The Boulevardier Cocktail The Boulevardier Cocktail or “Italian Manhattan” is credited to Harry McElhone, the founder and proprietor of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, and dates to 1927.  The Boulevardier Cocktail has become our favorite winter time pre dinner drink and is composed of 1/3 Campari, 1/3 Italian vermouth, and 1/3 Bourbon whisky.  Like all cocktails, the better the ingredients the […]

Preparing and eating mushrooms can be either and an easy or difficult affair.  My Italian born parents, for example, are fans of wild mushrooms and go to great lengths to forage for exotic species and then pickle and preserve the delicacies.  On the other hand, I enjoy garden variety Shiitake mushrooms sauteed with garlic and extra virgin olive oil and plenty […]

You won’t find an Italian American household which doesn’t produce a version of the ubiquitous stuffed peppers with ground beef and to be honest we weren’t always fans of the dish. Our dislike for stuffed peppers most likely emanated from bland, rice based, stuffings and semi cooked green, bell, peppers .  However, stuffed peppers can be made well as well as […]

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 […]

Halibut is a white, firm fleshed, fish that has a sweet and delicate flavor.  Our seared halibut with tomatoes, scallions, and white wine sauce is easy to make and can be prepared in under 15 minutes. Halibut is also a nutrient-dense fish with high levels of  protein, including minerals such as selenium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.  Moreover the fish is […]

We collect frittata recipes here at Scordo like Roger Federer collects Grand Slam tennis victories; that is, en masse.  Our latest frittata recipe is the centered on asparagus and couldn’t be easier to prepare.  Here’s our easy, and delectable  Asparagus Frittata recipe. Asparagus Frittata   Print Prep time 5 mins Cook time 15 mins Total time 20 mins   A classic and easy […]

You often find Seafood Salad (Antipasti di Mare) served during the Christmas holiday in Italy but we like to make this salad throughout the year.  Our version of seafood salad includes shrimp, calamari (squid), octopus, and scallops.  You can experiment with various seafood, especially if you don’t have access to fish such as octopus or squid (in fact, we’ve utilized mussels, […]

When it comes to Fettuccine Alfredo (Fettuccine al Triplo Burro) one ingredient separates the dish as it’s prepared in the United States versus Italy; viz., cream.  The original dish was created (or popularized) by Alfredo di Lelio when he supposedly tried to cook something satisfying for his pregnant wife.  Alfredo created a sauce of butter and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and the dish was enjoyed by both his wife,and later, the many […]

To say that the sea is important to the Province of Calabria would be a considerable understatement.  In fact, the sea is probably the single most important geographical attribute in all of southern Italy where, in some places, it’s a little over 30 miles from one side of the peninsula to the other; e.g., from the Tyhrrenian to the Ionian in Calabria. […]

Stuffed Squid (Seppie o Calamari Ripieni) are prepared and served all over southern Italy.  Travel to Sicilia and you’ll find squid stuffed with raisins, black olives, and pine nuts.  Cross the Straight of Messina (Stretto di Messina) into mainland Calabria and most of the stuffings will include crumbled dried red chilies. Our version of Stuffed Squid (Seppie o Calamari Ripieni) is prepared in the traditional […]