Our fig sauce recipe (salsa di fichi) is an easy and versatile pantry staple than can be consumed with a simple yellow/sponge cake or combined with chocolate sauce and a bit of whipped cream for an Italian sundae.  Alternatively, our fig sauce can be used as a savory sauce for pork and chicken (minus a few of the ingredients below) […]

How to Make Homamde Mozzarella – We’ve never made homemade mozzarella, but the Kitchn web site seems to have put together a decent guide and how to article.  We were also informed by our reader Sasha that the book, Animal, Vegetable Miracle has a very good 30 minutes mozzarella recipe. The Legitimacy of Extra Virgin Olive Oil – We received a bit […]

Tomato season is just about to kick off here in our part of the country and we thought we’d share our favorite ways to use the ripe and luscious vegetable (specifically, Eight Things to Do with Tomatoes ).   I’m sure everyone would agree that the tomato season doesn’t last long enough and when it does arrive you one can […]

Olive Tomato Tapenade Tapenade has its origins in the south of France and usually consists of finely chopped olives, capers, anchovies, and extra virgin olive oil.  In Provence, tapenade is spread on thin toast or bread and is consumed as a light snack or hors d’œuvre. Our black olive and tomato tapenade recipe is a variation of our standard tomato […]

We recently prepared a side dish consisting of grilled eggplant with shredded basil and the result was very good, however we wanted to intensify the dish a bit and, in turn, altered the eggplant variety and topping.  The end result was a grilled Sicilian, variety, eggplant and pesto feta recipe that elevated ordinary eggplant into a super contorno (or side […]

We should all get down on our knees and thank the food Gods for allowing our species to co-exist in a world where the chicken thigh is present.  Yes, the often misunderstood and poorly utilized chicken thigh is a home cooks secret weapon given flavor, cost, and easy preparation.  You can purchase a whole chicken and butcher your own thighs […]

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 following Grilled Eggplant with Basil recipe is a great summer contorno or side dish and can be easily prepared via an outdoor grill.  The key to grilling eggplant outdoors is to cut the eggplant fairly thick (1/2 inch) and preseason with olive oil, kosher salt, and ground black pepper.  You’ll also want to be very sensitive to cooking time and […]

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 […]

With our parents in Italy for the summer we’ve been benefiting from their small, yet abundant, New Jersey garden and thus far have collected many early summer vegetables:  chard, arugula, zucchini, parsley, basil, mint, and zucchini flowers.  The chard and arugula make excellent fresh salads and we combine the zuchhini and zucchini flowers to make sublime frittelle di fiore di […]