Italian food, travel & lifestyle
Frankly, whats not to love about a pasta dish that uses one pot, with a start to finish time of 20 minutes? Pasta con Broccoli e Ricotta Salata is a home run no matter how you look at it. The star elements, pasta and broccoli come together perfectly with the help of garlic infused olive oil, tangy capers and briny Ricotta Salata; the perfect marriage of ingredients….
Is there anything more disappointing than an out of season tomato? Honestly, there is nothing that can compare to a sun warmed tomato, just plucked from the garden. With this season’s tomato plants enjoying their new home in our raised garden beds, I am longing for those red ripened varieties to use in as many ways as I possibly can. What to do until that time – well, there are canned San Marzano tomatoes for some dishes. But when you are longing for intense tomato power – why not oven roast?
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Climbing up into the hills of Piedmonte from the town of Alba, the landscape alternates between vineyards of grape varietals and intermittent groves of hazelnut trees; the panorama takes your breath away. Typically, hazelnut trees are planted on hillsides that don’t receive the requisite sun for grapes. Hazelnuts, also know as Filberts in the United States, are emblematic of Piedmonte and provide a stable source of income to some growers….
Late March I dragged Mio Marito (well, for those of you who know him dragged may be a bit of an exaggeration) to Vinitaly. Vinitaly is the world’s largest wine and spirits exhibition held annually in Verona Italy at the Veronafiere convention center. Italian producers from all twenty regions of Italia participate in the event to feature their wines to importers, wine professionals, restaurateurs, wine enthusiasts, and journalists. The different regions are showcased throughout the halls at Veronafiere; many elaborately designed to entice attendees while featuring the brand varietals. Along with the more renowned cellars, one is able to experience the many smaller family wineries often producing a limited quantity of high quality wines….
