La Befana Traditions are so Coal!
La Befana is one of Italy’s oldest and most celebrated legends. Each year on January 6 the children of Italy awaken in hopes that La Befana has made a visit to their house. In popular folklore La Befana sheltered the three wise men during their travels but declined to visit the baby Jesus as she […]
Turdilli: The Deliciously Twisted Calabrese Cookie
Turdilli are a traditional Calabrese dessert made during the Christmas season. They are wine cookies that are fried and coated in honey. They hail from the province of Cosenza. Fig honey is traditionally used to coat them as it is typical of this Calabrian province, and it gives these treats a distinct coloring and flavoring. […]
Celebrating Pasqua with Pastiera
There are certain sweets that seem synonymous with specific seasons, holidays and occasions. Cakes for birthdays; confetti (Jordan almonds) for weddings; churros for Cinco de Mayo, s’mores over a summer campfire; apple and pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving; candy corn for Halloween; shortbread and panettone for Christmas; heart shaped bon bons and sugar cookies for Valentine’s; […]
Crowning a New Tradition
If you’re a fan of Christmas carols as am I, then you undoubtedly know that there are Twelve Days of Christmas to celebrate; beginning on December 25th and concluding on January 6th This date is celebrated globally as The Epiphany, also known as the Feast of the Three Kings, Little Christmas and La Befana, and […]
Ciambella San Martini: A New Twist on Holiday Tradition
Tradition [truh-dish-uhn]: the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice. The holidays are when traditions seem to be most prevalent and I have spent the last decade chronicling those traditions to be able to carry them on and share them with […]
Cartellate: The Pugliese Way to Wrap Christmas
Last year I spent part of the holiday season in Puglia where I enjoyed many seasonal specialties, including the nests of fried dough known as cartellate. They are perhaps the most recognized and widespread holiday desserts of the region; you will find them from Gargano (north) to Salento (south) also going by the names “carteddate” […]
A Little Pumpkin Goes a Long Way
One of my favourite times of the year is when orange can be seen for miles in farmer’s fields. While the prominence of pumpkin spice prompts sweet incarnations of this seasonal staple, I equally enjoy it in savory servings. While many are out buying pumpkins to carve for Halloween, I’m loading up on the fall […]
World Pasta Day: Endless Pastabilities
There is a well-known quote by Italian filmmaker Federico Felling that says, “Life is a combination of magic and pasta”. Truth be told, for me, pasta is magic; from the transformation of three simple ingredients into hundreds of different shapes to be enjoyed in a countless number of ways, to the joy it invokes for […]
Picnic Italian Style
Summer is officially the season of the scampagnata (picnic) and Italians have an incredible array of fare that gets enjoyed al fresco. Dining in the great outdoors, whether on a picnic blanket or gathered around the backyard grill is an opportunity to enjoy la dolce vita in the company of friends and family. Here are […]
When it comes to Italian Food, I Love Being Schooled
“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice” – Brian Herbert I was recently given the gift of learning by the ICCO, Alma La Scuola Internazionale di Cucina and True Italian Taste. In a series of Masterclasses conducted by Chef Carlo-Maria Ricci, […]