Del maiale non si butta via niente, means nothing can go lost from the pig. Growing up in the Italian countryside, I had a sense of what this exactly meant by watching my grandfather curing the pig, the one that he had raised and that the butcher slaughtered for him just the day before. One […]
Best thinking comes only with a full belly
Balsamic vinegar has become quite popular among chefs, amateur cooks and foodies. But how do you exactly use balsamic vinegar? How do you select, use and store this precious ingredient? To explain, we need to take a step back. In fact, there are many different kinds of balsamic. The subject is actually quite complicated even […]
Have you ever glimpsed a perplexed expression on your waiter’s face after you tried to order Fettuccine Alfredo in a restaurant in Italy? Or have you ever ordered pasta marinara, expecting a tomato sauce, and instead received a shellfish pasta? And how about trying to get an… Hawaiian Pizza??? The food served in many Italian restaurants in the United […]
I grew up in a family of food enthusiasts, and yes, I developed a deep love for everything food. It is a love I truly hope to be able to transmit to my three children. Teaching your children to feel at ease at the stove can dramatically change the way they live their lives, and […]
Unlike the New York Times’ infographic on extra-virgin olive oil that I commented on some time ago, I really enjoyed their infographic last week. It simplifies some of the concepts behind one of the greatest Italian cheeses — often nicknamed il re dei formaggi, or the king of cheeses: Parmigiano-Reggiano. However, here are a few […]
I have to confess: Sunday morning I chocked on my morning espresso while looking at my fresh copy of the New York Times. Are Italians a nation of impostors? This is what at least I got from reading the page from Nicholas Blechman and Tom Mueller. The information the New York Times provided really didn’t […]
I just finished reading – and watching – Mark Bittman’s tribute to the late Italian cookbook writer Marcella Hazan, and something popped out from the article: Julia Child’s comment on Italian cooking. “I don’t get the whole thing with Italian cooking,” Child told Bittman. “They put some herbs on things, they put them in the […]