Tag: food

Foodbuzz 24×24: North Beach Italian

Foodbuzz 24×24: North Beach Italian

The rain broke long enough on Saturday to enjoy a pleasant 4 hours eating authentic Italian food, drinking Italian wines, and talking about Italian everything.

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Zeppole di San Giuseppe should only be made on St. Joseph’s feast day, March 19, also Father’s Day in Italia.

Fresh Pasta: Ricotta Ravioli in a San Marzano Sauce

Fresh Pasta: Ricotta Ravioli in a San Marzano Sauce

This pasta can be used for lasagna, ravioli, tortelloni and other stuffed pastas, and the sauce is delicious.

The Great Tuscan Bread Debate

The Great Tuscan Bread Debate

Every time I’m in Tuscany somebody complains about Tuscan bread. It’s made without salt.

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.

My Old Stomping Grounds – New York and New Jersey

My Old Stomping Grounds – New York and New Jersey

New York I got spotted like a celebrity last Sunday as I stepped out of a shop in New York City’s Little Italy. Good thing I was behaving. “Hey, you Gianni from the Web?” she asked.  The woman was born in Naples and has lived 

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.”

25% Off North Beach Walking Tour This Saturday

25% Off North Beach Walking Tour This Saturday

I’m excited to be guiding another walking tour through North Beach – always an opportunity for meeting great folks. I’ll tell you all about my Italian village, its history, its food, its characters. And, you’ll sample some of my favorite pizza!

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.

Pizza & History

Pizza & History

Gianni walks you through the heart of North Beach, and feeds you some authentic Italian-style pizza.

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