Monthly Archives: April 2011
Pasqua (Easter) and “la pastiera”
| April 28, 2011 | Posted by ameliaps under dessert, easter, Italian |
Easter is one of my favorite holidays. As you read in my post on torta pasqualina, in Italy it is considered an even more special holiday than Christmas. It symbolized rebirth…which means double birth (so, I guess, twice as valuable as the simple birth!). For the Easter service, we drove to a very special place:… more
A fun challenge: a whole meal made with Tortellini
| April 26, 2011 | Posted by ameliaps under contest, pasta and grains |
I recently received an email that asked: “Do you love to cook Italian? Share your recipe with Barilla and Foodbuzz for a chance to win a trip to Italy! Barilla is challenging you to imagine an Italian-inspired recipe or meal created with Barilla Tortellini”…I could not resist the temptation: how could I turn down… more
Good Friday: 2 vegetable dishes (individual torta pasqualina + oven roasted baby artichokes) and Sorrento’s processions
| April 22, 2011 | Posted by ameliaps under easter, Italia, Italian, italy, vegetables, vegetarian |
Easter (Pasqua) in Italy is an even more holy holiday than Christmas. When I was growing up in Sorrento, “la settimana santa” (Easter’s holy week) was truly a week-long event. School would close on Wednesday and open back up the Tuesday after “Pasquetta” (Easter Monday). Thursday was dedicated to cooking together as a family. We… more
Breakfast apple popover (and a talk about “ratios” in the kitchen)
| April 20, 2011 | Posted by ameliaps under apples, breakfast, dessert, sweets, Uncategorized |
Sometimes we get so bored of our breakfast routine in our house, so I try – on occasion – to change it a bit and add a pinch of creativity to get everyone excited, especially if it is a middle of the week day. Yesterday morning I found 3 wrinkled, old-looking, forgotten golden delicious apples in my… more
Pasticcini di pasta di mandorle (Sicilian almond dough cookies) + FUN NEWS
| April 18, 2011 | Posted by ameliaps under cookies, dessert, Italia, Italian, italy, sweets |
I am on a Sicily roll (see my recent post on pasta with bottarga). I love that region of Italy, the scenery, the culture, the food, the history, the ingredients, the people. Sicilia is pure Mediterranean. A land that has been influenced and shaped by so many different cultures over the centuries: Greeks, Romans, Phoenicians, Arabs,… more
Spaghettini with bottarga (mullet roe), fennel seeds, capers, and garlic
| April 8, 2011 | Posted by ameliaps under Italia, Italian, italy, pasta and grains, seafood, summer |
Si vo viviri gustusu, ova di tunnu e cacocciulu spinusu (Sicilian proverb, meaning: if you wish to live like a gastronome, eat tuna eggs and prickly cardoons) As the weather warms up I find myself craving more and more summer dishes, flavors from the sea side, and of course ingredients from Italy. This time… more
Torta di scarola (savory endive pie) from my nonna Paola
| April 1, 2011 | Posted by ameliaps under Italia, Italian, italy, vegetables, vegetarian |
Torta di scarola is my grandmother’s (nonna Paola) specialty. While nonna is originally from Sardinia, she learned to make this recipe when she married my grandfather and was living in Sorrento (although he was originally from Benevento). This is a Neapolitan dish that used to be prepared over the Christmas holidays but is now often… more
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