How to Make Light and Tender Homemade Gnocchi Making gnocchi, or potato pasta, can appear difficult or daunting but like making standard homemade pasta the process is fairly straightforward if you keep a few tips in mind.  For example, if you use starchy potatoes (along with the glutten from the flour) the dough will hold very well.  Further you should […]

Try this Italian American version of mashed potatoes made with extra virgin olive oil and roasted garlic. Our Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes can be “customized” with the herbs of your choosing (e.g., rosemary, thyme, etc.) and/or freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes   Print Prep time 30 mins Cook time 30 mins Total time 1 hour   An […]

Family Style Eating: Hanger Steak Nicoise and Tomatoes and Mozzarella  I was giving some thought to formal dining at home the other day and specifically whether American families still sit down for formal, multi-course, meals?  During my childhood, our family often started  meals with a pasta or soup course followed by a family style meal including 3-4 dishes consisting of a […]

Fried Potatoes or Patate Fritte  My father is known to tell a good story and like any gifted orator he tends to exaggerate the goings-on / facts behind his other wise excellent memory.  However, there is one topic where my father is fairly blunt about his experiences and observations; viz., food.  Ask my father, for example, what his favorite dish is […]

The common, everyday Frittata, is a critical dish to master if you’d like to eat in the Italian tradition – especially the Potato, Red Pepper, and Onion Frittata (Frittata di Patate, Peperone e Cipolla).  The dish will allow you to make a delicous lunch or dinner at any point during the week and it’s incredibly versatile and able to be made from leftovers […]

(photo: simple roasted potatoes <patate al forno> with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and plenty of extra virgin olive oil) Italians love their roasted potatoes or patate al forno.  In Italy, most home cooks produce a variation of roasted potatoes based on their particular region.  My favorite versions include using plenty of herbs (sage, rosemary, fennel seed, etc.) and […]

There are certain foods that stimulate the brain like a night in downtown Tokyo (with it’s neon glitter and masses of humanity).  For us, stockfish or pesce stocco, the native Calabrian dish (specifically from the region around Cittanova) triggers tremendoud food memories of my grandmother Rosa and her basement kitchen in New Jersey. Pesce stocco, the dried not salted cod fish, […]

This simple, satisfying, Oven Roasted Potatoes With Breadcrumbs and Herbs side dish compliments fish, chicken, and beef and requires very little preparation.  We used thyme, parsley, and dried oregano for our herbs but you can mix up any combination of dry and fresh herbs. Oven Roasted Potatoes With Breadcrumbs and Herbs   Print Prep time 10 mins Cook time 30 mins Total time 40 […]

The sweet potato is a tropical plant and was brought to Italy by Columbus via South America. Today, the plant is grown in our home state of New Jersey as well as Japan, parts of Russia, and, of course South America.  I’m a big fan of sweet potatoes and we use them in our (via Dr. K.) homemade ravioli, though […]