Tag Archives: Italian

Recipe: Sicilian Hazelnut Cake

  As promised, we tried the Sicilian Hazelnut Cake recipe found on the Mangia Bedda blog. Very happy with the result. Our only changes were to reduce the sugar and up the salt slightly, to tip the sweet/savory balance toward … Continue reading

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Food for Thought: Mangia Betta

You can get food inspiration for free by reading up on the dishes prepared by favorite chefs and hole-in-the-wall ethnic restaurants. Such was the case with a recent FB post by Ric Orlando, an inventive local chef. He’s been leading … Continue reading

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Recipe: Chicago-Style Giardiniera

We have some Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches in our future for which Chicago-Style Giardiniera is a key component. Compared to our standard giardiniera it’s spicier, and contains oil. I long resisted the oil but am happy with the result. It … Continue reading

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Recipe: Creamy Artichoke Pasta

Taverna Novo, a rustic Italian restaurant in my home town, makes a delicious creamy artichoke pasta. Here is my take on it, and it’s pretty good. The secret is frozen artichoke hearts, from our friends at Trader Joe’s. Makes 2-3 … Continue reading

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Recipe: The Bear’s Braciole

Chef Courtney Storer, sister of the show’s producer, generously shared a recipe for this Italian “family meal” dish which was prepared before our eyes in the 6th episode of The Bear. I’ve made some tweaks which I humbly believe will … Continue reading

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In which I make The Bear’s braciole

In Episode 6 of the chef drama “The Bear”, the Berzatto family is gathered in the kitchen while dead brother Michael (this is a flashback) tells a shaggy dog story involving the Chicago Blackhawks and Bill Murray. During the process … Continue reading

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Recipe: Fried Calamari with Three Kinds of Peppers

  Three Vines Bistro, an establishment in my town, makes a superb fried calamari with three kinds of peppers: cherry, jalapeño and banana. I didn’t have banana peppers so I substituted some sliced pepperoncini. They were fine but the hot … Continue reading

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Recipe: Giardiniera

Our giardiniera recipe has a perfect balance of tart/salty/a bit of sweet, so please do not change the ratios of vinegar, sugar and salt unless you want to experiment. We were inspired by some aggressive giardiniera at Palm City Wines … Continue reading

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Ugly giardiniera

David Chang’s Ugly Delicious series on Netflix was about foods from a variety of cultures that are enjoyed for taste, not looks…. a poke in the eye to the Instagram crowd. We will put our current giardiniera explorations in that … Continue reading

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Recipe: Best Way Eggplant Parm

Best Way Eggplant Parm uses a flour-and-egg wash when cooking the eggplant slices. This creates a barrier to keep the slices from absorbing excessive oil, plus it provides another layer of flavor that’s similar to breadcrumbs but without the grease. … Continue reading

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