Fresh asparagus, whether it is roasted and tossed with ravioli, made into a tart, a salad or served with eggs, is something we look forward to every spring in California.…
Cauliflower mixed with cheese and egg, shaped into balls and then rolled in breadcrumbs and fried, are a delicious choice for a first course or vegetarian entree. The traditional…
Fennel, a favorite Italian vegetable, customarily eaten raw with a bit of salt, sees the year’s second crop in Autumn. We enjoy it in soups, salads, a creamy bowl…
We eat a ton of vegetables in this house. Most of the time these vegetables are roasted, grilled, sauteed, marinated and eaten raw but, every now and then, they…
Grilled eggplant and zucchini are layered with just enough ricotta to add a subtle creaminess with very little fat. Packed in individual ramekins, these colorful stacks make for a…
“A Scapece” is a two-step method of preparing vegetables. First, le verdure (vegetables) are fried, then marinated in vinegar overnight. Typically, they are served as Merende or as a…
A potato salad in Italy is quite different from a salad by the same name here in the states. Consisting of boiled, cooked and peeled potatoes, this salad is…
A peppadew is a sweet little pepper, about the size of a cherry tomato, with a spicy attitude. They are commercially grown, processed and packaged in the Eastern Cape…
Italians eat fennel (finocchio) in much the same way as Americans eat celery, raw with perhaps a bit of salt. Tossed in a salad, fennel adds a wonderful aromatic…
Little onions, (cipollini) look like ping-pong balls that have been slightly flattened. These little bulbing onions originated in Italy and are harvested 100 days after planting. They have a…
It is believed by some that this Sicilian antipasto originated with the local fisherman. Their caponata alla marinara made with seafood kept well because of the vinegar which acted…
Serve with toasted Bruschetta. These full-of-flavor peppers can also be used in omelettes, pannini and pasta. They are always in my refrigerator in the summer months when they’re less…
Beans are so darn good for you that I’m always looking for ways to incorporate them into our meals. This recipe is great as an antipasto all by itself;…
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),…