Easy Italian Sausage and Peppers Recipe As Clifford A. Wright, the author of the wonderful book A Mediterranean Feast, writes: The daily consumption of fresh meat began to decline by 1550 as the population was now fully recovered from the Black Death of two centuries before, and, as a result, more land was devoted to the more labor-intensive agriculture rather […]

Mussels in spicy tomato sauce is an Italian restaurant stand-by and one of my favorite seafood dishes.  The dish, however, can be easily ruined with foul seafood, thick sauces, and overcooking.  Mussels should not be rubbery, smell bad, or be covered in gelatinous “sauce.”  Our version of mussels starts with the highest quality seafood you can find, so develop a relationship with a […]

If you grew up in a wonderful household full of love, warmth, and good food it was probably a direct result of your mother (sorry to all of the well rounded fathers out there).  In turn, your lovely mother deserves, at the very least, a home cooked An Italian Themed Mother’s Day Menu or meal.  Our selection includes easy to […]

(photo: red and yellow peppers fried along side red onion and potatoes, including plenty of hot peppers) The region of Calabria, and the birthplace of my parents, is widely known for its variety of peppers, including the hot and sweet variety such as peperoni di Senise red peppers and corno di toro yellow peppers.  Calabria also boasts a reputation for […]

(photo: matzoh pizza with sausage and broccoli rabe – courtesy of Dr. K) Our honorary Jewish Italian, Dr. K., recently put together some exquisite matzoh pizza for his family and I was compelled to ask him for yet another guest post entry.  Enjoy and Zeezum Pasach! Dr. K used Bittman’s olive oil matzoh recipe, which is an adapted Sardinian flatbread.  He used freshly milled hard […]

Spinach risotto is an ideal representation of what finely cooked Arborio or Carnaroli rice is all about, namely, creamy and buttery texture.  The spinach in the recipe below adds another layer of silky consistency and the green color emitted from the spinach makes this a beautiful dish, as well. You can serve spinach risotto as a starter or as a side to […]

(photo: farmed salmon with arugula salad) Like many folks, one of my favorite fish on the planet is salmon.  The wild variety is divine however I do enjoy the high quality, and sustainable, farmed type which has a fattier texture and composition.    I prepare salmon with our breadcrumb topping (see recipe here), olive oil, black pepper, and Kosher salt.  Thereafter, I use our trusty […]

  (photo: grilled Italian sausage in a spicy tomato sauce) Although my favorite way to prepare sausage is grilled on an outdoor barbecue with wood briquettes, simmering already grilled sausage in a spicy tomato sauce is a close second! The recipe is more than easy, it’s almost a non recipe; that is to say, something you can intuit very easily.  Here’s the […]

(photo: from left to right: processing the ingredients, toasting hazelnuts, final product) Nutella was invented in Italy in the 1940’s and was a response to the shortage of cocoa (given World War II) and a way to extend the chocolate supply in Italy.  The company, founded by Pietro Ferrero, used hazelnuts as the extender given the abundance of the nut in northwestern Italy.   […]

One of our standard pasta dishes here at Scordo is Pasta with Ricotta, Tomato Sauce, and Parmigiano Reggiano.  Our  ricotta is often homemade (see our recipe) and the tomato sauce comes by way of our canned tomatoes.  The pasta condiment produced here is the ideal representation of tomato, rich cream, and hearty flavors (think of it as lasagna or pasta al […]