La Buona Tavola

It’s fall, time to plan for Thanksgiving.  Get a jump on your family’s feast by making these delightful cappellacci, pasta hats. Start with sheets of Emilia-Romagna’s famous pasta sfoglia, egg dough rolled so thinly you can see through it.  The …

When the editor of this newspaper invited me to contribute articles about food, I was pleased to accept. Here, I can feel liberated to write about my passions and prejudices knowing that I am among kin. My audience will, I …

Cold weather stalwarts, farro, aromatic vegetables, cannellini beans, and butternut squash come together to make zuppa di farro (farro soup), a soup so rich and thick it could well be called a stew.  The backbone of this dish is farro …

Once upon a time you had to go to Italy for biscotti. Thankfully, those days are long gone, and today these iconic cookies can be found in neighborhood coffee shops and restaurants everywhere. But who wouldn’t agree that homemade is …

The old adage is true, and truer still when brown butter is involved. Known as burro nocciola, after the hazelnuts it so resembles, this kitchen miracle will imbue your food with sweet, nutty flavor.   Burro nocciola is butter that …

In the region of Campania, approximately one hour from Salerno and a stone’s throw from the ancient Greek ruins of Paestum, you will find the home of a local specialty, mozzarella i latte di bufala …mozzarella made from the milk …

The heart of the holiday season has passed, but there is still some celebrating to be done and special meals to be enjoyed.  By now we are all looking for lighter desserts, something out of the ordinary.  Try a wine …

Treat your holiday guests to ripe pears cloaked in sweet pastry set atop a pool of rich caramel sauce.  Add an Italian accent with a scoop of vanilla gelato and an elegant flourish of Italian gold leaf.   Indeed, Italians’ …

It’s wintertime, and around my house that means long, slow meat braises. It’s my pleasure to share with you my family’s favorite cold weather meal, Brasato al Barolo. Fork-tender chuck roast braised in a full bottle of Barolo wine will …

Italian cuisine is well known for superb vegetable cookery.  Stuffed vegetables, found across Italy, and known as verdure farcite, are a particular favorite.  This versatile method starts with large or small vegetables that serve as a vessel to hold a …