I received a recent email from Dee asking how to prepare real meals (i.e., not your standard sandwiches, tuna, and fast food items) in a practical way and I’ve been giving the question some thought.  Cooking is not rocket science, but it does require that you 1., care about the quality of the food you purchase and 2., set aside […]

The French Press coffee brewing method produces some of the best coffee on the planet via a very simple, non electric, process.   High quality coffee is a staple of my Italian life and, in moderation, the golden liquid has proven to have some excellent health benefits, including: Coffee seems to protect men from Parkinson’s disease Coffee drinkers may be […]

I generally tend to buy whatever is fresh at my local fish market and when I saw fresh, wild, Flounder the other night I picked up a few pieces!   Freshness is always number one from a fish buying perspective, but the wild factor is a close second (fish that is on sale is also nice!). Flounder has a meaty and mild […]

Well, what wine should you buy? This is a big question, maybe even equivalent to other big questions such as, “Does God Exist?” , “Do we have free will?”, and the classic, “What is Truth?”  Unlike big philosophical questions, however, figuring out which wine to buy for dinner, keeping in the cellar, or just for a nice night by the […]

Nothing says the Fall like slowly simmering meats in a big pot!  My personal favorite braising meat is the short rib.  According to Chow.com, “Short ribs are cut from different sections of the 12 ribs that start at the chuck (shoulder) and continue to the loin. Relatively square, short ribs have full-bodied flavor and luscious tenderness that develop when they […]

How to Shop for Fruit, Vegetables, and Fish For some folks, going to the market is a weekly chore and for others it’s an opportunity to purchase wonderful meats, vegetables, cheeses, fish, and fruits. It’s probably no surprise that we fall into the later group here at Scordo and that we actually look forward to food shopping! It wasn’t until […]

With the Winter season fast approaching my metabolism has kicked into high gear and I’m consuming more and more of my favorite foods!  Here’s Part 4 of my Foods I Live on series: De Cecco Pasta – arguably the best bang for your buck dry pasta on the market.  While you can find cheaper dry, Italian, pasta on the market, De […]

Thanks to Av for first preparing this dish and providing the recipe!  Kufta Kebab are Israeli-style grilled lamb/beef skewers. The kebab recipe has Arab roots and Kufta actually means pounded meat and comes from the Syrian term kooftah.  Here’s the simple recipe beginning with the ingredients: 2 pounds of ground lamb 1 pound of ground beef 1 red onion, finely chopped 1 head […]

It’s time to raid the fridge again and tell you about my favorite foods (that’s Nonno Vincenzo on the right with one of his milk and cheese cows): Old Fashioned Quaker Oats Oat Meal – I usually change from cold cereal to hot oat meal around this time of the year because there’s something nice about a warm breakfast in the […]

Essential Kitchen Tools Basic Kitchen Tool Philosophy Let’s get something out of the way quickly: you don’t need a fancy kitchen or hundreds of kitchen tools and gadgets to produce superb Italian food at home.  There I’ve made a food claim that I categorically stand behind and encourage you to adopt when preparing food at home.  My bold claim stems […]