La Buona Tavola

I knew I had become truly Italian once I had mastered shopping for food on a daily basis (every morning) as opposed to a large once-weekly supermarket shop. Food shopping Italian style means encompassing the fundamentals of an Italian diet, …

The late Anthony Bourdain notoriously said once that pasta cacio  e pepe “could be the greatest thing in the history of the world.” And how could you say he was wrong?  I still remember the first time I had a …

One of my favorite pastimes in the kitchen is finding ways to make under-appreciated and undervalued ingredients shine. I love an underdog. Take celery for example. It shows up in any number of recipes, but almost always in a minor …

It’s not Easter quite yet, but it doesn’t mean we can’t have a chat about pastiera — the most traditional Neapolitan Easter dessert — and learn how to make it! This wheat berry and ricotta pie is wonderfully perfumed with …

Pecorino Romano: the ancient cheese with the “cappa nera” While they praised the “vigor” of this cheese “made from sheep milk,” which was also part of Roman soldiers’ diet, neither Homer nor Virgil would have thought it could become this …

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, …

Few scents evoke an emotional response like that of bread as it rises to perfection in a hot oven. Taste buds awaken, eyes widen, stomachs rumble, voices cry out – “When will it be ready?”  Each civilization since anyone’s kept …

Spaghetti alla Nerano, named after the beach town where it originated, could be the child your basic pasta and zucchini would have if it got married with a cacio e pepe. It’s a delightful combination, with zesty provolone cheese adding considerable …

Never like today the idea of having a quick lunch while walking down the main street of our town or village has been so alluring. Whatever we picture chomping on, it tastes like freedom, doesn’t it? Regardless to your country …

Ask the average non-Italian to give you a rundown on Italian cuisine and chances are it will sound like this: “Spaghetti…with meatballs, Fettuccini Alfredo, lasagna for sure…and pepperoni pizza…!”  We’ll spare the culinary critique of how…shall we say… deficient” this …