Corn Pasta Squares with Beef and Mushroom Ragù


Cut Tacconi


If you like corn, but think it is only for polenta, get to know tacconi. This pasta is often seen in the regions of Molise and Abruzzo, and elsewhere in Italy’s Mezzogiorno. The dough is made of finely ground corn flour, wheat flour, whole eggs, and water. Toothsome, with a nice bite and full of corn flavor, these small squares are no delicate, paper-thin pasta. Rolled to a thickness of 3 to 4mm, tacconi are hearty, a great match for Italy’s rich, soul-satisfying sauces. I tossed them with a ragù enriched with full-flavored beef broth and porcini mushrooms.


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My Old Le Creuset 9qtOven


With apologies to Tammy Wynette, singer and co-writer of the country standard Stand by Your Man, I’m calling this one Stand By Your Pan. This is a good news story, that in our age of lax, unconcerned customer service and “throw it away and buy new” mentality, I am both proud and pleased to relate. Read more… »

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Plan Your Italian Garden!

Posted February 11, 2014 By Adri

Homegrown is alright with me.


Italian Garden Supplies


It’s never too early to plan a garden, and these days, with all the info on the Internet and all the mail order catalogs there is plenty to sift through. In just a few weeks it will be time to actually plant. Now is the time to do a little research.

Sure, if you are not in Italy, then you do not have the exact microclimate to grow a particular Italian vegetable or fruit. You do not have Italy’s indigenous soil either. But I am not going to quibble, and I am not going to let the purists stop me from growing my own, and neither should you. What greater joy is there than to walk into the garden with an empty trug and return to the kitchen, the trug brimming with fruits and vegetables grown with one’s own two hands, one’s own sweat and toil.

Don’t miss the thrill of seeing the tiny sprouting plants lift the dark, rich soil. Read more… »

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Homemade Cavatelli with Broccoli


This dish is simple, unfussy, and flexible. Maybe that is one reason why it is so good. Vibrant green broccoli and toothsome pasta are tossed with toasted pine nuts, peperoncino flakes, Parmigiano, and warm garlic-scented olive oil. And what oil this is. When I decided to write this article, it was going to be about how to make a simple dinner and the traditional pasta corta (short pasta) known as cavatelli, but once I tasted a spoonful of the Crudo Extra Virgin olive oil, my perspective shifted, and the dish ran away with the spoon. Read more… »

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Pears Poached in Passito with Mugolio Cream

Posted January 5, 2014 By Adri


Poalched Pear with Mascarpone


Their gentle sway, the round bottom that nestles in my hand, the succulent flesh of a perfectly ripe Comice – I love pears. Succulent and sexy, whether roasted in cream and sugar, baked into a tart or cake, transformed on the stove top into Pear Vanilla Butter, or eaten out of hand, pears are one of the gustatory delights of Winter.

I have a vivid recollection of my first taste of poached pears. Bosc pears, firm and tall with their stems intact, had been peeled and gently poached in sweetened, spiced Port wine. Their flesh yielding to a paring knife, the hostess lifted them from the garnet liquid and placed them in a pool of thick Creme Anglaise. She increased the flame under the poaching liquid and reduced it to a syrup. She dotted the Creme Anglaise with the syrup and deftly ran a paring knife through the dots, connecting them in an elephant walk chain made of linked hearts. A beautiful dessert took shape before my eyes, and I was transfixed. It changed the way I thought about food, and certainly how I thought about pears. It was one of those moments one never forgets, and although the word may be overused, it was a revelation.


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Pears in Pastry with Caramel Sauce

Posted December 16, 2013 By Adri


Pears In Pastry With Caramel Sauce


Ripe pears, cloaked in sweet pastry, baked and served in a pool of Caramel Sauce – what an elegant dessert! As soon as I saw Mary Risley, owner of Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco make these pears on a video, I knew I had to try them. Judy Witts Francini, owner of Divina Cucina Cooking School in Certaldo, Italy commented that these pears would be perfect for New Year’s Eve, and she is right. Never one to skimp at the holidays, Judy suggested serving the baked pears with chocolate caramel sauce and edible gold leaf. Thank you, Mary and thank you, Judy – two cooking teachers who rock.


Pears Med CU


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