La Buona Tavola

I was utterly charmed by Palermo when I was there less than a week ago. I admit to have been somewhat wary of it last time I visited. It was a combination of the bumper-to-bumper traffic; the accommodation (which although …

Springtime is well underway here in Los Angeles! Flowers are fully in bloom mode; the few trees that lose their leaves are leafing out (most poor deciduous trees have difficulty knowing when to lose their leaves and then leaf out …

Historically and until the present day, enormous quantities of abbacchio, milk-fed baby lamb, have been consumed in Rome and its outlying region from Easter until June 24, the feast of San Giovanni. For example, in 1629, the city alone recorded selling 165 …

For an afternoon snack, an accompaniment to an after-dinner glass of wine, or tidbits for surprise guests, these biscotti are perfect. Not too sweet, and great for dunking, these little cookies bear a distinct resemblance to Sicily’s famous Biscotti di …

Ingredients   2 Sticks Butter (room temperature), 2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar, 1/2 Tsp Almond Extract, Zest of 1 lemon, 3oz Almonds, 2 Cups All Purpose Flour, 1 Cup Raspberry Preserves   For the Lemon Glaze: 1 Cup Confectioners Sugar, 2-3 …

Pasquetta, “Little Easter,” Easter Monday, is as much a holiday for Italians as Easter itself. If its liturgical significance is to commemorate the women who gathered at Christ’s tomb only to find it vacated, it has become a national picnic …

If you are like me, the frenzy over kale has left me ignoring other delicious greens that I used to cook with on a more frequent basis.   Beautiful, slightly bitter escarole falls into this category.  My mother put escarole …

The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Bari has launched an extra-virgin olive oil identification system to help tackle fraudulent production and to recognise quality oil, the project’s organisers said on Thursday.   The so-called “In Oleo Veritas” is a tracing …

Spring is here, and how about greeting it with a Meringata? This simple dessert is composed of two disks of ethereal meringue, baked to a delicate crispiness, and filled with a layer of sweetened, chocolate-flecked whipped cream. The technique is …

It was in a little restaurant in the hills of Tuscany where I tasted my first sformato, a light and savory Italian custard or flan.  The word literally translates to ‘unmolded’ and is great fun to pronounce, especially after a …