(photo: Capezzana Olio Nuovo 2010 with fresh whole milk mozzarella dried oregano, Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper) About 25 minutes northwest of Florence in the small wine growing region of Carmignano you’ll find the estate of Tenuta di Capezzana – an estate that has been producing olive oil since the year 980.  I was lucky enough to sample the 2010 Capezzana November […]

Guide to Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano Parmigiano Reggiano is a hard Italian, cow’s milk (during production the milk may not be older than one day), cheese produced in Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna all south of the Po River in Emilia-Romagna as well as in the Mantova area in Lombardia north of the Po River.  Parmigiano referring to the […]

What is Antipasto and What Does it Include – Guide to Antipasto: Italian Appetizers that Come Before the Meal Antipasto literally means “before the meal” and varies from province to province in Italy.  Similar to French hors d’oeuvres or Spanish tapas, antipasto is a combination of small bites of tasty food, usually accompanied by wine (see our wine basics guide) or beer […]

Pizza Recipe I recently had a wonderful email exchange with Dr. K, an avid home cook, supporter of local foods, and Scordo.com reader.  Dr. K was moved by our article on cracked Calabrian olive saladbecause of the suggestion that making food with others is truly a special, and uniquely human, activity.  I couldn’t agree more with him and in turn wanted to […]

The tomato mozzarella sandwich is so simple it hardly needs explaining, but it certainly should be prepared more often by home cooks (hence the post!).   A good tomato mozzarella sandwich, like most Italian dishes and recipes, is dependent on great ingredients; therefore high quality tomatoes, whole or Buffalo milk mozzarella cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and bread are vital.  For my […]

(photo: Columbus Artisan line seasonal cacciatore) I’ve written about Columbus’ Artisan salumi line in the past (including their hot sopressata, cacciatore, finocchiona, crespone, salami secchi, and standard Sopressata) and their high-end line is outstanding as it’s made with a higher grade of pork, allowed to age 21-90 days, hand tied and stuffed, and made with natural casings.  Click here if […]

Back in August, we published a slightly unorthodox eggplant parmigiana recipe where I first roasted, mini or baby eggplant, (these are usually smaller versions of the generic eggplant found in most US supermarkets) and thereafter covered with tomato sauce, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and baked.  The result was outstanding but not as cheesy and decadent as the more classic, Italian American, version […]

Our good friend Dr. K has passed along his homemade chèvre (goat milk) cheese recipe and I’m excited to be able to share it with our loyal Scordo.com readers.   Goat cheese is made in Calabria, of course, and it’s some of the best produced cheese on the planet.  In Aspromonte, close to our family’s village in Pellegrina, you’ll find Caprino […]

  Back in April, I posted about one of my favorite egg sandwiches made with a simple fried egg, fresh humus, and slices of ripe tomato on a whole wheat Ciabatta.  Sandwiches prepared with a perfectly fried egg (with a warm runny yoke) are ideal because the egg provides both the protein (white) and the dressing (yoke).  For me, the combination […]

Strozzapreti is translated as “priest choker.”  The legend has it that the priests of  Emilia-Romagna and surrounding regions enjoyed the long pasta so much that they choked while eating it.  I can certainly understand eating Strozzapreti quickly as it is, indeed, a delicous pasta. I prepared our 500 grams of Rustichella Strozzapreti with tomato sauce and then added some finely chopped mozzarella.  I […]