(photo: via iPhone, local persimmons) (photo: via iPhone: sage drying in NJ basement) I snapped these two photos with my iPhone earlier in the week and I really liked the deep Fall colors in the orange persimmon and green sage.  The persimmons are courtesy of my mother who can grow almost anything in her tiny New Jersey garden, including a […]

(photo: cover of My Calabria) Authentic Calabria When I see or experience anything with a resemblance of Calabrian authenticity here in the United States I get very excited.   I had a wonderful experience stumbling across Mary Palmer’s very genuine, and heartfelt, cookbook Cucina di Calabria at a used book store during my college days.  Along the same lines, when I […]

In honor of National Sandwich Day here are two of my favorite egg sandwiches as well as a guide to Italian cured meats and how to make your own roasted peppers.  Enjoy the day and make a sandwich for dinner tonight! Fried Egg Sandwich with Provola: Next to salumi, the fried egg (with a runny warm, runny, yoke) makes the […]

We covered lots of food here on Scordo, including some not so healthy, everyday type of, dishes or recipes (salami, cheese, fried rice balls, etc.).  In turn, I’ve searched the archives of the site and found 9 Healthy, Italian Inspired, Recipes that you can make every week and feel both satisfied and good about what you’re putting into your body (and […]

(photo: fennel salad with radish and feta) By now most of you are well aware of my passion for lazy weekend lunches (see my tomato salad and sardine lunch and leftover salad).  Optimally, a lazy weekend lunch is consumed under a bit of shade (with temperatures in the mid 70’s), with a loving family, a beautiful bottle of wine (yes, […]

Italian Shopping on Steroids – On the Italian Life and Consumerism: Our Review Of Eataly You’ll have to excuse me if I sound a bit crabby this morning, as I just finished reading a New York Times review of the mega supermarket Eataly (located in New York City).  While the Times article was somewhat critical of the 50,000 square foot space […]

Chicken Cutlets, Homemade Breadcrumbs, and the Importance of Good Pollo I made my first chicken cutlet when I was 12 years old and it was a complete disaster.  From what I remember, I over seasoned the breadcrumbs, placed the breaded cutlets in below temperature oil, had very little of that magical “golden brown” color, and undercooked the chicken.  Fast forward […]

Farro: History and Guide to the Ancient Grain The ancient whole wheat grain farro has a long and interesting history and for many years fed almost the entirety of the Mediterranean and Near East – hence our article Farro: History and Guide to the Ancient Grain.  Specifically, it fed the vast majority of Romans from 44BC to the collapse of the […]

Ask any person from Calabria over the age of 50 to describe a dish from the region that both represents the best and worst of the southern most province in Italy and s/he would probably utter, “minestra.”  That is to say, minestra (a type of thick soup with a substantial base including potatoes, vegetables, beans, tomato pieces, etc. <minestrone is […]

Zucchini Flower Blossom Fritters Our mother has been using the same Zucchini Flower Blossom Fritters recipe for nearly 30 years here in the United States, which includes grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and plenty of finely chopped parsley.  Our mother’s technique also includes “flattening” out the batter when it hits the hot oil so that thin frittelle are produced.  Note, you can also simply batter […]