I remember being on a plane a long time ago, probably on my way to a conference or other project abroad. The gentlemen on my left side was flying somewhere to embark on a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway, the legendary train line which is connecting Moscow with Vladivostok since 1916. He was alone, a… Continue reading lazy basil eggplant sformato
I think nobody who doesn’t know me already is ever going to find this recipe. There’s 1 million and 970 thousand hits for “grilled eggplants” on Google. With more than 2 million people out there who can grill eggplants this is probably going to be slightly redundant. The thing is, I did not grow up… Continue reading grilled lemon-and-garlic marinated eggplants
This is my mum’s version of the Provençal ratatouille. A dish like this one – basically a stew of summer vegetables – must exist all around the Mediterranean. Because of its vibrant colors, in Umbria it’s called “bandiera” meaning “flag” . In Basilicata it’s known as ciambotta or cianfotta. It’s a close relative of the… Continue reading bandiera, an Italian vegetable stir fry
EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA. I’m biting my nails here because I have so many things to tell you and if I don’t make a selection, I’ll probably never get to the recipe. First of all the name. Parmigiana literally means “from Parma”. However, this recipe has been known as a tradition in Naples and Sicily since the… Continue reading Eggplant Parmigiana
PASTA INCASCIATA. When it gets as cold as it is now here, I need to dream of the sun. Or of sunny food. This recipe is for those of you who still have summer somewhere, probably very far from here. It’s a vibrant dish, with all the colors and flavors of the Mediterranean. To get… Continue reading baked anelletti pasta timbale with melt in the mouth eggplants
Eggplant, aubergine, has been around the Mediterranean for more than 500 years. No wonder this luxurious vegetable of Indian origin became a staple of Sicilian cooking. In a land too dry and warm to support large-scale cattle breeding, meat was an expensive rarity. Peasants in Southern Italy lived on a basic diet of olive oil,… Continue reading I’m going eggplant
