New Year’s Eve Menu
Here’s what we’ll be eating for our North Beach New Year’s Eve dinner. Quick and delicious dishes to get you ready to roll into 2012 with friends and family.
Month: December 2011
Holidays in America
Lidia Bastianich’s PBS special “Lidia Celebrates America: Holiday Tables and Traditions” is a celebration of family traditions, the common immigrant experience and the importance of food in 4 ethnic cultures. Watch it. You’ll feel good.
My Basil Pesto Gnocchi Is Too Green!
Olive Garden, Romano’s Marcaroni Grill, Buca di Beppo bastardize true Italian and Italian-American dishes. Stay away! Make your own easy, delicious authentic dishes.
North Beach Discovery: Fresh Truffles from Italia
Fresh truffles arrive in North Beach from Italia. Get them while they last at Cavalli Cafe.
Calzone From Leftovers
Make calzone stuffed with sauteed escarole, roasted sausage and mozzarella. In case you don’t have leftovers in your fridge here’s the recipe from scratch.
Free Recipe: Roast Beef Studded with Garlic and Parsley
Roast Beef studded with garlic and parsley is a zesty roast that you can make in about an hour. You’ll be happy if you have any left over for sandwiches.
Cookbook Recommendations
I have a couple of shelves full of cookbooks in my library. Here are some of my favorites available on Amazon and from other booksellers. Marcella Hazan opened up a new world of authentic Italian cooking with the publication of Essentials of Italian Cooking. She helped …
Christmas Eve Feast of Seven Fishes (Cena di Vigilia)
UPDATE: There is now a video recipe for Cioppino, the simple and easy seven-fish San Francisco stew: WATCH NOW Italian-American families have their favorite dishes for Christmas Eve fish dinner – some serve 7 fish (for the 7 sacraments or 7 virtues), some serve 10 (for …
Fried Calamari with Vinegar Pepper Confetti
Calamari fritti (fried squid) takes about 5 minutes to make and you are rewarded with the fresh, clean taste of the sea.
Free Recipe: Semolina Bread with Sesame Seeds
I recently spent a delightful evening with my friend Viola Buitoni, a wonderful Umbrian cook and teacher, and Carol Field, the San Francisco author of the just reissued classic, The Italian Baker. Viola hosts the wonderful Italian gastronomy series at the Italian Cultural Institute. The presentations …
Is North Beach Shrinking?
I was worried about the south side of Vallejo Street between Columbus and Stockton. There was an even mix of Italian and Chinese stores on that block. Then Pulcinella Pizzeria closed and I heard that Victoria Pastry (est. 1914) on the corner was moving to …
North Beach Boutique Crawl Thursday Night
The annual North Beach Holiday Boutique Crawl – this Thursday, December 8, 6-9pm – is a great opportunity to discover the new businesses and to renew your ties to merchants who have been here for years.
North Beach 2012 – A New Dawn
A new dawn in San Francisco’s North Beach? Will the Village be stronger in 2012 than it has been in 60 years?