Month: June 2011

Organic Adriatic Fig Spread

Organic Adriatic Fig Spread

Any time a fruit, such as the Adriatic fig, boasts a history dating back to 9200 BC it deserves both your attention and inclusion in your diet.  Moreover, if that same fruit is grown all over our planet, including Iran, Pakistan, the Mediterranean, India, the United States, Mexico, Chile, South Africa, etc. it demonstrates our collective, and universal, preference for […]

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2010 Sangaspano Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2010 Sangaspano Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  (photo: Sangaspano extra virgin olive oil from Messina, Sicilia) On the morning of December 28th, 1908 a massive earthquake and associated tsunami hit the western province of Calabria and moved across the Stretto di Messina into Sicilia destroying city after city (including Reggio Calabria and Messina).  In Messina alone 60,000 people were killed and in Calabria our family lost many […]

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Cento Italian Pantry Giveaway

Cento Italian Pantry Giveaway

(photo: some of the items in the Cento Italian Pantry Giveaway, including pasta, olive oil, hot peppers, etc.) !Cento Italian Pantry Giveaway Has Ended! Last summer I espoused the virtues of the Italian pantry and the concept of being prepared to cook and eat well every day of the year regardless of access to “fresh ingredients.”  Specifically, I suggested lovers […]

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Summer Martinis: The St Germain Appeaser and Averna Sofisticato

Summer Martinis: The St Germain Appeaser and Averna Sofisticato

Summer Martinis: The St Germain Appeaser and Averna Sofisticato Now don’t take this to mean I’m a full fledged wino, but I get really excited about well prepared cocktails, good wine, and nicely crafted beer.  On the cocktail side, I’ve waxed philosophically about the benefits of aperitifs and amari such as Lillet, Antica Carpano, and Nonino and I’ve enjoyed them straight […]

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Dan Amatuzzi’s Italian Wine for the Student Review and Book Giveaway

Dan Amatuzzi’s Italian Wine for the Student Review and Book Giveaway

(photo: grapes in Calabria, thanks to Pierro Morello for the photo) A Student of Italian Wine  Dan Amatuzzi is a modest guy when it comes to wine.  And modesty isn’t the word that comes to mind when you consider Dan served as the sommelier at Del Posto in New York City with an estimated 2300 bottles of wine and arguably the most comprehensive […]

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2010 Olio Verde Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2010 Olio Verde Extra Virgin Olive Oil

(photo: 2010 Olio Verde extra virgin olive oil from Sicilia, I had to scramble and take a photo before I consumed it all!) Any time I’m asked to taste a product from the southern provinces of Italy I get excited, very excited.  There’s of course a sense of pride knowing a product is made from an area you know well and […]

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Amaro Nonino Quintessentia: The Italian Amaro Made with Grappa

Amaro Nonino Quintessentia: The Italian Amaro Made with Grappa

If I haven’t mentioned it here on Scordo.com my father is a dyed-in-the-wool grappa fanatic.  In fact, he’s grown so found of the elixir made from sugar and grape stems he produces a limited quantity batch for his immediate family and select friends.  So, it wasn’t with great surprise when I brought over a bottle of Amaro Nonino Quintessentia on a recent weekend […]

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10 Top Italian American Food Fallacies

10 Top Italian American Food Fallacies

When I asked readers on our Facebook fan page to name a few Italian food fallacies I was expecting a response but I was, frankly, overwhelmed with the feedback to our simple question.  That is to say, while I’ve experienced many of the overt food fallacies found in Italian American cooking (both in professional and home kitchens) there were some items […]

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Proraso Shaving Cream or Sapone da Barba

Proraso Shaving Cream or Sapone da Barba

I’ve always wondered whether every male gets the same sort of satisfaction I do out of a good shave?  I know, for example, that shaving is a chore for some and for others it’s a chance to practice a bit of art and feel like a baby again (or at the least have a baby face). Like most men in the […]

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Pastificio Caponi Pontedera Tagliatelle Review

Pastificio Caponi Pontedera Tagliatelle Review

  (photo: packaging is first rate, if not a little wasteful)  We’ve covered the pasta shape tagliatelle here on Scordo.com in the past (via the Scordo Pasta Challenge) but we decided to review the pasta shape one more time given the quality of Caponi Pontedera tagliatelle and the fact that it’s an egg based pasta (pasta all’uovo).   Pastificio Caponi […]

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