It was only fitting that I made Barolo Risotto with Radicchio and Fontina this week. First off, the color is perfect for an upcoming romantic Valentine’s Day dinner, and secondly, there is wine involved. Every since I passed the AIS Italian sommelier exam last week, I have been finding every excuse I can to open a bottle of wine :: vino and analyze the liquid inside. Studying is absolutely important, but to really get to know wine, a lot of field work is required. Poor me. 🙂
Although any good red wine can be used for this recipe, I’ve selected Barolo as my wine of choice. Why? For starters, what they taught us during the wine and food pairing part of the sommelier course, is that a recipe made with wine should ideally be paired with READ MORE
What I love about Italian cooking is that it follows seasons :: stagioni. Since seasonal ingredients burst with flavor you can make delicious meals that are simple and fresh with only a handful of ingredients.
InEmilia-Romagnaand other parts of northern Italy, yellow, orange and green knobby pumpkins and squash are filling up the market stalls. It’s the perfect time of year to make CONTINUE READING
Does that phrase sound weird to you? It does to me.
“Autumn wouldn’t be the same without pumpkins.”
Now that rings better; yet, it’s not usually correct since the majority of the “pumpkins” we eat are actually squash. Do you know the difference between squash and pumpkin?READ MORE
My family and I live over 5000 miles apart, but we were doing the same thing this weekend: harvesting. My brothers’ and their families got together at my parent’s house in Washington State for their annual “Harvest Weekend” where they picked apples :: mele and made apple cider, apple pies, apple crisps, dried apples and apple sauce. It’s one of my favorite family traditions. There is a lot of Continue Reading
October proposes many new vegetables, from pumpkin to Swiss chard, radicchio to cabbage. And, although cucumbers :: cetrioli rounded out their season in September, I’ve slipped them into one final recipe as I make the transition from summer to fall cooking.
Mr. Italicano and I eat legumes about 2-3 times a week. I usually make a big batch and we eat them in different ways, either in Continue Reading
I think that good food should be simple :: semplice. You don’t need to complicate your life to eat well. Just follow this one basic rule: buy fresh wholesome ingredients based on the season.
Here in Italy, I’m picking the last tomatoes off the vine and clearing out the basil pots to make homemade pesto to freeze. This is my farewell recipe to summer before making way for Continue Reading
Although any good red wine can be used for this recipe, I’ve selected Barolo as my wine of choice. Why? For starters, what they taught us during the wine and food pairing part of the sommelier course, is that a recipe made with wine should ideally be paired with READ MORE
