What a wonderful and different springtime I have had this year! I am back from the most exciting book tour in the US where I have visited old and new friends and presented my cookbook at 4 different locations. Also, I have taken with me a little bit of Umbria: a hand-woven cloth by the Brozzetti Atelier, a Deruta plate by Franco Mari, several … Continue reading Balsamic and sage chicken scaloppine
These peppers have the glorious summer colors and fragrance of the Mediterranean. Make sure to use large, thick fleshed, fresh peppers, yellow or red. The green ones are not sweet enough for this recipe. Capers are the edible buds of a hardy bush which grows on walls and rocky soils in the Aeolian islands, near Sicily. If possible, use small capers preserved in salt, they … Continue reading balsamic glazed peppers with capers and basil
Ancient Romans, rich or poor, were quite fond of beans, especially chickpeas and consumed them frequently dressed in olive oil. Rucola – also called rocket or arugula – as become mainstream only since a couple of decades but it has actually been foraged as an edible herb for many centuries. It’s spicy bitterness it’s prefect to offset the sweet flavor of the beans. This a … Continue reading warm bean and tomato salad
RAVIOLI CON PERE E PECORINO. I love homemade ravioli, these little pockets of delight. Pear and cheese is a classic combination, but it’s not traditionally used on pasta. This recipe is a good example of Italian modern cuisine. For me this is defined by a few traditional ingredients of excellent quality used in a novel way and brief cooking to preserve flavors. The result is … Continue reading pear and pecorino ravioli
ACETO BALSAMICO di MODENA. We are so lucky in modern times. Foods and flavors that in the past were only for king and princes, are now available to (almost) any commoner who likes to enjoy life. As early as 1046, future emperor Henry III writes to Marquis Boniface, father of Mathilde of Canossa to ask a gift of of a bottle of ‘the old vinegar … Continue reading balsamic vinegar
