Tag: authentic

Lasagna al Forno with Fresh Pasta

Lasagna al Forno with Fresh Pasta

A classic Tuscan white lasagna.

A Night in Tuscany in North Beach – Regional Food & Wine Pairing

A Night in Tuscany in North Beach – Regional Food & Wine Pairing

I decided to create a series of private restaurant food & wine pairings to showcase region-specific Italian cuisine and wines, and the cooks that know those regions so well.

Time to Stuff the Cannoli

Time to Stuff the Cannoli

I’ve been bugging Santo, the owner of Cavalli Cafe, to let us film him stuffing his cannoli for a while now. We were finally able to ambush him!

“Basic Italian”

“Basic Italian”

Local writer Matt Baume penned a fabulous write-up of me for The Bold Italic, a beautifully-designed San Francisco web magazine that bills itself as “an experiment in local discovery.”

Dinner #2: A Night in Naples in North Beach

Dinner #2: A Night in Naples in North Beach

The next in Gianni’s dinner series gives us Neapolitan cuisine from the Caputo Family of Pulcinella. Four courses paired with four wines. Experience the birthplace of pizza!

Potato Gnocchi with Three Sauces

Potato Gnocchi with Three Sauces

Potato Gnocchi from scratch, with Trepanase, Pizzaiola, and Gorgonzola Sauces.

Caffe Pascucci: Bastard Caffe

Caffe Pascucci: Bastard Caffe

In Italia, you never see a menu in a traditional caffe. You can ask the barista for an espresso, macchiato, cappuccino or latte.

Cotechino: Traditional New Year’s Dish

Cotechino: Traditional New Year’s Dish

Today, I’m making a traditional New Year’s dish, cotechino (a spicy fat boiled sausage from Italia) served over lentils. If you can’t get a cotechino you can use any Italian sausage. To poor southern Italians the lentils symbolized all the coins they hoped to amass 

Recipe: Mostarda di Sedano (Celery Chutney)

Recipe: Mostarda di Sedano (Celery Chutney)

Preserved vegetables are a staple in the Italian pantry. This celery relish or chutney is a great accompaniment to salumi and cheeses either on their own or as part of an antipasti. The little cubes of celery glisten like tiny emeralds and its sweet-sour flavor 

Italy: The Rules

Italy: The Rules

Every time I go to Italia, I learn more rules. If you’re gonna go – and I naturally recommend you do – keep some things in mind… Rule #1: Bring a Swim Suit After the long flight I find it important to rest and recharge 

Sunday Gravy

Sunday Gravy

Hand-crushed tomatoes, and meats galore. The traditional, long-cooked pasta sauce from Campania.

Ciuti 2010 First Cold Pressed Sicilian EVOO Has Arrived

Ciuti 2010 First Cold Pressed Sicilian EVOO Has Arrived

We’ve been waiting for weeks for this year’s press to arrive. Word came that the olive oil, from trees in the foothills near Agrigento, was finally put on a boat in Sicily. It arrived in LA a couple of weeks later. I was there when 

Menu: Il Pranzo

Menu: Il Pranzo

This is the menu for a recent lunch I prepared for about a dozen work colleagues, evenly divided between Bay Area and NYC residents. I wanted this meal to feature the best of slow food in the Bay Area for our NY guests, so I 

Pizza Margherita

Pizza Margherita

Simple, fresh ingredients are the starting-point for a great Neapolitan-style pizza.

San Marzano Sauce

San Marzano Sauce

A simple, light tomato sauce, made from the last of the fresh San Marzano tomatoes and fresh basil, served over choke the priest pasta.