La Buona Tavola

My grandfather always ended our big family meals by slowly rising from the table and carrying a large bowl of fruit from the sideboard to the table.  That fruit bowl was a constant fixture on their kitchen table and the …

It’s the beginning of artichokes season in Italy. This time of the year is when they are tender and not too big, in fact so tender that they can be eaten raw, thinly cut and simply seasoned with salt, olive …

This Mediterranean farro dish is going straight to the top of your favourites list once you try it! But first, let’s touch upon the question, ‘what is farro’?  Farro is the grain of an ancient strain of wheat. The term …

While in Umbria on vacation a few years ago, we went in search of fabled Castelluccio lentils. We had seen these lentils for sale when we were visiting the town of Norcia—so devastated by Italy’s earthquakes earlier this year—but despite …

First generation American born of italian immigrants, Rossella Rago grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn with a deep link to her Italian roots in Mola di Bari (Apulia), the village where her parents were born. As for the majority of Italians, …

Escarole has always been a mystery to me. Not that we didn’t eat it when I was growing up, but as far as I could tell, no one else ever did in the bland suburbs I grew up in north …

Cannolo siciliano: is there any other Italian dessert this popular in the world? Tiramisù may be one of its more glorious competitors, but cannolo making is an art that you can’t reproduced at home with the same simplicity. We can …

You hear the word ‘ciambelle’ a lot in Italian baking. There are so many different types of ciambelle, ciambellette and ciambellini! Sweet, savoury, baked, fried, soft, hard, cookie, cake, or bread – you name it! Ciambelle di pane (bread ciambelle) …

You will love these for dessert or just a snack…pillowy soft dough with raisins, deep fried until golden beautiful then rolled in sugar while still warm. Can you say yummy!!! Where my parents come from in Pofi, Frosinone we call …

The first and only time I served a whole, intact rabbit was several years ago for Easter dinner (insert humorous comment about serving a bunny on Easter). The adults at the table were freaked out; fortunately no kids had been …