Food

It’s the beginning of October and our markets are full of autumnal produce, from pumpkins to pears, and it’s easy to forget that summer vegetables like peppers and tomatoes are still very much in season. So why not make use …

For those who relish serious dining, especially during the holidays, there are three basic steps to bring an enjoyable meal to a fulfilling finish: make room for a tempting dessert; sip a soothing post-meal wine like Sherry or Port; match …

The mere mention of pistachios evokes a variety of visions. Cooks use them in almost anything and everything. Sports fans consider them a perfect snack while watching a ballgame on TV. Nutritionists say they are abundant in vitamins. In the …

This week we have a dish especially appealing for these chilly autumn evenings: spezzatino di maiale e zucca, or pork and pumpkin stew, featuring two seasonal ingredients playing a lovely duo of savory and sweet notes. Although the Italian word …

No sooner than Santa Claus leaves, another mythical character arrives. The glow of the holidays fades into the gloom of January, with at least a three-month visit from Old Man Winter. But if sticking around and dealing with snow, ice, …

Italian Heritage Month has just passed, but we’d like to remain focused on Italian-American food for one more week, instead of giving you a traditional Old-Italy recipe as we usually do. Today, we have a real crowd-pleaser: baked ziti. True …

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Opening line in “The Christmas Song.” When late singer-songwriter Mel Torme composed those lyrics 77 years ago, he perhaps envisioned the dark brown nuts roasting on stands at street …

Baccalà and stoccafisso: who hasn’t had them at least once in their lifetime? Maybe, if you come from a pretty traditional Italian family, you may have had them not so long ago, on Christmas Eve, as part of the traditional …

Eggplant parmigiana: when I used to live abroad, it was one of my culinary cavalli di battaglia. Simple to make enough to be thrown together on a weeknight, yet full of Italian va-va-voom. Eggplant, a staple of our national cuisine …

Up north, some villages could be under a blanket of snow driven by harsh winds. Down south, most towns bask in warm sunshine brushed by gentle breezes. The climate may vary, but all of Italy embraces one common denominator during …