Tripe (trippa in Italian) is a popular dish in many parts of Europe and Mexico. Tripe is the edible stomach lining of ruminant animals.  The most popular is beef tripe.  It is high in protein, rich in vitamins and minerals, and low in carbohydrates.  Many cultures value tripe as a comfort food. I admit there […]

Stuffed flanks steaks look impressive are easy to make and they are versatile – you can stuff them with just about anything.  I like to use a combination of broccoli rabe and spinach.  Frozen spinach makes the broccoli rabe less bitter.  Frozen spinach is also less bitter than using fresh spinach.   The easiest way to […]

When the weather starts getting a little cooler I go into comfort food mode.  Gattò di Patate is a one-dish meal that fits that bill.  Gattò like the French gateau means cake in Italian.  It’s another dish in Sicilian cuisine that is born from the influence of the French monzu chefs, while under Bourbon rule.  […]

Farsumagru or falsomagro is a large stuffed meat roll cooked in a tomato based sauce or in a broth with white wine.  It is also called bruciuluni – a larger version of bruciola (braciola).  Farsumagu can be made with beef or veal.  It is usually stuffed with seasoned bread crumbs, pine nuts, currants, and thin slices […]

Most children are finicky eaters and my sister and I were no exception.  I remember many nights, of what seemed like torture, where our parents would try to coerce us to eat.  This dish is really my mother’s invention that came out of shear desperation because she couldn’t get us to eat meat.  We called […]

While vacationing at Niagara Falls one summer, my parents went to an Italian restaurant and witnessed a fastidious diner eating a dish of spaghetti with a fork in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other.  As he placed a forkful of pasta to his mouth, he proceeded to cut it with the […]

Ammogghiu is a Sicilian pesto-like sauce used as a grilling sauce, marinade, dipping sauce, and pasta sauce.  Garlic, olive oil, herbs, tomatoes, lemon, capers, and nuts are some common ingredients that go into the makings of this simple sauce.  Ammogghiu sauces are made using certain ingredients depending on the meat or dish being served.  If […]

The Sicilian name for this dish is Carne Arrustuta, which simply means roasted meat.  In the Italian language the dish is called Bistecca alla Griglia, or grilled steak. Whenever I have guests over for dinner, I try to plan a menu that involves dishes that are easy to make or can be prepared ahead of […]

Welcome to my first post! In our family this dish is called “Spitini” but the Italian term for them is “Involtini”, which are thin slices of meat which are filled and then rolled. If I haven’t confused you enough, sometimes they are also called “Spiedini,” referring to meat cooked on a skewer. In Sicily, they […]