Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Italian cuisine”
The list is out – early in January, the New York Times unveiled their “52 Places To Go in 2017” and Calabria made the cut! That’s right. The only place chosen in the entire length of the Italian boot wasn’t one of the usual favorites – not Rome, Florence, Venice, the Amalfi Coast or even the hill towns of Umbria. …
AN AMERICAN EXPAT IN NAPLES My friend Tricia LOVES Naples. She stumbled upon her adopted hometown traveling through Europe after college. No doubt, she had visited many other beautiful places, but upon arrival in this vibrant southern Italian city, she knew she was home.
FIT FOR ROYALTY “You haven’t ever eaten at “La Collinetta”? You have to go there!” Mercedes was very enthusiastic, to say the least, about this trattoria where she and her friend dined every Saturday afternoon. “They treat us like princesses.”
FESTA DEL FUNGO My first trip to Mammola was for its number one claim to fame – pescestocco or stockfish, an adventure chronicled in Calabria: The Other Italy. This fall I returned for another of its celebrated culinary traditions – the mushroom.
GAMBARIE Calabria’s dramatic landscape imparts more than a stunning panorama. Back in time, the mountains served as an escape from Arab marauders and malaria. Today, they’re a place for coastal dwellers and visitors seeking recreational getaways – skiing in the winter, hiking in the warmer months and a sought after refuge from the summer heat.
“CI FACCIAMO DUE SPAGHETTI” Italians love pasta. They eat it every day. It’s economical, practical and can be whipped up at the drop of a hat. It’s also a great dish to be shared socially as an additional plate can always be filled, thus allowing liberal opportunity for the impromptu dinner invitation.
VARIOUS TAVOLE CALDE or SLOW FOOD FAST Like my father with the trattoria, my experience with the tavola calda began in Rome, where I spent several months at different times studying Italian. Looking for a nutritious, economical lunch, I ventured into a number of such eateries.
BEFORE THE TAVOLA CALDA My father likes to reminisce about the wonderful meals he ate while living in Rome in the 1950s. Perhaps surprisingly, one of his favorite lunches consisted of a big plate of cooked spinach on which he drizzled olive oil and squeezed a lemon. He would lap it up with several slices of a hearty, crusty bread …
INVITATION TO A PIG BOIL My introduction to le frittole came early in my time in Calabria when I was invited to a student’s house in the country to participate in the experience. I must say that I was impressed with the master of ceremonies and his wife. They were just regular people—a civil servant and schoolteacher—who as far as …
MUSHROOM HUNTING Whenever I think of mushrooms, I think of the little old Italian woman who picked the wild ones growing in the front yard of our house in suburban New Jersey. She would always knock on our front door and ask permission. The first time, my mother hesitated, not knowing if they were poisonous. “No! They are good, very …