Breaded Chicken Cutlets

Breaded Chicken Cutlets

Fried, breaded cutlets are one of my favorite dishes and I make them often. They’re quick to fry up and are delicious. If you’ve been a fan of this site for a while, you’ll remember I’ve shown you chicken cutlets before, but it was in 

Eggplant Balls

Eggplant Balls

I never had polpette di melanzane (eggplant “meatballs”) before I stumbled upon them 8 years ago in Napoli at a family trattoria behind all the fancy hotels facing the Bay of Naples on the Lungomare. Despite the literal translation “eggplant meatballs” there’s no meat in 

Roman-Style Chicken with Peppers

Roman-Style Chicken with Peppers

Pollo alla Romana con i Peperoni: Chicken Roman-Style with red and yellow peppers in a sweet tomato sauce punctuated by crispy prosciutto bits is a simple one-pan recipe that is ready in about 30 minutes. I prefer boneless, skinless chicken breast but you can use 

Belly-Button Ricotta Gnocchi in a Quick Tomato-Basil Sauce

Belly-Button Ricotta Gnocchi in a Quick Tomato-Basil Sauce

  I was hungry and wanted something I could whip together in less than an hour. I was thinking about gnocchi and decided to make ricotta gnocchi instead of potato gnocchi that take longer. Just make sure you drain excess liquid from the ricotta in 

Sautéed Escarole with White Tuscan Beans + Uccelletto

Sautéed Escarole with White Tuscan Beans + Uccelletto

The last episode of Lunch with Gianni was a special episode. After the privileged opportunity to cook with expensive winter black truffles for which I am grateful, I’m back in the kitchen cooking what I describe as my “cucina povera”, my “cucina rustica”, the rustic 

Fettuccine with Black Truffle Sauce

Fettuccine with Black Truffle Sauce

Last call for black winter truffles. If you live in San Francisco you can buy them at North Beach’s Il Cilentano on Columbus. They’re also still available from online purveyors. Don’t miss out on enjoying these “Diamonds of the Kitchen.” Treat yourself, maybe even make 

Caper & Butter Petrale Sole & Roasted Fennel

Caper & Butter Petrale Sole & Roasted Fennel

Hey Gianni’s back in the kitchen. As my fans told us during our Meet & Eat YouTube livestream, enough talking. Get back in the kitchen. We took their advice. We’re still in lock-down here. Jeff, Gwen and I cannot be together to produce episodes. That 

Spaghetti al Limone

Spaghetti al Limone

We took the fast hydrofoil from Napoli for a quick ride to the island of Ischia. We’d never been before and were determined to check out this gem in the middle of the Bay of Napoli. It was a hot summer day so we hugged 

Chicken with a Garlic, Anchovy, Caper and Lemon Sauce

Chicken with a Garlic, Anchovy, Caper and Lemon Sauce

I’m in Ortigia, a small island off the coast of Siracusa, Sicily. A swordfish dish I ate the first night here in local restaurant included the ingredients in this dish. Today we decided to eat in the apartment we rented. So I bought everything I 

Paccheri Pasta with Ricotta & San Marzano Marinara Sauce

Paccheri Pasta with Ricotta & San Marzano Marinara Sauce

I love paccheri, big fat pasta tubes that trap sauce inside and close and open as you spear one with your fork, sometimes making a smacking noise. They’re fun to eat. Hungry, low energy? You’ll be eating this dish in the time it takes to 

Lamb Chop and Artichoke Kitchen Invasion

Lamb Chop and Artichoke Kitchen Invasion

More Roman Food in North Beach. Bravo! Maurizio Bruschi, the chef/owner of Ideale, the classic North Beach Roman restaurant on Grant for over 20 years, and his partner Giuseppe Terminiello, recently opened Piccolo Forno on Columbus. Piccolo Forno brings another Roman culinary tradition to North 

Ravioli & Gnocchi Kitchen Invasion

Ravioli & Gnocchi Kitchen Invasion

North Beach’s The Italian Homemade Company on Columbus is my go-to spot for fresh pasta made daily. Mattia Cosmi, who hails from Le Marche and his wife Alice Romagnoli, an expert pasta-maker from Rimini in the Romagna region on the northern Adriatic coast are the 

Manicotti Kitchen Invasion

Manicotti Kitchen Invasion

Only in America! You Can’t Get These Manicotti in Italy I’ve been eating at North Beach’s da Flora for over two decades and never had a bad meal there. When my friends and I want to share a leisurely family-style 4-course meal we always head 

Frittata with Fresh Black Truffles

Frittata with Fresh Black Truffles

Wow, was I excited when I walked into Cavalli Caffe for an espresso macchiato on a recent Saturday morning. Piero, the truffle guy from Tuscany, was there and he had truffles, the “Diamonds of the Kitchen”, dug up in Tuscany just 2 days before. He 

Cooking Foraged Chicory in Roma

Cooking Foraged Chicory in Roma

The last time I was in Italy I hooked up with my friend Luca and the crew from his video company, HB Productions. We spent days together shopping and shooting episodes of me cooking in my apartment near the Spanish Steps. Here’s the first of those