Pesto alla genovese is one of those ingredients that is much better when made at home, even if you use a blender instead of a mortar and pestle. There are two reasons for this. First, almost all store-bought pesto contains … Continue reading Lasagne alla Genovese (Lasagne with Green Beans and Basil Pesto)
I often use the guides by the Italian magazine Gambero Rosso to choose wines and restaurants. Wines are awarded one, two, or three glasses (bicchieri), trattorias one, two, or three shrimp (gamberi), and restaurants one, two, or three forks (forchette). My sweet … Continue reading Dining in Italy: Pascucci al Porticciolo*
In May, we visited the Venetian coast, where one of the most common ways to serve seafood is gratinated with breadcrumbs. This preparation is especially delightful with mussels—their natural brininess is deepened by the heat of the oven, while the breadcrumbs … Continue reading Gratinated Mussels (Cozze gratinate)
As part of our wine tour through Friuli, we had dinner at La Subida Trattoria al Cacciatore. The chef’s specialty is girini—his interpretation of a traditional local dish made by letting pasta batter drip into boiling water to form fresh pasta. What … Continue reading Girini (Crumbles of Dropped Pasta) with Rabbit, Samphire, and Cherry Tomatoes
Italians are very proud of their culinary heritage, and rightly so. There are even some traditional Italian dishes for which an official recipe has been established. This helps to preserve the traditional dishes in their original form. The most famous … Continue reading Ragù alla Bolognese (The Official Recipe)
I am a member of the Dutch association of wine connoisseurs (Verenigde Vinologen Nederland). As a member of the travel committee of the VVN, I organize wine trips to Italy together with Fred Nijhuis. This is the fifth and final day … Continue reading Friuli Wine Tour Part 5: Friuli Aquileia
I am a member of the Dutch association of wine connoisseurs (Verenigde Vinologen Nederland). As a member of the travel committee of the VVN, I organize wine trips to Italy together with Fred Nijhuis. This is the fourth day of our … Continue reading Friuli Wine Tour Part 4: Friuli Colli Orientali
I am a member of the Dutch association of wine connoisseurs (Verenigde Vinologen Nederland). As a member of the travel committee of the VVN, I organize wine trips to Italy together with Fred Nijhuis. This is the second day of our … Continue reading Friuli Wine Tour Part 2: Collio
I am a member of the Dutch association of wine connoisseurs (Verenigde Vinologen Nederland). As a member of the travel committee of the VVN, I organize wine trips to Italy together with Fred Nijhuis. Last year the trip to Campania was … Continue reading Friuli Wine Tour Part 1: Grave
Italians are very proud of their culinary heritage, and rightly so. There are even some traditional Italian dishes for which an official recipe has been established. This helps to preserve the traditional dishes in their original form. The most famous … Continue reading The New Official Recipe for Ragù alla Bolognese
Boquerones en vinagre is a Spanish recipe for fresh anchovies marinated in vinegar, olive oil, parsley, and garlic. It is often served as tapas in Spain. A very similar preparation is the Italian alici marinate, with the main difference that … Continue reading Boquerones en Vinagre (Marinated Anchovies) made from Sardines
We are spending the Dutch winter in the Australian summer, and this is the first time I am not cooking at home for Christmas. I have very limited cooking equipment in the camper, and when I did the shopping for … Continue reading Tagliatelle with Rock Lobster (Tagliatelle all’Aragosta)
My friend Irene got me some organic pears from the tree in her garden. They were not the typical pears that are used to make poached pears in the Netherlands (stoofpeertjes), which turn red when you cook them. But they … Continue reading Poached Pears with Lemon Syrup
Slow-roasting cauliflower means to roast it in the oven for 2 to 3 hours at 160C/320F. Then it gets a completely different texture, flavor, and color. We love slow-roasted cauliflower and I have already published several recipes on this blog … Continue reading Pasta with Slow-Roasted Cauliflower
Every year when Gambero Rosso announces the winners of the tre bicchieri (3 glasses) in their Vini d’Italia guide, I check if there are any wines that I would like to try. Only 400-500 wines win a tre bicchieri award … Continue reading Vermicelli al Sugo di Sgavajone
