La Buona Tavola

Meaning ‘squashed’ or ‘flattened’ in Italian, schiacciata is also a name given to an Italian pizza/bread that has a myriad of variations throughout Italy. This recipe for schiacciata with onion, potato, tomato sauce, and ground meat comes to us from …

If you’ve ever visited the Apulian countryside, you’ve walked amongst the giants. The majestic ulivi secolari (centuries-old olive trees) have stood the grueling test of time. Imbued with a sage elegance and peaceful tiredness that only comes with old age, …

‘Peperonata’. A southern Italian mixture of peppers, eggplant, and potatoes with tomato and basil. I guess you could say it is the Italian version of a stirfry or ratatouille. What I do know is “I LOVE IT AND SO WILL …

There are several variations of gnocchi, but this classic potato gnocchi is a must have in your recipe collection. A simple tomato sauce or even spiced up a bit, make these gnocchi irresistible. It is commonly believed that gnocchi are …

Spring is here, and that means sweet tender vegetables, micro greens, and a profusion of young herbs. While at my neighborhood Farmer’s Market this week, I purchased some wonderful carrots. Sweet and juicy, packed with sugary carrot flavor, they were …

When we were kids, early spring presented us with an additional family activity.  After dinner was done and the kitchen was clean, my mother would grab a couple of grocery bags and her trusty kitchen knife and off we went. …

From Italy and Spain to Egypt, Cyprus, and Korea, The Recipe Hunters have been scouring the earth in search of traditional family recipes. Harvesting olives to make olive oil in Calabria, cultivating percebes on the Galician coastline of Spain, fertilizing …

We all love it and eat it, and we may even be somehow knowledgeable about how to prepare some of its most representative dishes, but what do we really know about the history of food in Italy? Why does the …

Spring is in full swing. Last spring, when we were in Marche, Italy, fava beans were coming into the local farm stands right about this time of year. In Southern California, you can find them ready to shell at local …

My maternal grandparents were born on the shores of Sicily in the little village of Santo Stefano di Camastra, a sleepy place with stunning views sweeping north across the turquoise blue sea.  They braved the ocean voyage to travel to …