La Buona Tavola

I’m in Italy!—in the region of Marche, along the Adriatic sea—staying in the town where my grandfather grew up (he immigrated to America in 1911, at age 22). I’m staying with my cousins—also named Becci—the branch of my grandfather’s and …

Brioche con crema or cream puffs are my favorite desserts. Nothing like the tasteless ones you buy in the bakery. The cream is made from scratch. The smell of cinnamon or cannella together with a whole lemon rind is unforgetable.  …

Somehow I can’t leave Sicily behind and I’m hooked on Averna Amaro Siciliano.  Call me pazza per gli amari.   I love this genre of liquor; with its complex interplay of flavors, Averna in particular has captured both my heart …

Osteria Francescana in Modena has been named the best eatery on the planet at the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards during a ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street in downtown Manhattan—the first time it has taken place outside of London since …

Stuffed tomatoes are the quintessential summer dish, their sweetness enhanced by a turn in the oven. They are a beautiful contorno at dinner or a lovely lunch served with a crisp white wine and green salad. A filling of fleshy …

Melissa explains a particular Italian expression “Cibo a kilometro zero”. Let’s find out what Italians mean by saying it! What do I mean by “food at zero miles” This expression implies that one can live very well by taking just …

Growing up, I remember sitting at the kitchen table on a weekend morning watching as my mother chopped mounds of onion, celery and carrots to begin her Sunday meat sauce. Soon the aroma of the onion gently sautéing in olive …

When I was little, helping my grandmother make pasta was my idea of a good time.  With her deft hands she transformed flour and eggs into silken pasta sheets so thin I could see through them.  I look back now …

When chefs throughout the world prepare authentic Italian sauce, San Marzano tomatoes are their preference. These thin, pointy, sweet plum tomatoes  are essential ingredients for an authentic Pizza Napolitana, according to the Verace Pizza Napolitana Association in Naples, Italy. San …

It is a mistake to think that our immigrant forebears, however poor, went without meat. Country people have hunted for food since time immemorial and they still do. Pheasant and partridge, grouse and quail, duck and other wild water birds, …