Category: Italy

La Cucina Povera or The Kitchen of the Poor

La Cucina Povera or The Kitchen of the Poor

What is Cucina Povera? A friend recently asked me to explain the concept of cucina povera and here’s the working definition I came up with: A style of cooking best represented, in the past, by the lower class (read: peasants) of a given society.  Peasant cooking aims to utilize whatever is found in the kitchen, household, farm, etc. to prepare meals. […]

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The Italian Life and Culture: Photos of Life in Calabria

The Italian Life and Culture: Photos of Life in Calabria

(photo: by Piero Morello.  Children in Calabrian classroom.) One of the great appeals of living in a country like Italy is that daily life is truly enjoyed.  That is to say, a stroll by the sea, a day hunting with friends, or a simple prank in a classroom is seen as a form of fulfillment or happiness. The following photos […]

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Review: Frankies 457 Organic DOP Valli Trapanesi, Sicilia 2009 Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Review: Frankies 457 Organic DOP Valli Trapanesi, Sicilia 2009 Extra Virgin Olive Oil

(photo: the beautiful, 1 liter, tin housing Frankies Sicilian olive oil and a salad of tomatoes, red onion, and basil)  Amongst southern Italians there’s a deep rivalry between Calabrians and Sicilians.  If you travel to Calabria’s old capital Reggio Calabria, you’ll see many Sicilian influences from the regional dialect to arancini and the breakfast delicacy brioce (a type of sweet bread that is served with […]

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Top Italian Themed Food and Lifestyle Sites

Top Italian Themed Food and Lifestyle Sites

Updated: October, 2012 The following post is a long time in the making and is a non comprehensive and wholly unscientific list of some of the Top Italian Themed Food and Lifestyle Sites and blogs on the web (English language only), at least from our perspective. Living the Italian life comes so easily to dyed in the wool Italians but is difficult […]

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Canning Tomatoes: Passato di Pomodoro (Puree of Tomato)

Canning Tomatoes: Passato di Pomodoro (Puree of Tomato)

August is prime season for canning tomatoes and this year’s Jersey plum tomatoes are outstanding!  The Scordo family purchased about five bushels of locally grown plum tomatoes and canned only passato (passato is essentially pureed tomato, in the past we canned a combination of passato and whole tomatoes).  As the site e-rcps.com points out: Tomatoes are usually preserved in three […]

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Scordo Pasta Challenge #96 Pappardelle with Garlic, Parsley, Olive Oil

Scordo Pasta Challenge #96 Pappardelle with Garlic, Parsley, Olive Oil

  Think of Pappardelle as fettuccine (see our guide to dry pasta) on steroids (basically very broad fettuccine).  Pappardelle derives from the word “pappare” which means “to gobble up.”  The pappardelle I consumed was egg based and made by Rustichella.   I always associate Pappardelle with meat sauces, specifically a ragu made out of rabbit(it was a favorite of mine growing up […]

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Scordo Pasta Challenge #25 Chitarra with Pesto

Scordo Pasta Challenge #25 Chitarra with Pesto

(photo: completed pesto sauce in a bowl made from the famous ceramic factories in Bagnara Calabra) Chitarra is similar to spaghetti, but with squared edges. It was once cut on guitar strings, hence its unique name.  Here’s a great link to a “guitar pasta maker“ (photo: Chitarra with pesto and a glass of Pinot Noir from Chile <light years ahead […]

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Scordo Pasta Challenge – #98 Pasta al Ceppo with Tomato Sauce

Scordo Pasta Challenge – #98 Pasta al Ceppo with Tomato Sauce

Pasta al Ceppo is literally translated as pasta on a stick and knitting needles were once used to shape the pasta.  The pasta has a nice texture and works well with hearty sauces.   The Scordo Pasta Challenge continues!

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How to Make Ricotta at Home: Ricotta Recipe

How to Make Ricotta at Home: Ricotta Recipe

Ricotta Recipe My first memory of ricotta wasn’t pleasant.  I remember thinking that the cheese was tasteless and had a consistency of something akin to white mud rather than some wonderful food concoction.  Fast forward about 20 years and I’m in love with ricotta (and the associated ricotta recipe) and value its subtle flavor profile and creamy texture (not to […]

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Chickpea and Brocolli Soup with Ditalini

Chickpea and Brocolli Soup with Ditalini

For many Italians, soup equals pasta; that is to say, a primo serving of soup in many Italian households includes some sort of pasta mixed in with Lentil, Peas, Chickpeas, etc. (or for example our Chickpea and Brocolli Soup with Ditalini recipe).  Adding a small amount of pasta to a soup increases the hardiness of any given soup dish and […]

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