Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino

Expat Writers Book and App Fair

2012-05-10T12:18:00.000+02:00

It's happening in Rome, Saturday May 12 at 3pm! Hosting this great event are the delightful The Beehive Hotel and freshly launched Gemelli Press. The program will be featuring expat writers in Italy of books, e-books and iPhone apps. This is a great opportunity to meet and chat with expat writers in the heart of Rome on what we hope will be a gorgeous spring day! Drinks and snacks will be

Favorite spring vegetables

2012-05-04T21:26:00.000+02:00

Getting a taste of beloved deep-fried carciofi alla giudìa notoriously means taking advantage of the pesky February-to-May window in which the quintessential Roman artichokes are in season. But with all the focus on supermodel artichokes, other versatile vegetables, also in season, tend to get short shrift. Take agretti for example... Continue Reading ➔

Book Cafe ~ Favorite Cookbook Reads

2012-04-18T12:00:00.000+02:00

I've decided to start a monthly series inspired by one of Rachel's latest posts. I love reading cookbooks as literature, and not merely to follow instructions when preparing someone else's recipe. So every month, or so (I'm not good with deadlines and calendars, see my defunct newsletter) I promise to write about a favorite cookbook, and the inspiration it provided beyond the kitchen stove.

Writing and Snacking in Rome

2012-04-11T08:00:00.000+02:00

Image © Raimund Kutter Though most of my work is published on the web, I'm an old school pen-and-ink gal. I have a callus on the pen rubbing side of my middle finger. I like to scribble and keep notes in a bulging, dog-eared Moleskine notebook. I also have a passion for sending handwritten... postcards. Yes! Remember those? When it comes to work, I hardly ever compose my stories directly

Best Picnic Baskets in Rome

2012-04-05T01:28:00.001+02:00

It's that time of year again. Time to pack the hamper with delicious foods, sparkling wine, and get out into the warm Roman sun. Whether sprawled on blanket, dampened by grass, or lazily camped in the shade of monumental umbrella pines, picnics are the ideal springtime solution for families with kids, frugal travelers, and anyone in need of a little romance. The article I contributed to The

Culurgiones ~ Sardinian ravioli

2012-03-20T19:01:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to You're the cook today our series of guest recipes from around the world. Today we meet Luke from Britain, who has a special bond with the emerald isle of Sardegna, and its glorious food. Everyone loves eating Italian, but often food from Sardinia gets overlooked. Dishes vary from place to place on the island, as every village has their own special finishing touches and secret

Aero-Mom

2012-03-15T23:57:00.000+01:00

"Single mothers or those traveling alone with small children: please come to the front of the line for immediate boarding." What was that? Did the voice coming through the speakers just say 'single mothers?' The two of us, toddler and I hobble along, boarding passes clenched between teeth and stuffed, life-size Labrador Retriever tucked underarm. The laptop in my backpack weighs like bricks,

Al dente!

2012-03-01T14:26:00.000+01:00

In Italy, overcooking pasta is a sin, period. Al dente, which literally means "to the tooth," as in, "how does it feel to the tooth," stands for the correct point of cooking hardness. The opposite of al dente isn't some version of normal; it's soft or overdone. Continue Reading ➔

Gluten-free Rome

2012-02-23T00:36:00.001+01:00

Not many gluten-free travelers realize that celiacs exist in Italy too. The boot-shaped peninsula seems like the last place where you'd enjoy a gluten-free meal, what with all the pasta, pizza, bread, focaccia, salumi and other Italian specialties and staples. But celiacs in Italy can enjoy a large variety of gluten-free foods at every meal. For example, mornings can have a sunny start with

Bagna Càuda

2012-02-14T20:35:00.000+01:00

In the earliest part of my childhood I spent a lot of time with my Nonna Titta. I've spoken about her in many occasions on this blog. She was a pillar of my upbringing, and even though I was 9 when she passed away, she left me many memories and an impressive mark on my nature and individuality. I see a lot of her in myself today. In particular, the memories I associate the most with Nonna are

Snow in Rome!

2012-02-09T10:29:00.000+01:00

Here are a few photos of the winter wonderland we woke up to just a few days ago here in the Eternal City. I'm posting more images of the snow on Roma Every Day, n case you're interested in purchasing prints. I promise to be more consistent with my blogging, I know I've slacked a bit lately, but work has really absorbed me in these last few weeks. A presto, Eleonora

World Nutella Day 2012

2012-02-05T08:00:00.000+01:00

It's that time of year again! And since I'm on a diet trying to cut down on sweets, for this edition of World Nutella Day I won't break the gilded seal of the usual giant tub, rather savor every finger scoop of this tiny 30 gr (1 oz) mini Nutella. These wee jars are sold during the holiday season as tree ornaments, see the clear plastic eyelet? Clever. Happy World Nutella Day to all my

Value dining in Rome

2012-02-02T15:33:00.000+01:00

C'è crisi — it's crisis time: there's no way around it. Our former prime minister insisted the opposite as recently as last fall, when he told the world that Italian restaurants were packed to the hilt with happy folk spending money right, left and center. But that was 2011. Welcome to 2012, which finds Italy's economy poised on a slippery slope and trickling south faster than melting

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