The Smell of Summer
If you had to encapsulate summer into a scent, what would it be? The sweet smell of coconut present in sunscreen or tropical drinks? The salty air of the sea? The perfume of flowers in full bloom? The smokiness of a campfire burning? For me, that defining scent would have to be piteyi i hiuri […]
Granita: Glacial Greatness
Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, known for its white sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters. Summer days here are either sunny or very sunny with an average temperature of is 34˚. It is the ideal location for sun worshippers wishing to spend long days by the sea being caressed by the heat of […]
Tiramisù: The Sweet Pick Me Up
Tiramisù, perhaps the most widely recognized dessert hailing from the Bel Paese. Its name literally translates to pick me up and rightfully so as this Italian confection lifts your spirits with every spoonful. Tiramisù is one of my favourite desserts; one that I will often order when dining out, and one that I make frequently […]
Perennial Pizzelle
I have been baking cookies (among other things) since my early teens. My repertoire of biscuits began with chocolate chip cookies and expanded from there. Since starting my blog, I have taken a particular interest in traditional Italian cookies from Calabrese sussumelle and mastazzoli to the common confections of other regions in Italy. One cookie […]
Pizza Rustica: A Food Tradition Pie Like Very Much
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, you’re probably envisioning a pizza rustica, which can certainly be defined as amore in my books. Pizza rustica is a dish that hails from Naples and goes by various names including Pizza Ripiena, Pizza Chiena, and Torta Pasqualina. It translates to stuffed pizza but […]
Bonding over Braciole
I have mentioned on many an occasion that my introduction came at an early age from my father. As I child I would climb up onto a kitchen chair to stand next to him at the counter and get my hands into whatever he was preparing. The ritual of working alongside my father is not […]
Puglia and my Palate
“I urge you to travel – Find out how other people live and eat and cook”- Anthony Bourdain Travel and learn I did. My recent trip to Puglia was an outstanding culinary education on a wonderfully traditional southern Italian cuisine. The geographical make up of this region alone lends itself to gastronomic greatness. Its iron-rich […]
Zippuli: Frying Up Tradition
Christmas Eve is around the corner and that can only mean one thing, zippuli frying up for our family’s enjoyment. Yes, a five-star cenone of succulent seafood is in the works for the vigilia but we typically whet our appetites with a lunch of zippuli. Not to be confused with the sweet pastries prepared for […]
Nonna Carmela’s Melangiani Chini
Melangiani chini, dialect for a southern Italian staple, stuffed eggplants. I have eaten countless numbers of these growing up and the mere smell of these vegetable delights turning golden brown in a frying pan conjures up wonderful memories of unforgettable moments. I don’t know of any Calabrese woman, nonna or otherwise, who doesn’t have this […]
Scarpaccia: The Dish with Sole
Given the choice to live in a shoe or eat one, I’d take the latter particularly in the case of an Italian regional specialty known as scarpaccia. Scarpaccia is a savoury zucchini tart (think zucchini bread but better) originating from the Tuscan coastal areas of Viareggio and Camaiore. Its name roughly translates to “old shoe”, […]