I categorize pizza in the United States into two tidy compartments; namely: Thin style “NY Pizzeria” pizza comprised of tomato sauce and some variation of mozzarella, made from water buffalo milk or the cow milk variant) and  “Pizza Calabrese” which includes a minimal amount of cheese (that is to say, usually grated cheese post baking), a slightly thicker crust, possibly a bit […]

Life as a child is often full of paradoxes and as a small boy I wondered why we needed a day to celebrate Italian-American culture in the United States when I lived like an Italian in the United States each and every day of my life, for example.  As I grew up, I realized many Italian Americans observe Columbus Day […]

(photo: grapes ready to be crushed) Late September is one of my favorite times of the year here in Northern New Jersey.  The temperature and humidity dip, leaves begin to change color, and I begin to relish my days spent outdoors in the sun and cool air (it’s amazing what happens to one’s sense of appreciation when certain things won’t […]

Ask any person from Calabria over the age of 50 to describe a dish from the region that both represents the best and worst of the southern most province in Italy and s/he would probably utter, “minestra.”  That is to say, minestra (a type of thick soup with a substantial base including potatoes, vegetables, beans, tomato pieces, etc. <minestrone is […]

Honey is one of the world’s “first foods” and it is produced in the deserts of Yemen, the jungles of Bormeo (Indonesia), and the drab factories of Beijing.  Honey, like wine, meat, coffee, etc., is a byproduct of terroir; namely, it tastes like the land and region it was grown in (one of my favorite examples of terroir <which has […]

(photo: the varying parts of a pig, photo courtesy of Meat Salt Time by Tony Seichrist)  I have to admit, I have an addiction.  Specifically, my addiction is centered on the mighty pig and it’s cured off-spring, Salami!   Salumi (the plural for salami) is made from either a single, whole, cut (e.g., Prosciutto) or ground parts of the pig. […]

Our good friend Dr. K has passed along his homemade chèvre (goat milk) cheese recipe and I’m excited to be able to share it with our loyal Scordo.com readers.   Goat cheese is made in Calabria, of course, and it’s some of the best produced cheese on the planet.  In Aspromonte, close to our family’s village in Pellegrina, you’ll find Caprino […]

Updated: October, 2012 The following post is a long time in the making and is a non comprehensive and wholly unscientific list of some of the Top Italian Themed Food and Lifestyle Sites and blogs on the web (English language only), at least from our perspective. Living the Italian life comes so easily to dyed in the wool Italians but is difficult […]

Zucchini Flower Blossom Fritters Our mother has been using the same Zucchini Flower Blossom Fritters recipe for nearly 30 years here in the United States, which includes grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and plenty of finely chopped parsley.  Our mother’s technique also includes “flattening” out the batter when it hits the hot oil so that thin frittelle are produced.  Note, you can also simply batter […]

(photo: just out of the oven baked mackerel) I’ve written about my love of fish on multiple occasions here on Scordo.com, expounding on sardines, smelts, tuna, branzino, and salmon.  Yet I was sad to discover that while I hold all of the aforementioned fish in high esteem, I’ve only written about fresh mackerel on one other occassion (leaving one of […]