The Best Italian & Italian-American Recipes on the Internet
Cena di Vigilia (Christmas Eve meal) is a Neapolitan tradition. I’m cooking with my friend Susan in her New Jersey kitchen. Along with her brother Joe, we’ll prepare our Christmas Eve Seven Fish Dinner for 20 friends. I’ll miss the dungeness crab this year. The …
It’s a Jersey Christmas this year. I’m cooking a Seven Fish Dinner on Christmas Eve with friends. Christmas Day is with my sister Rose’s branch of the family. We’ll be 3 generations in the kitchen. My office-mates convinced me to cook for them before I …
I was excited when I walked into North Beach’s Little City Meats this morning. The Christmas sausage stuffed with pork, fennel, imported provolone and basil was in. Run, don’t walk. Get some before they’re all gone. I absolutely love these holiday sausages and can’t wait for …
It wouldn’t be Christmas in a Neapolitan house without struffoli, little round fritters bathed in a boiling honey glaze and then topped with colorful sprinkles. The little marbles are crispy outside with a nutty flavor sweetened by the honey. The inside is light and airy. …
Want an easy and sweet treat for your holiday table? Bake some almond cookies topped with pine nuts. We always have a stash of pignoli cookies for our Christmas table. You can make them in less than an hour. A fan asked for this recipe. …
Pasta and beans was a staple in my childhood Jersey home. My mom made this soup often and we all loved it. A fan asked for the recipe. Pasta and beans is a healthy and inexpensive peasant dish. You can have this one-pot meal that …
Actually it’s called ragu alla Bolognese. It’s a long-cooked meat sauce from Bologna, in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, the culinary heart of Italy. The ragu is traditionally served with tagliatelle in Bologna, a flat pasta a bit narrower than fettuccine. The pasta’s shape is perfect …
Marcia Gagliardi of Tablehopper blog fame shares her appreciation of 4 North Beach spots in her just-released video tour. Marcia visits Caffe Trieste, Molinari Deli, Liguria Bakery and Stella Pastry. Find out Marcia’s favorite coffee, focaccia, sandwich and sweet. I’m with her all the way. These …
I got off easy this year. I didn’t cook Thanksgiving dinner. I joined friends in the North Bay and had to bring an antipasto. It took me a while to get inspired but an idea hit me at the market. The late harvest grapes were …
Still undecided about your Thanksgiving dinner? Try my recipes for Roasted Turkey scented with rosemary, sage, lemon and garlic, chestnut/sausage stuffing and easy pan gravy. While the oven is hot, add brussels sprouts roasted with pine nuts and parmigiano and butternut squash roasted with honey …
Tony Gemignani enlivened Washington Square Park when he opened Tony’s Pizza Napoletana on Stockton and Green a couple of years ago. Now he hopes to have a similar effect on the moribund block of Vallejo between Stockton and Columbus with his new restaurant, Capo’s Chicago Pizza …
I love butternut squash and make it often, especially in the fall. A favorite is roasted butternut squash lightly flavored with honey and sage. You can have this dish on your table in less than 30 minutes. The hardest part is cutting and peeling the …
Cabbage stuffed with rice and flavorful browned ground beef braised in San Marzano tomatoes is a comfort food that helps me transition to early fall. I don’t give up late summer easily. Stuffed cabbage is easy to prepare and packs a ton of texture and …
San Francisco food trucks are hot. These roving kitchens offer fantastic food from all over the world. Many follow their favorite trucks on Twitter and Facebook and track them down at various parking spots around the city. Luckily, Off the Grid brings a horde of …
Neapolitan Christmas Salad
I just love this classic Neapolitan Christmas Salad, insalata di rinforza, in Italian. Insalata di rinforza translates into Reinforced Salad. How did such an important part of the Christmas table get such a silly name? Here’s the tale. Giardiniera, vegetables stored in a vinegar bath, …