Primavera means spring in Italian.  Artichokes, peas, and asparagus are spring vegetables.  These popular vegetables are prepared individually and combined in various Italian dishes.  My friend Gerry was kind enough to share his Sicilian mother’s spring vegetable casserole recipe with me.  The original recipe inspired me to create this Primavera means spring in Italian.  Artichokes, […]

Cauliflower is probably one of the blandest tasting vegetables around, in my opinion.  It always needs help to give it some flavor.  Toasted breadcrumbs are a staple in Sicilian cooking.  This staple came about because it was sacrilegious to throw away even a morsel of bread, bread being the staff of life.  Frugal housewives would […]

My father loved to cook. This recipe is a simple dish my father made.  It’s easy to prepare and so delicious.  Fresh herbs, garlic, and cheese really make this eggplant dish flavorful. When buying eggplants, choose eggplants that are firm, shiny, and blemish-free.   I recommend using the Italian or Globe variety for this recipe. They […]

My grandfather Vincenzo was a baked onion aficionado.  He just loved baked onions. It’s one of the things I remember most about his eating habits. They didn’t seem too appetizing as a kid, but later in life I came to realize what I was missing.  Onions are surprisingly sweet when baked.  These onions are fabulous […]

Baby artichokes are usually available in the springtime.  So, I was surprised to see them in the supermarket this time of year.  Baby artichokes are tender and delicious when braised.  The word affucati (affogati in Italian) in the Sicilian language means smothered or braised.  This is a simple braised artichoke recipe that my grandmother made. […]

While grocery shopping the other day I was fortunate to come across some cardoons (carduna in the Sicilian dialect, cardi or cardone in Italian), which is a rare occurrence since there isn’t a significant Italian population where I live.  The cardoon is a valued vegetable not only to the Italians and French but also to […]

Canazzu, or canazzo, is a flavorful mélange of stewed vegetables consisting mainly of eggplant, much like caponata.  This rustic Mediterranean dish is similar to the southern Italian ciambotta, the French ratatouille, and the Spanish pisto.  The word canazzu means ugly dog and the name implies a dish that is thrown together quickly and looks rather […]

I found some baby artichokes at my local supermarket yesterday, most likely the last of the season.  I was hoping to also find some fresh fava beans and peas to make a frittedda – a Sicilian mélange of artichokes, favas, and peas.  No luck on the favas and peas so I decided to make the […]

Who doesn’t love fried potatoes?  Pizzaiola means pizza style, or in this case Sicilian style pizza.  This dish is made with fried potatoes which are layered, smothered in marinara sauce topped with oregano and grated cheese, and then the whole concoction is baked.  It’s kind of like a potato lasagna.  Just in case you’re wondering where […]

The humble eggplant, to the Sicilian cook, is like clay to a sculptor.  It can be molded, shaped, and interpreted in limitless ways.  Baby eggplants are cooked many different ways in Sicily but stuffing them is the most popular method.  Much to my surprise, my local grocery store had some Indian eggplants available, which is a […]