Seasonal Recipes

Ah, the good ol’ summer time! Breezy lazy days of child-like freedom fill the weeks as attire lightens along with our moods; backyard bar-b-ques, sand sifting between toes, and blue skies rule the days, while star-filled heavens and fireflies guide …

Growing up in my Italian household, there was pasta on the table at least 6 days a week! You would think that one would get sick and tired of pasta, but there are so many different ways Italians prepare pasta …

It’s that time of year. From the moment you bring the first zucchini into the house, up until October, it’s non-stop freezing, blanching, drying, pureeing, canning, and cooking. But, it’s not as bad as it sounds. In fact, it’s completely …

The heat of high summer calls for lots of time poolside and as little time as possible in the kitchen. We want meals that are simple, require little or no cooking and minimal effort and time. Perhaps, most importantly, the …

During my boyhood in New Jersey, summer meant trips to the Jersey shore, and the Jersey shore meant clams! From then till now, to me summer means clams and clams mean summer. While clams alone in a simple broth would …

By this point in summer, most of us are starting to tire of the armloads of zucchini being hauled in from the garden. This abundant summer veggie has caused me to audibly sigh at times as I realize just HOW …

Grilled sardines with a hot pepper dressing make for a great appetizer or a light dinner. Every time I make this recipe, I reminisce about a trip to Italy when I was 10 years old. Back then there was no …

We are told that dehydrating in the old days was a very common method of preservation, especially in the hotter zones of Italy. I can remember on many visits to Italy seeing what seemed like a sea of tomatoes laying …

Here in California the seasons are subtle; in most of Italy—though it shares with California a “Mediterranean” climate—the seasons are a bit more pronounced, and their transitions clearer. There is also among Italians an unshakable sense that food be made …

Pasta e fagioli, or pasta and beans, is a classic dish found in most Italian households. Like many of the dishes that are now popular around the world, this was once a peasant dish in Italy. A very simple dish …