Sicilian Girl

Tweet Native to the western and central Mediterranean, the artichoke is a domesticated variety of the wild cardoon. Cardone, in Italian, is a thistle and looks like large stocks of celery. My grandmother used to coat them in breadcrumbs and fry them. They were amazing. Unlike an artichoke, you eat the stems not the flower […]

Tweet This light and bright pesto is simply perfect for spring and after you taste it you will want to keep some on hand. Initially, I was going to make a basil pesto, but I would have had to strip my little plant of most of its leaves. So, I searched the pantry and decided to […]

Tweet Artichokes (carciofi), can be enjoyed in many ways. I have grilled, stuffed, and fritattafied (not a real word in any language) them. One of my husband’s favorite artichoke recipes is this soup. The ingredients are generally staples in my house, so this simple to prepare soup is ready in under an hour. The creamy […]

Tweet As Pellegrino Artusi, the best-selling nineteenth century Italian cookbook author said, “everyone knows how to cook artichokes on a grill”. Well, if you haven’t attempted it yet, here’s your opportunity with this easy recipe. Artichokes are a marine climate vegetable and thrive in the cooler coastal climates. The main European producers are Italy, Spain and […]

Tweet Fritatte are a staple in my home, usually made on top of the stove in a skillet and finished off under the broiler or in the oven. Or they can be cooked on one side then gently inverted  on a dinner plate. Next it’s slid back into the skillet (cooked side up) to continue […]

Tweet Stuffing artichokes, although not complicated is time consuming. It is the perfect family activity because all ages can participate. The adults need to prepare the artichokes (cleaning and trimming), but everyone can stuff his or her own. Several years ago … okay, many years ago when I was dating, I brought a nice young […]