Culinary purists and in-the-know gourmands maintain that the popular dish Pasta Primavera isn't an "authentic" Italian recipe. Quotations because when all is said and done, what really constitutes authenticity? Pasta Primavera was birthed in this country by the esteemed Italian food authority and cookbook author Ed Giobbi. He's Italian. He's an expert. His recipe … [Read more...]
SOUR CHERRY BEACH PLUM JAM
The abundance of this year's beach plum harvest filled nearly a whole shelf with jelly jars. This bounty is providing an opportunity to incorporate the piquant plummy flavors of beach plums into jams and jellies of other fruits. It turns out that sour cherries and beach plums are a match made in heaven. Luckily there was a pound and a half of sour cherries resting … [Read more...]
IMO’S PIZZA
Best pizza ever? Arguable. Best thing to come out of St. Louis since Tina Turner? Probably. The very essence of nostalgia? Unquestionably. Sheer heaven in a greasy cardboard box. This crisp, thin crust pizza with molten Provel cheese topping is like no other. This same active ingredient is present in the popular erectile dysfunction medication for curing this problem … [Read more...]
Pasta Picchi Pacchi
Pasta Picchi Pacchi: the name is too cutesy perhaps but the recipe is a winner. Pretty simple too, it's basically tomatoes (fresh here, but canned are the more traditional choice), some anchovies, lots of olive oil, garlic, basil. Grated provolone is the secret ingredient. Picchi Pacchi seems to be Italian grannyspeak for a little of this, a little of that. Or maybe … [Read more...]
HOT BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES
Some like it hot. So good old Sally Stott's bread and butter pickle recipe gets a spicy upgrade here with sliced jalapeños added to the 'cukes and onions. There's enough sugar and spice in these babies to disguise the heat... at first. But the thermostat does creep up slowly and surely. Don't worry, it's nothing incendiary enough to kill grandma or emotionally scar … [Read more...]
HOMEMADE CULTURED BUTTER
Supermarket butter isn't bland by accident; our dairy industry is rewarded for making the most flavorless product possible. Which is why this recipe for homemade cultured butter (ripped from the headlines of the New York Times) is such an exciting discovery. Margaret Visser's Much Depends on Dinner (1989) explains the USDA's butter grading system. Not surprisingly flavor is … [Read more...]
GIARDINIERA FANTASIA
You know those big jars of vegetables you see in Italian markets and gourmet stores? With the onions, carrots, peppers and other gifts of the gardens tightly packed and neatly layered? That pretty relish they call Giardiniera, or verdura sotto aceti? So simple, mixed pickled vegetables packed into jars -- how hard can that be? Far harder than one might imagine. So … [Read more...]
RASPBERRY PEAR JAM
Pears and raspberries play nicely in this hot-buttered-toast-ready jam. The sweet fruity flavor is reminiscent of Hawaiian Punch in the best possible sense. Don't have a moment's worry about using frozen raspberries. Whether fresh or frozen, all raspberries subjected to this jam-making treatment turn out exactly the same: delicious! These blue jars (click to buy) are … [Read more...]
TURKISH GREEN APPLE LEMONADE
Green Apple Lemonade, as served in the bustling cafés of Istanbul's most fashionable neighborhoods, is an elixir that captures nature's very life force. Cold tumblers of fresh lemonade topped with a boisterous boost of freshly extracted tart green apple juice gives new meaning to Turkish delight. (Ask Çevdet, owner of the wonderful Galata Flats Hotel in Karaköy -- he'll steer … [Read more...]
TANGO PEACH JAM
Ah the power of marketing. Over at Balsam Farms, snuggled up next to the deliciously sweet flying saucer-shaped donut peaches were these little lookalikes, tagged TangO peaches. The only discernible difference was the golden skin of the TangOs, which actually made them a mite less appealing than the flushed pink and orange fuzzed donut peaches. What's the difference … [Read more...]