucatino.com), a restaurant just downstairs from the apartment I was renting. This is an always-packed trattoria in the Testaccio neighborhood just south and …

The pork loin roast is generally a sad thing. Often dry and tasteless because of its lack of fat, the lowly loin is generally left to be cut into boneless chops, then pounded, breaded and fried to death. It’s worse …

Summer is here! We’ve had an early start here in LA. I recently went to the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market looking for something summery! I made agnolotti with fava beans for Easter but they’re out of season now. Once I …

Oxtail ragù is a speciality dish of Rome and is frequently paired with semolina gnocchi, also a Roman speciality. Italians use the word “coda”, which simply means “tail,” to refer to oxtails.  When I traveled to Rome in October, this …

Paccheri is a pasta shape that is all the rage in the US at the moment. It’s been in several cooking magazines of late, mentioned on blogs and featured on hot restaurant menus, but I haven’t seen them sold in …

Pesce crudo (Italian for “raw fish”) and Japanese sashimi both rely on ultra-fresh seafood, but that’s where the similarities end. Italians near the coastline have been eating raw fish for a long time. In particular, fisherman with their returning catch …

Risotto—rice cooked with broth to a creamy consistency—is a blank canvas, perfect for creating a dish that has your unique fingerprints. But with all the things I can imagine adding to risotto, I can think of nothing better than DUCK: …

OK, first off I have to admit that I totally ripped off the idea of serving this panna cotta in little flip-top jars from my favorite LA Italian restaurant – Sotto, on Pico Boulevard here in Los Angeles. I had …

It’s the dead of winter, when one’s tastes go to deep earthy root vegetables such as beets and lentils. Never mind that it’s 70 degrees in Los Angeles! That makes exploring urban farmers’ markets for candy cane beets and other …

When we visited Umbria this fall, I expected the region to be a mere stepchild to Tuscany and its cosmopolitan, touristy vibe. Instead, we found a truly distinctive part of Italy, with its own unique character—and a place that includes …