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… Continue reading Travels, gratitude and a quick dinner (balsamic and sage chicken scaloppine)
BALSAMIC GLAZED BELL PEPPERS More glorious summer colors and Mediterranean flavors here. Make sure to use large, thick fleshed, fresh peppers, yellow or red as the green ones are not sweet enough. Capers are the edible buds of a hardy bush which grows on walls and rocky soils in the Aeolian islands, near Sicily. If… Continue reading peperoni all’aceto balsamico
INSALATA TIEPIDA DI CECI E RUCOLA. Ancient Romans, rich or poor, were quite fond of chickpeas and consumed them frequently dressed in olive oil. Rucola – also called rocket or arugula – is cultivated only since a couple of decades but it has been collected in the wild as an edible herb for many centuries.… Continue reading warm chickpea and arugula 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… 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… Continue reading balsamic vinegar