This ravioli dish is one of my favorite ‘battle horses’, an Italian term (cavallo di battaglia) for a dish that is always a success when I prepare it for guests. I also prepared this for my friends Robert and Melvin … Continue reading Meat Ravioli with Butter and Sage (Ravioli di Carne con Burro e Salvia)
This pasta dish was inspired by a fish stew from Burgundy called Pôchouse. The fish is poached in white wine and the poaching liquid is reduced together with fish stock and then turned into a creamy sauce by adding crème … Continue reading Fresh Pasta with Pikeperch and Cream
Pasta alle Cenere literally means “pasta with ashes”. This name does not refer to the flavor, but to the appearance of the dish. It is pasta with a sauce of gorgonzola (Italian blue cheese), black olives, and cream. Freshly ground … Continue reading Ravioli alle Cenere
Lazio, the Italian region of which Rome is the capital, has four famous simple classic pasta dishes with similar ingredients: Recently my friend Melvin pointed out that there is a fifth one called Zozzona, which I had never heard of … Continue reading Pasta alla Zozzona
Signum is the restaurant of chef Martina Caruso in the Signum Hotel on Salina, one of the Aeolian islands between Sicily and Naples, which has held a Michelin star from 2016. The restaurant and hotel are only open in the … Continue reading Dining in Italy: Signum*
This is the third and final part of the tour to Campania that I organized as a member of the Dutch association of Vinologists (Verenigde Vinologen Nederland). After a day of getting to know the wines of Sannio, we continued … Continue reading Campania Wine Tour Part 3: Irpinia
This is the second part of the tour that I organized as a member of the Dutch association of Vinologists (Verenigde Vinologen Nederland). After a day of getting to know the wines of Sannio, we continued our exploration of Campanian … Continue reading Campania Wine Tour Part 2: Costa d’Amalfi
My posts are not completely in chronological order at the moment, because the wine tour of Campania has already finished, but I have two more installments to post about that trip. After the trip I took the ferry to the … Continue reading Dining in Italy: Dani Maison**
I am a member of the Dutch association of Vinologists (Verenigde Vinologen Nederland) and after the great wine trips with the association to Piemonte, Lombardia, and Australia, I have now organized a trip to Campania in Italy as a member … Continue reading Campania Wine Tour Part 1: Sannio
Aria fritta literally means “fried air”. This is what chef Peppe Guida called the deep fried pizza that he served as an appetizer at his agriturismo Villa Rosa (read about my visit here). It is also simply called pizza fritta. … Continue reading Aria Fritta (Deep Fried Pizza)
Pasta with meat ragù is one of the best known Italian dishes around the world. Each region in Italy has its own version. The most famous is Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. It is so famous in fact, that outside of Italy, … Continue reading Rigatoni Strascicati col Ragù (Pasta with Florentine Meat Ragù)
I created this dish to use up what was in my fridge — so I could also call it pasta svuotafrigo. I had some leeks, left over prosciutto, and left over ricotta that all needed to be used up. I … Continue reading Pasta with Leeks, Prosciutto, and Ricotta (Trofie ai Porri, Crudo e Ricotta)
Ricotta and spinach are a classic combination in Italian cooking, especially as a stuffing for ravioli. It also works great with a ‘pink’ tomato sauce, which means a tomato sauce that is mixed with either cream or white sauce (besciamella). … Continue reading Spinach, Ricotta, and Tomato Lasagna (Lasagne di Magro)
For Easter dinner I wanted to enjoy a nice bottle of Barolo from the 2006 vintage, that I had acquired at the winery in 2010 and had been aging in my wine fridge ever since. It was easy to select … Continue reading Fresh Pasta with Beef and Porcini Mushroom Ragù (Tajarin al Ragù di Manzo en Funghi Porcini)
My friend Melvin had enjoyed Spaghetti V.G.P. at a restaurant in Sicily, and suggested we make prepare this. Pasta with vongole, gamberi (shrimp) and pistachios is quite common in Sicilian restaurants; it uses local ingredients and is a great flavor … Continue reading Spaghetti V.G.P. (Spaghetti with Vongole, Shrimp, and Pistachios)
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