Focaccia is the delicious flat bread that comes to us from Liguria region, the same place that we get Pesto! This bread is best served warm from the oven and can be served as an antipasta course or with your meal. Everytime I have made it here in Italy my Italian guests are delighted and dive in exuberantly!
Zucchini and Pumpkin flowers are a favorite “flavor” here in Italy. I see pizza’s with zucchini blossoms and anchovy, there are fritters with zucchini flowers, I even see pasta and frattata adorned with the bright yellow flowers.
This is Classic Italian Ragu, the “Saturday Sauce”, the slow cooked traditional meal for lunch with family on the weekend. It’s served with Tagliatelle, not spaghetti and it doesn’t have garlic, basil or oregano.
This is such a simple recipe, I learned it before the quarantine started when friends could still stop by and whip up an informal lunch together. My friends Davide and Giulia came by and wanted to prepare lunch for us. We stopped by the little local market before heading home, Giulia perused the pasta isle carefully, looking for the perfect pasta.
You can’t visit Italy’s seaside without stopping into a waterfront restaurant and ordering a plate of Fried Calamari to be enjoyed with a squeeze of lemon and a view.
The other day I saw a post from a friend, she was eating an Éclair, and I thought, “Wow! It’s been a long time since I have made Cream Puffs….” of course Éclairs and Cream Puffs are made of the same Choux Pastry but did you know that Mexican Churros and British Yorkshire Pudding are also creations made from Choux pastry? All of these pastries sound quite exotic, foreign and difficult but actually they are not hard to make at all.
As Italy continues to unfurl it’s natural beauty before our eyes, we slowly see the precious treasures around us. Our Villa in the countryside of Central Southern Italy provides a new and exciting bounty in each season. No need to import vegetables that have traveled more miles than me!
Living in Italy, there are certain things that locals just do for themselves. Who buys olives when you can brine your own? Why would you buy olive oil in the grocery store when your buddy “knows a guy?” And why would you buy Limoncello when you you can make your own?
Oranges are the seasonal fruit of December and this bright crisp salad brings the happiness of sunshine to your winter table.
There are so many things to love about Fall, the leaves are changing, the weather is crisp and cool. But especially here in Italy when food takes center stage, there is always something new to try. I’ve been loving the pumpkins and walnuts, pears and apples. But those are fabulous at home in California also. A few things that aren’t so common for us are Porcini mushrooms and Chestnuts! Here, they call Chestnuts “Castagnia”and “Marone”. I see them for sale in little trucks lining the streets as well as in the farmers market and every vegetable stand in town.
