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, [...]
https://www.youtube.com/embed/hU5Iatd__5c Katie Parla, author of Food of the Italian South, stopped by the MUNCHIES Test Kitchen to show us how to make stuffed mussels. Not only is this recipe quick and easy, but making your own breadcrumbs is a great way to use up leftover or stale bread. Serve these stuffed mussels as [...]
It's January 6, the Epiphany on the Catholic calendar. The holiday is called La Befana in Italy and is so-called because tradition states the befana (a witch-like creature) delivers gifts to children on this day as the Wise Men brought gifts to the baby Jesus. I was always terrified of the befana as a kid. [...]
On Thursday I appeared on Good Day New York with Lori Stokes and Rosanna Scotto (Tri State Area dreams do come true) to make amatriciana estiva (a.k.a. summer amatriciana), a dish that has been popping up on trattoria menus all over town for a few years now. Some claim their version of the dish is lighter [...]
I have a few super exciting things to announce! First, Untitled South Italy Cookbook finally has a title: Food of the Italian South: Recipes for Classic, Disappearing, and Lost Dishes. The book also has a cover (focaccia!!!) and a publication date (March 12, 2019!!!). If it seems like a long time has passed since I [...]
Every book is an inexplicable miracle. So much work, stress, time, drama, doubt, hyperventilating, and money go into just writing the damn thing it's amazing any books get written at all. After this exhausting process, most cookbook authors hand their labor of love over to a team of editors, designers, photographers, food stylists, and printers [...]
