This is a lasagna recipe that I came up with. It’s not your typical lasagna with tomato sauce. It’s a creamy white lasagna made with a béchamel sauce (besciamella in Italian) and a pistachio pesto. The pesto adds subtle flavor to the otherwise bland white sauce. Mushrooms and pancetta add a little meatiness to the […]
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Braised Baby Artichokes
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. […]
Baked Bay Scallops Gratinate
Our family celebrates Christmas with a traditional seafood dinner on Christmas Eve, as most Italians do. This year I decided to make baked scallops instead of the usual stuffed clams my kids love. Here’s the reason why. As I was cleaning out my kitchen drawers the other day, I found some natural baking scallop shells […]
Sicilian Christmas Fig Wreath: Buccellato
The buccellato, also known as cuccidato, is a large pastry wreath filled with a fragrant spiced fig, raisin, and nut filling. Really, it is just a huge cookie as opposed to its smaller version of fig cookies known respectively as buccellati or cuccidati. It’s a big tradition in Sicily to make these fig-filled sweets at […]
Cassata Buche de Noel
This is a different twist of the classic Sicilian cassata cake. Cassata is a ricotta filled sponge cake that is typically wrapped in marzipan and has an icing glaze. I usually skip the marzipan because it’s way too sweet for my liking. This festive buche de Noel (aka Swiss roll) cassata is frosted with a […]
Fried Breaded Cardoon
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 […]
Roasted Bell Pepper Rolls: Involtini di Peperoni
These roasted peppers rolls make a stunning presentation for a holiday appetizer or as a side dish. You can use roasted peppers in a jar that come from the supermarket to make these pepper rolls. However, jarred roasted peppers have a slightly bitter aftertaste which comes from the citric acid that’s used as a preservative. […]
Stuffed Turkey Roll: Rotolo di Tacchino
Making a stuffed turkey breast roll is a good way of celebrating the holidays without having to make a whole turkey and the eating leftovers for a week. Some of us can only handle eating turkey for two days max. Constructing a turkey breast roll is not as difficult as you might think. It’s relatively […]
Pumpkin Ricotta Mousse: Mousse di Zucca e Ricotta
Our friends, who are on a ketogenetic diet, were the inspiration for this recipe. Plus, the fact that I had some gorgeous pumpkins sitting on my front steps that were just too good to throw out. Those friends of ours – it can be a challenge coming up with a dessert to serve them – […]
Potato and Ragu Cake: Gatto di Patate e Ragu
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. […]
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