(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 […]

(photo: Calugi tagliolini, about 1/2 pound) Tagliolini is another variety of tagliatelle that is long and cylindrical in shape.  Tagliolini are generally thinner in shape and more delicate than tagliatelle.   Recently, I was fortunate enough to try Calugi’s dry tagliolini from Cambiano Castelfiorentino situated between Livorno and Firenze in northwestern Italy.  Calugi makes their tagliolini with eggs and flour but adds […]

A while back I wrote about my definition of the la cucina povera or the kitchen of the poor.  I view la cucina povera as a style of cooking centered on cooking with whatever, non bourgeois, ingredients are in the house.  My family in Calabria once cooked in the above manner (mostly due to economic reasons but also because what was “in […]

One of the most popular side dishes in Calabria is String Beans Stewed in Tomato Sauce or Fagiolini in umido.  The key to this very simple recipe is a good basic tomato sauce and fresh green beans (broad beans work as well).  This dish is a variation of our fried potato and broad bean recipe.  String beans in tomato sauce […]

Eating Well Equals Eating Simply It’s easy to assume that folks who love food eat wonderfully rich, complex, and exotic foods all the time.  After all, even your Facebook friends post pics of the fanciful foods they’re currently eating and the likes of Anthony Bourdain, Mike Colameco, and Guy Fieri eat luscious plates of roasted meats, glistening noodles, and fried delicacies like […]

(photo: Carnevale in Reggio Calabria, thanks to Demetrio Bruno for the photo) Carnevale, which means “farewell to meat”, is celebrated throughout the world including in the United States (known as Mardi Gras) and Italy.  Carnevale usually takes place 40 days prior to Easter and in Italy the celebration includes food, parties, music, various entertainment, masquerade balls, and wild pranks!  This […]

The following Pagnotte di Enna recipe was adopted from theArtisan.net web site who adopted their recipe from the book, Scienza e Technologia della Panificazione by Prof. Giovanni Quaglia.  The actual 100% whole durum flour bread pictured above was made via our esteemed contributor, Dr. K.  In turn, this lovely recipe is many levels removed from Scordo but I, nonetheless, find […]

(photo: homemade cavatelli with broccoli) Cavatelli are about an inch to an inch and a half in length and are made from semolina, flour, and water.  Cavatelli usually have a rolled edge and are easy to make at home.  We paired our homemade cavatelli with brocolli, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil.  The Scordo Pasta Challenge chugs along! (photo: homemade […]

Food Philosophy – You Got to Be Kidding! If you’re not an avid reader of the Atlantic (or similar general interest magazines like the New Yorker) then you’ve undoubtedly missed both B.R. Meyers’ anti foodie argument/rant (in a piece called, “The Moral Crusade Against Foodies – gluttony dressed up as foodie-ism is still gluttony”) and James McWilliams’ March 1st response entitled, “B. R. Myers […]