I like to think of Sea Bass as the chicken breast of the sea.  That is to say, sea bass has a mild and clean flavor and is suitable for many dishes and preparations.   Sea Bass differs from Mediterranean sea bass (branzino), black sea bass, and stripped sea bass in that it’s actually mislabeled; sea bass is  “drum” fish as Chilean sea bass […]

Growing up in a southern Italian household in the United States, polenta wasn’t standard dinner or lunch fare; in fact, corn hardly made an appearance at our kitchen table.   Fast forward about 20 years and we can’t wait for the Fall season to come around so we can prepare a bit pot of steamy polenta flavored with wild mushrooms […]

We’re big fans of the classic eggplant pasta dish pasta alla norma but when we have a big appetite and are craving a pasta dish that is slightly more substantive we turn to our Eggplant Bolognese recipe prepared with large rigatoni. Eggplant Bolognese is a meal in and of itself and combines delicate pieces of fried eggplant with satisfying ground beef and tomato […]

Friselle bread, at times referred to as freselle, frisedde, fresedde, frise, are made from durum wheat.  Friselle are baked twice and usually have a rough side and smooth side.  Friselle are found throughout all of Italy but especially popular in southern Italy (Apulia, Calabria, Campania, etc.).  Friselle have a very long shelf life and were especially popular during difficult, economic, […]

Family Style Eating: Hanger Steak Nicoise and Tomatoes and Mozzarella  I was giving some thought to formal dining at home the other day and specifically whether American families still sit down for formal, multi-course, meals?  During my childhood, our family often started  meals with a pasta or soup course followed by a family style meal including 3-4 dishes consisting of a […]

Grilled Swordfish Recipe Head to Bagnara Calabra, located on a tiny sliver of the Tyrrhenian coast, during the month of July and you’ll encounter the swordfish sagra (or festival of the swordfish) to honor local fisherman.  The sagra, like all food festivals in Italy, honor not only the food product but the people and traditions surrounding the region (in the case of festival […]

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 […]

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 […]

Our classic Fried Peppers, Potatoes, and Onions recipe would feel right at home in either Leonia, NJ (United States) or Bagnara Calabra, Calabria (Italy); that is to say, it’s neither Italian American or American Italian, rather an Italian dish that can be made anywhere. Fried Peppers, Potatoes, and Onions pair well with a grilled pork chop, pan sauteed swordfish or chicken […]