Under the Tuscan Gun

Creamy Mocha Popsicle

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Summer seem to have finally arrived in NYC! We successfully concluded one very intense week of food photography for our upcoming cookbook, it has been a continuous feast as we cooked about 10-13 recipes a day; ate a lot, drank a lot. Today we rest, kids are in school for one final week, Debi and I need to make the most of it, maybe a couple of lunch dates?! We met in the kitchen as we do everyday after I drop the kids at school and walk the dog, and started chatting about stuff; we are both very tired because of last week, not really planning much for the day. Continue Reading…

Pasta al Vino (with Sausage and Saffron)

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My wife described this pasta last week, as we were testing the recipe, as “very feminine”… to me it means that this dish makes a perfect lunch!
As much as this sauce is rich in flavor, it is not an aggressive recipe for your palate, it has no kick, so to speak, but more a very round and politically correct aroma that you can feel on the back of your palate… you can smell it from the “inside”… balsamic, yes, that’s the right word. Never described a pasta dish as balsamic in my life though… I guess try the recipe and let me know if you understand what I mean. Continue Reading…

Fried Squash Blossoms

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These are the flowers that grow off  the zucchini. Ever since I can remember this was a favorite Summer dish growing up. I clearly remember going to the vegetable store and seeing all  the flowers displayed in brown boxes or bags ready for the picking. If we weren’t going into town, my mother just as easily sent me over to my grandmother’s to pick them fresh from the farm.

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Lemon Brulé Tart

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Do you ever wake up with a craving? Do you ever start titillating with the idea of a luxurious dinner, even before taking the first sip of your morning coffee? I usually do. Very often it gives a whole new purpose to the day I am about to live, setting the pace for what I will shop for, when I will start cooking, and also very often it dictates what I will have for lunch… yes, when I plan my family dinners I often find myself starving throughout the day, to make sure that when 7 pm comes around I am ready to literally attack the table. Continue Reading…

Below The Line – Day 5 But what if today…

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Our family Below The Line experience has come to an end. We survived for 5 days with a $37.50 budget for food, for 5 people. But I almost feel it does not count; it is easy to “sacrifice” a week of your lifestyle if you can see the finish line approaching from day one. Yes indeed knowing that this experience was going to have a very short and minimal impact in our lives helped us stay on track during this very odd week.  Continue Reading…

Below The Line – Day 4 An Apple A Day

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Breakfast-coffee for Gabriele and I, a slice of homemade fresh bread, with butter for all. For the kids-a glass of diluted milk (to stretch it) .Packed the kids off to school with their Mortadella sandwiches. We have chosen mortadella, since we like it ,and its cheap. I gave each child my extra slice, so that they would have some protein to help focus at school. My older daughter has her NY state school tests this week. She has been nervous, and I feel bad that I chose this week to do the campaign. Children need a balanced diet to perform well in school, and even if I have to eat less, I refuse to allow her grades to suffer from being hungry. Im giving her my share of food. Continue Reading…

Below The Line – Day 3 Feeling the effects

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I will be short. I am tired. I am hungry. It’s dull. Very different from all the other times in life I usually say “I am hungry”. This is like an anesthesia that is progressively conquering me.

Monday was the euphoria of the beginning. Tuesday was the “look, we are not doing so bad” day. This morning I kept active and committed. I had my lunch of one slice of bread and one slice of mortadella, one glass of leftover broth from last night with an egg scrambled in it. It helped until I started yawning around 3 pm. From that moment on it has been a slow downfall until now. Continue Reading…

Below The Line – Day 2 It is already a waiting game!

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We are all hungry here. Waiting patiently for our only real meal of the day. Evelina skipped lunch at school (she did not like their pizza) so she had a slice of bread and mortadella… the mortadella is already finished! Giulia, my youngest is zoning out in front of the TV, she asked for a snack. Guess what “Here’s a slice of bread!”. Continue Reading…