first courses

Pasta with Creamy Provolone Sauce

Pasta with Creamy Provolone Sauce

Provolone is an Italian cheese made from cow’s milk. The flavors can range from mild and sweet to sharp, based on the amount of time it ages. This sturdy cheese…

Lemon Risotto

Prior to the beginning of the 20th century, most lemons consumed in America were of the Italian variety and imported from Messina, Sicily, Siracusa, Sicily, and Sorrento, Campania. The Mediterranean…
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

  There are many cultures in which an egg drop soup is made. Chinese cuisine offers a version, also known as egg flower soup, the Greeks make theirs with avgolemono…
Marinated Baby Artichokes

Marinated Baby Artichokes

  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…
Zuppa di Broccoli

Zuppa di Broccoli

  This soup has a mere three ingredients … and that’s counting the water! My grandmother made broccoli soup the same way she made macaroni and cauliflower soup. I love…
Burrata & Tomatoes

Burrata & Tomatoes

  Burrata is a cream filled mozzarella sack. Invented in Puglia, Italy, as a way to use the scraps of curds left over after twisting balls of  mozzarella. The scraps…
Fresh Peach Caprese

Fresh Peach Caprese

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  There is only one authentic Insalata Caprese and it originated in Capri, Italy. Traditionally, tomatoes are used in the infamous dish. Since it is peach season and I have…
Asparagus Tart

Asparagus Tart

  Asparagus is my favorite spring vegetable! When tossed with ravioli it becomes a lovely light lunch and combined with lemony chickpeas creates a perfect picnic salad. If I’m in…
Creamy Carciofi Soup

Creamy Carciofi Soup

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  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…

Risotto al Finocchio

  Risotto should always be made with a short-grain rice because it absorbs the broth without the grains loosing their bite. Carnaroli, vialone nano and arborio are the main varieties.…
Chickpea Soup with Tomatoes & Pasta

Chickpea Soup with Tomatoes & Pasta

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  My family loves soup! We have our favorites, depending on the season and the time of day. During the heat of summer we enjoy, creamy tomato basil, chilled summer…

Pasta alla Norma

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  The combination of pasta and eggplant is exclusively associated with southern Italy and principally Sicily. This is a combination I have been using for years in recipes such as, melanzane…
Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup

Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup

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  As a child, I remember my mother preparing stuffed bell peppers on numerous occasions. It’s one of those recipes that you can prepare in advance, tend to four children,…
Warm Ravioli Salad

Warm Butternut Squash Ravioli Salad

  It seems to me that no sooner have the last of the trick-or-treaters gone home to sort out their bounty and I have polished off any remaining Halloween candy,…

Orzo with Roasted Shallots

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  This dish has three main ingredients and hardly needs a recipe, the ingredients, however, may need a bit of explanation. Orzo, is shaped like a grain of rice, is…
Melanzane alla Parmigiana

Melanzane alla Parmigiana

  Whenever my son, Joe, and I try a new Italian restaurant, the “one dish” that is a make-or-break decision to return, is eggplant Parmesan. The ingredients should compliment one…
Lemon-y Lentil & Chickpea Soup

Lemon-y Lentil & Chickpea Soup

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  Viglia Capodanno, New Year’s Eve, is celebrated throughout Italy with family and friends enjoying food and drink. The drink is bubbly Prosecco and the food is symbolic of wishes…
Pasta with Ricotta & Capers

Pasta with Ricotta & Capers

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  Capers, the tiny, tangy buds of blossoming plants, have a permanent place in a Sicilian kitchen.Their piquant, briny flavors add personality to a variety of dishes, such as, veal…
Sicilian Girl