about eating Italian wherever you are
A few years back, I watched food writer Nathalie Dupree show how to make Southern-style biscuits. It was not a pretty sight. The batter was lumpy and seemed too wet. Unconcerned, Dupree swiftly shaped the unruly mess to form biscuits. “The trick is to handle the dough as little as possible,” she said. The tender,…
Onions are a kitchen workhorse. All year long, they dutifully sizzle in saucepans and skillets, sending out tantalizing aromas as they magically transform into a flavor base–soffritto–for all manner of dishes. But. When spring onions and their kin push up through the soil, they deserve their moment of glory. I can’t resist tossing any and…
Sometimes you can make a familiar dish—say, pasta with a mushroom sauce–and suddenly it tastes way better. Because you’ve made a few changes, whether deliberate or random, and the stars aligned in a good way. That happened recently when I made fettuccine with mixed mushrooms and radicchio. To my surprise, the dish rose a notch…
You can order sfincione by the square in takeout establishments all over Palermo, to be eaten right away or later, but Sicilian cooks make it at home, too. The crust is thicker than a typical pizza and a bit spongy, but at the same time crisp because the dough contains a generous amount of…
Brimming with fish, shellfish, shrimp, white beans and potatoes, this might be my favorite seafood stew. Certainly, it’s the one I make most often. It’s easy enough to make anytime, but worthy of taking center place in a traditional Italian vigilia. I have to admit that, although we almost always eat seafood on Christmas Eve,…
Years ago, when I was collecting recipes for Serves One, a friend told me about a favorite, dead-simple pasta dish: egg noodles combined with an equal quantity of sautéed cabbage. I’ve made that ever since when in the mood for a comforting meal, sometimes just for myself. It’s always struck me as being more Eastern…
On a fall visit to the mountainous Umbrian town of Norcia, I ordered the area’s famous lentil soup. I wasn’t expecting much. The soup was a thick, monochromatic beige. But the first spoonful surprised me with honest, deeply satisfying flavor. Over the coming days, I ate soup at almost every meal. Chickpea, farro, and then…
After a trip to Spain, I bought a paella pan and starting making this dish that is at once regional (in and around Valencia) and the country’s most famous dish. I tried painstakingly traditional paellas and unorthodox ones such as Ottolenghi’s vegetable-laden paella. Usually I was cooking for a group–paella has a well-deserved reputation as a…
Just about every Wednesday, you’ll find me at my local farmer’s market. I wait patiently in line with my fellow customers, six feet apart, until it’s my turn for an audience with the seafood vendor. Typically he will have sea bass, tuna, cod, bluefish and half a dozen other wonderful choices. Most of these fish…