The Italian south’s resources and position as a crossroads in the Mediterranean have made it a target for conquest and transit for millennia. As invaders and refugees made their way to the south, they brought their customs, cooking methods, and ingredients with them. At times, the locals would reject the new arrivals—both the people and [...]
Last year I covered Sarah Cicolini's Roman trattoria Santo Palato for Australian Gourmet Traveller, one of my favorite magazines to contribute toe. The article included 7 recipes that the Abruzzo-born chef serves in her adopted city, including some of the Italian capital's classics. She says of her version of amatriciana, "There's no one recipe; everyone [...]
Insalata di Polpo con le Patate Octopus and Potato Salad Thanks to millennia of overfishing, the Tyrrhenian Sea is rather impoverished. The most abundant species are small oily fish like anchovies and mackerel and cephalopods like squid and octopus. This octopus salad is inspired by Basilicata’s short coastline, where octopi are fished from the [...]
I was a teenager when I first heard the phrase “Italian wedding soup.” Unlike some Italian Americans, I didn’t grow up eating it. I took the name literally, of course. Magazines and television hosts billed the vegetable rich, meat-studded soup as a classic recipe for nuptials. Wrong. If you’ve ever been to an Italian wedding, [...]
My friend made a salami Christmas tree! This year can end on a high note! I guess one way to do it is to craft yourself a Christmas tree made of cured meats like my pal Silvio Imperati of Salumificio Cardone in Agerola. Another is to give gifts purchased from small businesses and [...]
One of the many things I love about spending time in kitchens in Italy is that you always walk away with a lesson in immigration. At Il Giardino di Candida, a trattoria on Ventotene that bears the name of its chef Candida Sportiello (as well as the island’s patron saint) I heard of a community [...]
