Tag: cheese

Tortelloni with Cream Sauce

Tortelloni with Cream Sauce

As our fans know and understand we’re big believers in from scratch cooking but we’re also food pragmatist; that is to say, we understand that homemade food can, at times, be semi-homemade.  Case in point, is a wonderful semi fresh pasta from the Italian company Giovanni Rana.  Giovanni Rana, a 50-year old Italian pasta company with an excellent reputation in […]

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What is Italian Mozzarella

What is Italian Mozzarella

Mozzarella has its origins in southern Italy and is a fresh cheese originally made from (water) bufala (female water buffalo) milk  but nowadays is usually made from whole, cow’s, milk.  The technique used to produce mozzarella, and other fresh cheeses,  is referred to as Pasta filata (i.e., “spun paste”) also known as stretched-curd, pulled-curd, and plastic-curd cheeses (which are usually also […]

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Ricotta Cheesecake

Ricotta Cheesecake

Ricotta has always been part of my culinary life.  My mother makes ricotta on a weekly basis and I grew up eating it smeared on fresh bread, with pasta, extra virgin olive oil, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano, and, of course, stuffed in fresh pasta such as ravioli and tortellini.  Given Ricotta’s versatile nature it’s no surprise many Italian cooks make […]

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Review: Columbus Wine Salame and Limited Edition Porcini and Truffle Artisan Cacciatore

Review: Columbus Wine Salame and Limited Edition Porcini and Truffle Artisan Cacciatore

(photo: Columbus Artisan line seasonal cacciatore) I’ve written about Columbus’ Artisan salumi line in the past (including their hot sopressata, cacciatore, finocchiona, crespone, salami secchi, and standard Sopressata) and their high-end line is outstanding as it’s made with a higher grade of pork, allowed to age 21-90 days, hand tied and stuffed, and made with natural casings.  Click here if […]

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Eggplant Parmigiana or Roasted Eggplant with Tomato Sauce and Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Eggplant Parmigiana or Roasted Eggplant with Tomato Sauce and Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Eggplant Parmigiana or Roasted Eggplant with Tomato Sauce and Grated Parmigiano Reggiano The PBS star Mary Ann Esposito recently caused a little bit of controversy over at the Huffington Post when she published a recipe entitled, “The Real Eggplant Parmigiano.”  Amongst the comments on the post, some readers accused Mary Ann of pushing an Italian-American version of Eggplant Parmigiano and using an […]

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Simple Fried Egg Sandwich with Provola

Simple Fried Egg Sandwich with Provola

  Back in April, I posted about one of my favorite egg sandwiches made with a simple fried egg, fresh humus, and slices of ripe tomato on a whole wheat Ciabatta.  Sandwiches prepared with a perfectly fried egg (with a warm runny yoke) are ideal because the egg provides both the protein (white) and the dressing (yoke).  For me, the combination […]

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Foods I Live On Part 3: Quaker Oats Oat Meal, Cheese, and Upton Tea.

Foods I Live On Part 3: Quaker Oats Oat Meal, Cheese, and Upton Tea.

It’s time to raid the fridge again and tell you about my favorite foods (that’s Nonno Vincenzo on the right with one of his milk and cheese cows): Old Fashioned Quaker Oats Oat Meal – I usually change from cold cereal to hot oat meal around this time of the year because there’s something nice about a warm breakfast in the […]

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