Food

You’re Italian and you know there’s no better tomato sauce than the one made with your garden tomatoes! The smell and the flavour of garden tomatoes is one of the best memories I have of my childhood! I remember those …

If you are looking for something to start your Easter meal, look no further than this elegant soup made from the humble celery root.   About the size of a softball, cloaked in a gnarled, hairy brown overcoat, and sporting …

I looked at him quizzically, not really accepting if this concept of “just wine” would go over for an event of the size he was hoping for.  That was two years ago, and I had just met David Frachetti for the first time …

The traditional Italian Easter cake called “Cuzzupa“ is made in Calabria, made into a braided nest with colored sprinkles on top. Its consistency reminds a cake type of dough. Here the recipe Ingredients 6 cups of flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, Pinch …

Of all the great wine countries of the world, Spanish wines seem the most mysterious.  There’s a lot to learn. In my two trips to Spain, once to Barcelona in the northeast and Granada, in the south, Barcelonawas easily the most vibrant city. Its all-night wineries …

Feeling the winter blues? Ready to put some pizazz back in your palate? Brightly hued blood oranges will certainly do the trick. Aah, the winter beiges. Trips to the local farm market this time of year tend to be rather …

Here in the San Diego area, not much is said or done about two kinds of wine that are  household words back East, where its cold and some times snowy.  Mulled wine and Ice wine will always spice up a gathering and …

When I learned that the legendary Castello Banfi of Montalcino was making a presentation in San Diego and had chosen San Diego’s Solare Ristorante Italiano for a select dinner to pair its lineup of magnificent wines, I circled the date in day-glow red. …

It’s that time of the year again: Carnevale is almost here!   Carnevale means floats, costumes, confetti, big party everywhere you go in Italy and it’s a lot of fun, not only for kids! We also have many traditional recipes …

Merrymakers, masquerades and music. People stroll the streets greeting one another, tossing confetti and streamers. It’s Carnevale, time to cast off one’s troubles and indulge in all the richness Italy and her cooks have to offer.   There are Castagnole, …