Calzones originated in Naples and are essentially folded, individual, pizzas.   Calzones are made from pizza dough and are usually stuffed with ricotta and spinach, ham, mozzarella, salame, etc.  In many parts of Italy, calzones are made smaller and deep fried and often sold as street food (sometimes called, Panzerotti). Growing up in northern NJ, our local pizzeria offered two types […]

Our grilled veal chops do not require any magic methods or fancy rubs.  We start with the best veal we can find and leave the meat at room temperature for 20-40 minutes and thereafter apply plenty of Kosher salt and coarse freshly crack black pepper to all sides of the veal chop.  We always aim to grill outdoors for that […]

As I’ve stated in the past, much of what we cook at home is what I like to call “ad hoc” cooking; that is to say, I usually go the market and buy what looks fresh and is moderately priced. I, of course, have a standard list of items I purchase on a weekly basis but when it comes to […]

Our linguine with shrimp scampi recipe is a slight variation on pasta with clam sauce.  The dish starts with the best shrimp you can find (avoid farm raised shrimp if you can), lots of sliced garlic, tomato paste, fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, and copious amounts of extra virgin olive oil.  We also like to dice the uncooked shrimp into […]

Tripe Di Calabria or Trippa con patate (Tripe and potatoes) Mention the dish tripe or Tripe Di Calabria (cow intestine) and you’ll get the inevitable, “oh, I don’t like tripe” or “I don’t like the texture.”  However, like many Italian delicacies tripe is misunderstood and when cooked appropriately has a wonderful flavor that is mild and subtle.  In our house, tripe is […]

March 20th marked the first day of Spring in the US (the 21st in Italy) and with the passing of the winter season comes renewed food ambitions.  Our Penne with Peas, Onions, and Pecorino Romano is an ode to Spring and your waiting taste-buds. In our view, peas have two food soul-mates; that is, fish and pasta.  On the pasta pairing […]

If there’s a single, universal, fried dessert treat in Italy it would have to be cenci or chiacchiere – fried ribbons (sometimes called nastrini, stracci, cenci, or frappe).  Cenci are crispy sugared strips of scented dough, fried and then coated in confectioner’s sugar. During Carnivale in Tuscany this sweet treat is made in most homes and are consumed before the Lenten […]

Leave the beautiful region of Calabria and travel north to the much beloved Tuscany or Toscana and you’ll find biroldo or sanguinaccio – a traditional blood-based salumi.  Biroldo is a pork blood sausage and you’ll often find it infused with raisins, pine nuts and cinnamon or flavored with fennel (blood sausage is also referred to sanguinaccio in many part of […]

Our Ricotta and Sun Dried Tomato Crostini combines creamy homemade ricotta with sweet and tangy sun dried tomatoes (specifically, cherry tomatoes cured in extra virgin olive oil with salt, garlic, and herbs).   Crostini are perfect pre-dinner snacks and are wonderful accompanied by a delicate aperitif and/or glass of prosecco.  You’ll find various crostini offered at Italian cafes and bars and […]

We are great fans of the baked pasta concept and whether it’s lasagna, pasta al forno, or cannelloni we can’t imagine a better way to prepare pasta.  However, baked pasta requires two steps; namely, cooking the pasta and thereafter  baking the pasta along with cheese, ricotta, tomato sauce, etc.  If a two step pasta dish isn’t in your playbook or […]