Any dish described as Parmigiana or alla Parmigiana brings music to everyone’s ears. Those layers of eggplant, veal or chicken held together with melted cheese and tasty tomato sauce; almost a savory layer cake to be sliced into squares and served. But it’s summer, is that how you really want to spend your time in the kitchen – never mind the dreaded frying. Summer Zucchini Parmigiana is a fresh seasonal approach to an old classic which delivers bright flavors reminiscent of the parmigiana dishes of your childhood.
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Cafe Shakerato surely evolved to satisfy those Italians who simply could not survive without their espresso, yet somehow the blistery summer days seemed to call for something a bit more refreshing. Some years ago in Tropea, Mia Sorella and I were deeply immersed in one of our favorite sibling bonding activities – shopping; we were madly searching for some locally produced ceramic tiles to incorporate into a project at home. The shops had just rolled up their windows and it was sweltering; our stamina would surly be affected by the oppressive heat. The astute shop owner of a tiny ceramic studio understood that these conditions would certainly affect our ability to supplement the local economy, so he discretely sent his young son off on a little errand. Allora, after some minutes the boy appeared with two icy cold coffee drinks, and that was our introduction to Cafe Shakerato.
