Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino

Best museum restaurants in Rome

2012-01-16T14:56:00.000+01:00

The combination of Art and Food in a city like Rome is a no-brainer. The illuminated trend of coupling delectable cuisine with paintings and sculptures originated in several European cities, like Bilbao with restaurant Nerua at the Guggenheim Museum, Barcelona, Paris at the Musée d'Orsay, Avignon and St Etienne. Other world museums that have picked up on this idea include the Tate Modern in

Detox after the holiday binge

2012-01-06T13:00:00.000+01:00

Taken as a whole, the Italian holiday menu can defeat an elephant. The stuffing ritual begins as early as Dec. 8th, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, with mugs of hot chocolate and doppia panna (double cream). Less than a week later comes Santa Lucia, she of the traditional buttery biscuits. But Mission Impossible opens its real run on Christmas Eve, and continues through New Year's.

Best meals in Rome 2011

2012-01-04T02:32:00.001+01:00

I was recently asked by friend and food guru Katie Parla to share thoughts on my best meals, dishes, and food experiences from Rome this year. I was honored by Katie's invitation to reflect along with notable cooks, fellow food writers and historians, on Rome's best bites of 2011. Continue Reading ➔

2011-12-24T18:03:00.000+01:00

Canederli | Knödel ~ South Tyrol matzah balls

2011-12-17T20:16:00.002+01:00

Imagine lying on a flowery Alpine meadow while inhaling the resinous scent of mountain pine, and enjoying the salubrious effect of a chalice of local wine. This is a typical relaxation treatment in one of many wellness centers scattered in the mystical Alto Adige territory, and where for an entire summer week I took some time off to embrace the power of the mountains and nature. In seven days

Seadas - Sardinian fritters

2011-12-14T17:46:00.000+01:00

Seadas, or Sebadas, are traditional cheese filled fritters particular to the island of Sardinia. They are the region's most famous dessert, but originally seadas were enjoyed as a main course, especially by shepherds. The recipe for these remarkably original cheese fritter calls for a final drizzle of bittersweet corbezzolo honey. Corbezzolo is Italian for strawberry tree, an evergreen

Winter carb fest

2011-12-12T13:05:00.000+01:00

Chilly weather is the Italian invitation for starch-dependent menus. Though they're consumed with abandon year-round, winter gives carbs an even bigger welcome mat. Some pasta dishes are particularly well suited to the colder months, most not necessarily dependent on seasonal ingredients. They include hearty grain and vegetable soups, richly dressed ragùs, and the best of all gourmet

Carpaccio - Harry's Bar, Venice

2011-12-03T20:00:00.000+01:00

Carpaccio was for a long time the most popular dish served at Harry’s Bar in Venice. It is named after Vittore Carpaccio, the Venetian Renaissance painter known for his use of brilliant reds and whites in the minute detail of his infinite perspective landscapes. Giuseppe Cipriani, the Bar's historic owner, invented and named the dish in reference to the Venetian painter, because the colors of

Mayonnaise | Maionese

2011-12-01T13:18:00.001+01:00

Image © ecosalon.com Homemade mayo rocks. Better tasting and definitely wholesome compared to the crap commercially sold in a jar or worse, in a tube. The difficult part in making it at home is not having it separate while you add the olive oil as it thickens. In Italian we say our mayonnaise is impazzita, "gone crazy" when that happens. To avoid this, some experts suggest to make it alone,

Remembering Tessa

2011-11-27T17:10:00.001+01:00

Image © An Aerial Armadillo Almost a year ago I lost a good friend. I had actually never met her in person, but she was among the closest, most generous and understanding brave women I have ever known. I had the joy of knowing Tessa Edwards thanks to blogging, and I will forever be thankful for that. I'm honoring her sweet memory by sharing again one of her lovely recipes, and paying it

Tasting Tajarin

2011-11-18T08:22:00.001+01:00

It felt like being in my Nonna's birthplace, the room smelled like wine, cheese and truffles. My Piedmontese roots came alive last night when I was invited at a lovely tasting event. Thanks to Beppe e i Suoi Formaggi for hosting, and Katie Parla for pulling the evening together, I had the chance to taste tajarin (a traditional Piedmont egg and flour long-strand pasta) in 7 ways, down divine

I made the papers!

