Paccheri is one of those shapes I wasn’t aware of until I stumbled across it in the Rustichella catalog.  Paccheri is a super variant of rigatoni (without the ridges) and best prepared with chunky sauces (such as a ragu with rabbit, for example).  However, I cooked up a batch of Paccheri and simply added very good extra virgin olive oil, freshly grated Parmigiano […]

(photo: Latella family olive orchard outside of Pellegrina, Italy) (3/22: Update – Contest is closed and the winner is Joe. D., congratulations!  And thanks to everyone for leaving a comment)  Click here for my other olive oil reviews! Images have always played a large role in my life.  I still have vivid images in my mind of childhood events like playing […]

(photo: Tripolini close up) The Northeast saw a monster wind and rain storm over the weekend with many downed trees and electrical lines.  Some of our neighbors in NJ also lost water pressure.  Luckily our home was spared and we didn’t see any crashing white pine, sycamore, or silver maple, as was the case a couple of years ago when […]

Here we go, the first pasta dish consumed for the Scordo Pasta Challenge or Vincenzo Eats His Way Through Every Pasta Shape Known to Man! #149 Trenne Think of Trenne pasta as the “quill” pasta; that is to say, Trenne are shaped like a writing instrument that is triangular in shape.  Trenne is a more modern and angular version of Penne […]

 I woke up this morning and had a revelation! Well, it wasn’t exactly a revelation of grand proportion like when Einstein told Newton he was all wrong about the physical world back in the early twentieth century rather my revelation was epicurean and it concerned my favorite food on the planet; namely, Pasta!Like Julie Powell’s idea of cooking through all the […]

(photo: Nonno Scordo’s vineyard overlooking the sea near Bagnara Calabra)  Ciro is the most well known Calabrian wine here in the US and it’s for good reason.  The region of Ciro is situated on the eastern tip of Calabria, about a 4 hour trip north from Reggio Calabria.   Ciro is designated a DOC wine or Denominazione di Origine Controllata, […]

Growing up in 1980’s Northern NJ on a densely packed block full of immigrant families (mostly from Italy via Calabria) both Thursday and Sunday were special days.  That is to say, for many of the Italian families in our neighborhood (hailing from Pellegrina, Bagnara Calabra, Grimoldo, and Ceramida) Thursday and Sunday were designated as pasta days ; hence our 8 Tips to Make Great Pasta […]

As many of you know, my parents (and extended family) were all born in the southern Italian province of Calabria (specifically in a tiny hilltop village called Pellegrina).  The region of Calabria is comprised of mountains, multiple seas, farms, small and large towns, and even a few urban centers.  The history of Calabria is tumultuous and is part of why […]

(Photo: Espresso machine meets Battlestar Galactica) I was a big fan of the Sci-Fi series Battlestar Galactica.  Battlestar, as it was known to series insiders, was serious science fiction that was elegantly produced with big ideas, a great script, and blissful (almost film noir) type visuals.  The central plot of Battlestar centered on man made machines called Cylons that evolved […]

My mother can pretty much make a fabulous meal out of anything she has laying around the house (her culinary skill set constantly amazes me).  Here’s a classic example: uovo rotto al aqua con cipolla e prezzemolo, literally translated from the Calabrian dialect, “egg broken over water with onion and parsley” or poached eggs with parsley and onion. My mother’s […]