My love for Sicily and city of Siracusa hasn’t waned. Visiting her is like slipping on my well-worn leather trench coat. Crunchy sea air, dark coffee fumes, baking buttery maritozzo and memories wash over me. I walk through the Ortigia market talking to the fish vendors and Grandpa Sebastiano comes to mind. He was a fisherman from Augusta, Sicily and then […]
Many moons ago I visited Cetara with Francesco, my father-in-law and 4-year-old nephew. The day remains etched in my mind. The hot July sun chased us as we sped past sandy beaches, the crystalline waters of the Amalfi Coast and lemon trees. After an hours drive on a seemingly never-ending windy road we arrived at the fishing town of […]
August is upon us. It beckons us to the sea, away from steamy city dwellings. Tourists and locals depart for the famous beaches of the Amalfi Coast, Sicily and Sardegna just to name a few. Francesco and I head to off the beaten path seaside destinations known equally for their beaches and culinary specialities. The tiny fishing […]
I posted this photo on Instagram two days ago and received many comments to my surprise. I was happy to discover that many people share my love for anchovies and it reminded me of my MO which is keep it simple. The tastiest dishes are made with a few fresh ingredients and lots of love. […]
January 6, the Epiphany, marked the end of the holiday season but I’m still thinking about my favorite holiday dish, capitone (female eel). I’m a bit obsessed with it. Slippery on the outside but tender, pure white and tasty eel appears on many tables across Italy on Christmas Eve. My traditional family recipe is marinated eel but recipes range from spit-roasted […]
With less than two weeks until Christmas, I’m stockpiling seasonal sweets. Yesterday I stopped by my neighborhood pastry shop in Monteverde to order panettone and walked away with two chunks of torrone. The impossible to resist crumbly blocks of torrone bianco al miele remind me of Christmas Eve with my family. The snow-white candy never failed to appear on the Tringali […]
It is eggplant season. Market stands are piled high with the tear-shaped violet-purple-black vegetable. Caponata or capunata as my Sicilian grandparents would say is a cooked eggplant salad made with fried eggplant, celery and capers seasoned with vinegar and sugar. While variations of ingredients exist with some recipes adding raisins, potatoes and pine nuts and others including peppers, […]