2011-11-14T10:00:00.000+01:00

There was a lovely article about my food blogging in the Rome issue of Corriere della Sera this weekend. It talked a bit about my childhood, my family, how I came to blogging, and how my career has evolved out of film and into food writing. It was a very well written article, and condensed the friendly, hour-long chat I had with columnist Maria Egizia Fiaschetti, who penned the story. HERE is

Bigné

2011-11-11T10:00:00.000+01:00

When I say the word, I can actually smell the sugary aroma of the three squared beignets in my plate at Café Du Monde. I don't think I have ever tasted anything quite like it. Italian bigné are different. Some are fried, as in the case of the Zeppole di San Giuseppe fritters, but normally bigné are light choux pastry puffed balls that are baked in the oven. These cream puffs are also the base

Risi e Bisi ~ Venetian bliss

2011-11-07T23:07:00.001+01:00

We're talking gourmet comfort food. This is a rich Venetian springtime soup made with the slow cooked technique needed for making risotto, and freshly harvested tender baby peas. I learned how to make Risi e Bisi during one crazy edition of Regata Storica, a few years back. Venezia's historic scull race aboard vintage gondolas, mascarete, sandali and other beautifully ornate antique boats,

Burger obsession

2011-10-31T13:20:00.000+01:00

The dream starts with me ordering an Original at Louis' Lunch in New Haven. It's 1 a.m. and the place is still bopping. The smell of sizzling meat wafts from the grills. As I sink my teeth in the warmth of the bun and meet the juicy Black Angus ground sirloin, short rib, and brisket combo with its flavor-lending 20 percent fat, slow motion droplets of rare beef drippings fall with a

Mozzarella fritta | Fried Mozzarella

2011-10-27T09:30:00.000+02:00

Image © PiccanteDolce Fried food. I can't get enough of it. Rome is big on fried things, and my favorite diet sin is ordering fritto misto all'italiana and doing serious damage to my arteries. I've posted recipes of many of the elements that compose this fabulous deep-fried dish: Mozzarella in Carrozza, Arancini, Panelle, Zucchini blossoms, Olive Ascolane, fried sage leaves and even fried

Picchiapò

2011-10-23T10:02:00.002+02:00

Image © Gina Tringali I recently had the pleasure of meeting with work buddies Gina and Brette over a hearty plate of this fabulous stew during what was supposed to be a serious business meeting. We roared with laughter, downed a mezzo litro of the house wine, burned our lips with the fiery red peperoncino flavoring the sauteed cicoria ripassata, and sopped our plates clean with warm chunks of

Carne Cruda all'Albese | Veal Tartare

2011-10-17T22:20:00.000+02:00

Image © cookalmostanything When I pronounce the word veal, I see my US and UK friends' and clients' faces twitch just a bit. Even the hardened carnivores find it sometimes hard to stomach. Foreigners associate veal with the horrid, inhumane treatment and cruelty perpetrated on young male calves. While in Italy, veal is a very common staple meat product, almost more so than beef. This typical

Shopping with the chef

2011-10-13T12:15:00.001+02:00

Last week we launched the second episode of the video-interview series "Cibando presents" in which I get to spend quality time in some of Rome's best restaurant kitchens, to study and learn what happens backstage. This month's installment features a whole day spent with Angelo Troiani, Executive Chef of renown Rome dining institution Il Convivio Troiani. We met at his fishmonger's shop, and

Cooking around the world...

2011-10-09T21:28:00.000+02:00

When friend and inspired editor Margo of Travel Belles invited me to participate in her once a month column featuring a recipe from around the world, I immediately and enthusiastically accepted. For my first submission, I wrote about Tunisian Couscous... Continue reading ➔

Positano for the weekend

2011-10-04T00:03:00.000+02:00

It's October, I should be pulling out scarves, sweaters and rain gear; polishing apples and sweeping dried leaves from the doorstep, stowing away summer clothes and beach towels.. Not me. I'm rubbing aftersun lotion on my brown shoulders after a spectacular secret weekend escape in Positano with my little boy. We packed a small tote, left on the hush hush and spent two fabulous days

Malloreddus

2011-09-28T21:10:00.000+02:00

The stunning island of Sardegna bears the marks of outsiders, from Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans to the seamen of Genoa, Pisa, and the Savoys who proclaimed the Kingdom of Sardegna. But Spaniards, who ruled for centuries before, lent the most pronounced accents to the language, food and wines. As a sum of all these influences, the cooking of Sardegna still remains as eccentric as the

Bruschetta

2011-09-24T07:02:00.000+02:00

The first thing to know before making this genius antipasto staple and its creative variations is how to pronounce it. Not 'brushetta,' please. That's mortifying. It's bru–SKET–tah. An onomatopoeic homage to the sharp sound made when digging your teeth in the crisp charcoal baked sourdough bread, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with sea salt. Sk! Sk! Think skyscraper! Basket! Skipper!

Teriyaki Chicken (grazie James!)

2011-09-19T22:25:00.002+02:00

Image © Elle_Bee Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique in which fish or meats are broiled or grilled in a sweet soy sauce marinade. I made this the other night and am still dreaming about it. The tangy, sweet first bite, the crisp skin coated with velvety glaze, the moist and delicate meat... But I can't claim ownership of this wonderful slow-roasted Teriyaki dish. James gets all the glory,

Nachos? No gracias.

2011-09-11T16:48:00.001+02:00

Mexican is one food that regularly disappoints in the tragic Rome ethnic eating panorama. For the most part, the quality of the Eternal City's south-of-the-border cuisine is an insult, leading so many of us to wonder why. If I can manage to make great guacamole at home, why can't a Mexican restaurant do the same? In my endless hunt for a decent burrito, I've endured mediocre mole and