La Buona Tavola

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 …

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 …

Eating in Italy is one of life’s greatest pleasures. And eating seasonally in Italy is off the charts delicious. Bright red, ripe tomatoes. Sweet, ripe strawberries picked at their peak. Melanzane pa0cked with a smoky punch. MAMMA MIA, ma quanto è buono! …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Fall is the perfect time to invite friends and family over to get their hands messy and have your own personal pizza party. Pizza is the perfect food to make with a group. It’s easy. It’s fun and it’s a great …

Eggplant parmigiana: when I used to live abroad, it was one of my culinary cavalli di battaglia. Simple to make enough to be thrown together on a weeknight, yet full of Italian va-va-voom. Eggplant, a staple of our national cuisine …

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 …

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 …