side dish

Pantelleria Potato Salad

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  Potato salad with olives, tomatoes and capers is a popular salad on the island of Pantelleria (Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea). Capers are a small but distinctive…
Honey Roasted Fennel

Honey Roasted Fennel

  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…
Cauliflower with Crispy Crumbs

Cauliflower with Crispy Crumbs

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  I enjoy all sorts of vegetables, but cauliflower is one of my favorites. As a child, my siblings and I were introduced to this cruciferous vegetable with my mother’s…
Delicata Squash

Delicata Squash

  I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve ever made this squash. Last month my husband and I made a trip to our cabin in the California Sierras.…

Creamy Baked Ricotta

  Luscious, creamy and rich-tasting baked ricotta is delicious on its own but, paired with your favorite vegetables, it’s even better. My favorites are (front to back) sauteed kale with…

Holiday Brussels Sprouts

  I really like Brussels sprouts. I enjoy them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I realize not everyone is a fan of this healthy cruciferous vegetable and most folks either…

Roasted Garlic lemon Cream

  Some days it is just too darn hot to cook. This is especially true if you live in the Grand Canyon state of Arizona! So, standing in front of…

Sardine & Fennel Salad

  Sardines, these oily-rich, small, silvery, saltwater fish, are named after the Italian island, Sardinia. The soft-bone fish is considered to be at the bottom of the aquatic food chain,…

Oven-Fried Zucchini

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  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…

Roasted Butternut Squash

  Hard winter squashes, such as butternut, Hubbard and spaghetti squash, make their seasonal appearance as early as October, just in time to grace our tables for the holidays, and…

Grilled Vegetable Salad

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  Grilled seasonal vegetables are the foundation of many of my spring and summer-time meals. It might be one special vegetable, such as carciofi alle brache, two or three different…

Crustless Ricotta Torte

  I use fresh ricotta in many of my recipes; from pancakes, bruschette and gnocchi to cookies, pudding and pie, Some dishes such as lasagne and cannoli, are rich and…

Grilled Vegetable Antipasto

  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…

Fresh Fennel and Orange Salad

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  Italians characterize fennel (and eggplant) as being either male or female. The “female” fennel has a thick, round, short, stocky bulb that is used raw in salads and also…

Blood Orange Citrus Caprese

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  Winter in Sicily is all about the citrus; Oranges, lemons, grapefruit, kumquats, tangerines and citron. The entire island is covered with citrus trees filling the air with their intoxicating…

Roasted Balsamic Onions

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  Not only is this a great condiment to have on hand in your own refrigerator, it’s also a wonderful, thoughtful gift any time of the year. Because it’s so…

Toasted Walnut & Pear Salad

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  Perfectly ripe pears, toasted walnuts and Gorgonzola makes a classic combination of delicious. Cool, crisp and refreshing, this salad is fitting as a first course for an elegant dinner…

Melone e Mozzarella

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  Tuscan melons are a type of cantaloupe … the best type! Originating in Italy, this fruit with the sweet aroma, will seduce your senses, the moment you slice into…

Grilled Romaine

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  Salads and Summer go hand-in-hand. There are countless choices from light fresh fruit salads (Watermelon & Gorgonzola with Balsamic Drizzle, Melone e Mozzarella, Gorgonzola e Pera) to substantial main dish types…

Summer Squash A Scapace

  “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…