Grilled Skirt Steak with Rosemary and Garlic and Tomato Salad In an ideal world, the home cook would head to his local market or series of specialty shops on a daily basis and simply buy the freshest and best looking meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, bread, etc. and cook meals based on the quality of available product (in a perfect world, the home […]

Our classic Fried Peppers, Potatoes, and Onions recipe would feel right at home in either Leonia, NJ (United States) or Bagnara Calabra, Calabria (Italy); that is to say, it’s neither Italian American or American Italian, rather an Italian dish that can be made anywhere. Fried Peppers, Potatoes, and Onions pair well with a grilled pork chop, pan sauteed swordfish or chicken […]

Here’s a very simply string beans with garlic recipe that pairs very well with any meat or fish.  We flavor our string beans with minced garlic but you can also add thinly sliced almonds, tomato, etc. Ingredients: 1 pound of string beans with the ends removed Kosher salt Extra virgin olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced very well Freshly ground […]

Travel to any home in Southern Italy during the summer months and one dish will stand out as universal; namely, the mighty, yet simple, tomato salad.  During our extended stay in Calabria we consumed tomato salad after tomato salad and never tired of the ripe tomatoes (grown from heirloom seeds), sweet basil, Cipolle di Tropea (famous red onions from Tropea), and […]

Here’s our homemade spinach pasta recipe made with semolina and white flour.  The end product is a terrific fresh spinach fettuccine pasta ideally served with good butter and lots of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Ingredients: 2 cups of semolina flour (we used a very good Pastificio Vicidomini semolina flour from the excellent online shop Olio2go) 1 cup of all purpose flour 1 cup of […]

When one thinks of meatballs there’s an immediate association with big, densely packed, mounds of beef swimming in a thick tomato sauce.  And while meatballs with tomato sauce have their place in both Italian American and Italian cuisine, the following recipe for delicately made and fried meatballs with provola will change your idea of the prototypical meatball. Ingredients: 1/2 pound of ground pork 1/2 […]

The following rigatoni with diced zucchini, mushrooms, and anchovy recipe is a variation of a dish we prepared in the late Winter.  This dish makes use of high quality cured (in olive oil and red pepper flake) anchovies and finely diced vegetables and garlic.  The flavor of the pasta dish will knock your socks off and leave you befuddled and asking how such […]

Grilled calamari or squid is a great alternative to fried calamari and is ideal for the summer months.  My favorite way to prepare fresh squid is to marinate a few pounds of the well cleaned fish in lemon juice, parsley, et. al. and then quickly cook on an outdoor grill (the smokey flavor derived from a wood burning fire compliments […]

Steak, Italian Cooking, and Bistecca alla Fiorentina It used to be the case that when you asked any southern Italian (especially from Calabria) the last time he or she consumed steak you’d get an awkward stare in return, as beef consumption was rare in il Mezzogiorno (the southern half of Italy) and cattle were used to produce cheese and milk.  However, times […]

At times, one can feel glutinous about consuming too much pasta especially if the portion size is large (even for a dyed-in-wool Italophile) .  So, when we crave pasta (in a slightly larger portion size) we turn to any number of leafy greens as a condiment.  The following Rigatoni with Spinach, Garlic, and Parsley recipe is hearty and packed full of good for you […]