In my parent’s region of Italy (Calabria) almond paste cookies are abundant, but rainbow cookies aren’t found in southern Italy (and to the best of my knowledge the rest of Italy is also devoid of this moist and luscious cookie).  Rainbow cookies are an Italian American invention and most likely created to honor the color of the Italian flag.  However, […]

Baked Clams Oreganata can be found on most Italian American restaurant menus and when they’re prepared well (with high quality ingredients) they are an excellent way to consume fresh clams, outside of on the half shell with a squeeze of lemon and a dash of Tabasco. Our family feasts on Baked Clams Oreganata during the holiday season and they are fairly […]

You often find Seafood Salad (Antipasti di Mare) served during the Christmas holiday in Italy but we like to make this salad throughout the year.  Our version of seafood salad includes shrimp, calamari (squid), octopus, and scallops.  You can experiment with various seafood, especially if you don’t have access to fish such as octopus or squid (in fact, we’ve utilized mussels, […]

Italian Holiday and Winter Food Treats: Cherry Panettone, Cerignola Bomba Pugliese (Spicey Spread), Fig Syrup, and Frantoi Cutrera Extra Virgin Olive Oils The Christmas season is a wonderful time to celebrate food in Italy.  In fact, almost every region of Italy produces holiday specific delicacies from special stuffed pastas to incredible desserts such as Panettone, Paneforte, and Torrone. One of our favorite holiday […]

(photo: fish salad made with octopus, shrimp, squid, scungilli, and scallops; choose just a few fish for a good fish salad) We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday and spent quality time with their friends and family!  We cooked a traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner and wanted to share our photos with you, including pictures of our dinner antipasto […]

Italian Christmas Foods – An Food Guide to an Italian Christmas At this point in the holiday frenzy, you’re either preparing to host a holiday party or you’ve been invited to a Christmas Eve / Day dinner or lunch.  If you’ve been invited to dinner then get down on your knees and pray the host can cook!  If you’re hosting Christmas […]