Two of my children were born in Boston where we lived for 14 formative years and one by-product of that time is that our Thanksgiving menu is very New Englandy. We always stuff our roast turkey, and the stuffing often becomes the favorite side dish of the entire Thanksgiving. Everything is homemade, including the bread, […]
A Provençal Stuffed Cabbage for A Cold Day
March 5, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Sou fassum, the Provençal name, is known in French as chou farci à la Niçoise. It is a specialty of the region around Grasse. Traditionally, the stuffed cabbage leaves are placed in a net made of thick threads called a fassumier that is then lowered into a good chicken broth to be cooked. Although cabbage […]
Duck, Sausage, and Chestnut Stew from the North of Italy
November 6, 2017 by Leave a Comment
This duck, sausage, and chestnut stew from the province of Verona, also called ragù d’anitra, is often made with goose and is made too in Brianza in Lombardy and around Lake Garda. Preparing this dish is a more or less all-day affair. Don’t let that put you off. Gather around the hearth and keep the […]
Lentils and Sausage for Winter Dinners
January 4, 2017 by Leave a Comment
There is a winter dish from the region of Emilia-Romagna in Italy of cooked lentils topped with slices of boiled stuffed pig’s trotter called zampone. Decades ago I was lucky to live near an Italian deli that regularly carried a domestically-made zampone. Then they went out of business and once the internet was invented and […]
Give Christmas A Sicilian Spin With Hearty Tummala
December 9, 2015 by 2 Comments
Families all seem to have their own Christmas classics — roast turkey, baked ham, crown roast or pork, or prime rib. Many Italian-Americans will have lasagna or a feast of seven fishes. One spectacular preparation for a change of pace is to follow some families and make the classic Sicilian Christmas tummàla. Tummàla is a […]
Roast Chestnuts and Sausage for A November Pasta Dish
November 4, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Suddenly it became quite cool as November arrived. There’s a feeling that we need to change. We pull out sweaters and we clean out the frig of its summer foods, for instance, the leftover grilled sausage from our last grill party. This preparation is strictly a leftover meal for a cool November day using previously […]
Early Fall Cast Iron Skillet Dish
September 22, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Early fall in New England where I lived for 15 years is certainly different than early fall in southern California where I live now. The leaves turned to their gold, auburn, and red hues while the weather was a bit cooler. In southern California it can still be hot in the early fall and we […]
Grilled Sausage Skewers for an End of Summer Grill Party
August 31, 2015 by Leave a Comment
One way I like to grill when having a grill party is by not having all those blazing hot coals go to waste. What I mean is that here you’ve got a nice fire going so why not continue to cook on it–not just your steak but appetizers too. By the way, although I’ve written […]
Best Advice for German Food Starts with a Memory
January 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment
German food can be quite inaccessible. Many people think of it as heavy or they aren’t sure exactly what it is beyond sausages and sauerkraut. But what’s wrong with starting off with sausages and sauerkraut, especially for a cold winter party? This all came to mind because of an old family photo I came across […]
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