La Buona Tavola

By this point in summer, most of us are starting to tire of the armloads of zucchini being hauled in from the garden. This abundant summer veggie has caused me to audibly sigh at times as I realize just HOW …

True confession: up until about 6 years ago I gleefully lived my life believing a truffle was a delectable orb of chocolaty goodness surrounding a mystery filling of something gooey and delicious. This type of truffle does exist, but to …

Growing up in my Italian household, there was pasta on the table at least 6 days a week! You would think that one would get sick and tired of pasta, but there are so many different ways Italians prepare pasta …

Kale. The “super food”.  It’s everywhere: kale salads, kale chips, kale and rice bowls, kale extracts, kale and spinach green tea hyaluronic acid age prevention cream (whatever that is)! If you grew up Italian, this wonderfully versatile vegetable is not …

You know that old Star Trek episode where Captain Kirk is buried up his neck in Tribbles? That’s what I feel like right now, because my tomato plants are producing baskets and baskets of Roma and San Marzano tomato every …

Pasta e fagioli, or pasta and beans, is a classic dish found in most Italian households. Like many of the dishes that are now popular around the world, this was once a peasant dish in Italy. A very simple dish …

We are told that dehydrating in the old days was a very common method of preservation, especially in the hotter zones of Italy. I can remember on many visits to Italy seeing what seemed like a sea of tomatoes laying …

It’s that time of year. From the moment you bring the first zucchini into the house, up until October, it’s non-stop freezing, blanching, drying, pureeing, canning, and cooking. But, it’s not as bad as it sounds. In fact, it’s completely …

During my boyhood in New Jersey, summer meant trips to the Jersey shore, and the Jersey shore meant clams! From then till now, to me summer means clams and clams mean summer. While clams alone in a simple broth would …

The heat of high summer calls for lots of time poolside and as little time as possible in the kitchen. We want meals that are simple, require little or no cooking and minimal effort and time. Perhaps, most importantly, the …