Ricotta Recipe My first memory of ricotta wasn’t pleasant.  I remember thinking that the cheese was tasteless and had a consistency of something akin to white mud rather than some wonderful food concoction.  Fast forward about 20 years and I’m in love with ricotta (and the associated ricotta recipe) and value its subtle flavor profile and creamy texture (not to […]

Ah, the humble sandwich or panino; two pieces of bread with some filling in between can be as vile as bologna on wonder bread or as elegant as prosciutto di Parma with extra virgin olive on slices of pane Pugliese.  My leanings, as you probably guessed, are toward the elegant side of the sandwich world.  I like pairing salty and […]

  If you haven’t noticed I’ve been consuming a ton of pasta lately given the Scordo Pasta Challenge.  I’ve had everything from bucatani with olive oil and parsley to tripoloni with tomato sauce.   However, I’ve also been consuming another starch with equivalent joy, namely the almighty arancini or rice ball (click here for my recipe)!  And while my love […]

Sometimes food photos are better than the actual food item.  I can wholeheartedly say, however, that when it comes to rice balls or Arancini the photos below look as good as they actually taste. You can find my recipe for Arancini here.  Enjoy a few photos of a recent rice ball extravaganza held in New Jersey and leave a comment […]

(photo: final product with a bit of extra provola and olive oil) When it comes to living life, I’m a sucker for both luxurious and practical things.  I’m equally comfortable driving a Honda or a Mercedes-Benz or living amongst nose-in-the-air snobs or dyed in the wool blue collar types.  I lean towards the practical and modest side of living, but who […]

It’s hard for my ego to accept, but there are certain things I can’t do in the kitchen (sorry to let you down loyal Scordo readers, but it’s true).  I count making soup and baking as two kitchen tricks I just can’t pull off.  Baking is an exact science with little room for ad-libbing and it just doesn’t fit with my […]

(photo: close up of our parsley, artichoke, sun dried tomato, and romaine lettuce salad) Next to incorporating the right leftovers into a great sandwich, putting together a “leftover salad” is one of my favorite food shortcuts; that is to say, having a great meal full of flavor without a big undertaking.  After all, what’s the point of cooking great food […]

  Cannelloni have a special place in my heart as I’ve always consumed them on special days (such as a holiday or a birthday).  My favorite Cannelloni are prepared in a simple manner, that is, with fresh ricotta, parsley, and tomato sauce.  Cannelloni are typically boiled and then stuffed with ricotta and thereafter they are baked in the oven with tomato sauce. […]

Here we go, the first pasta dish consumed for the Scordo Pasta Challenge or Vincenzo Eats His Way Through Every Pasta Shape Known to Man! #149 Trenne Think of Trenne pasta as the “quill” pasta; that is to say, Trenne are shaped like a writing instrument that is triangular in shape.  Trenne is a more modern and angular version of Penne […]

My mother can pretty much make a fabulous meal out of anything she has laying around the house (her culinary skill set constantly amazes me).  Here’s a classic example: uovo rotto al aqua con cipolla e prezzemolo, literally translated from the Calabrian dialect, “egg broken over water with onion and parsley” or poached eggs with parsley and onion. My mother’s […]