La Buona Tavola

The whole world seems to have a pretty good idea about what a focaccia is. Is a very thick Italian flatbread, right? And what about pizza? Easy! It’s a thin flatbread! Well, as a matter of fact, it’s not so …

Don’t ask an Umbrian to be on a diet after the holidays. We rural folks don’t do diets, especially if they don’t include pork and a glass of red wine. And besides, the Umbrian winter is too boring for salads. …

Towards the end of October, chestnuts finally make their irresistible appearance on our markets in Umbria. This humble fruit has been a staple of the Mediterranean diet for millennia. Near Mount Etna in Sicily, there is a chestnut tree which …

This is a healthy, warming, and attractive-looking soup. I often prepare these types of soups when I am in need of a light and but comforting meal full of color and aroma. This soup is also perfect as a healthy …

Il Peposo, also known as Peposo del Chianti or Peposo alla Fornacina, is a deeply delicious beef stew from Tuscany which was traditionally prepared by kiln workers of the Chianti region. The men spent long hours by the kiln making terracotta tiles and …

Bread may be the one Italian food staple that most visitors don’t seem to envy. Over the years I’ve heard all ki Please consider that Italy has hundreds of kinds of bread, most unique to each region. Sardinia offers thin …

Umbrian stringozzi, also named strangozzi, umbricelli, or ciriole are rustic noodles similar to Tuscan pici, but thinner. They are suitable for pasta sauces that pair well with spaghetti, for example norcina, carbonara or cacio e pepe. Stringozzi are delicate and …

If you consider Italy’s ancient culinary tradition, it’s quite astonishing that the recipe for tiramisù is not 500 years old. I actually remember my first tiramisù, when it became popular in the early 1980s. Classic coffee tiramisù had just been …

I like to think that pasta is in the Italian genes – we consider it the mother of all foods. Pasta is a prominent memory in many moments of our lives. That tiny star-shaped pasta in your baby soup. Using …

Every time I make meatloaf I have to think of my friend, AnnMarie. A sophisticated American-Italian journalist from New York, she told me that her mum would serve meatloaf only to close family. Apparently, she did not consider it presentable …