Limoncello

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After a few weeks of brewing, sitting in plain view on my library, the long awaited Limocello is finally ready!
So many of you have been asking about my family recipe for this delicious liquor, well, now you have it: this episode in fact features a recipe from my Family’s Vault, straight out of Aunt Laura’s hand written kitchen book, this Limoncello will enter your home and never leave. Get ready, your friends will ask for it, your family will drink it every time they come over, and in summer it will literally fly out of the freezer. Continue Reading…

Risotto with “La Tur” and Wild Carrot Honey

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There is something incredibly special about rice. Aside from being a very political correct ingredient, affordable, with a long shelf life and always filling, it is probably the most versatile pantry item after flour.

From appetizers to desserts to distilled liquor, this grain has been interpreted and enjoyed by many cultures around the world throughout history. They say “If life gives you Lemons, make Lemonade”; Italians were given Rice, and they made Risotto! With the exception of a couple of “rice based” desserts, some stuffed summer vegetables like peppers or zucchini and a Sicilian Paella I cannot recall any traditional Italian recipe other than Risotto that uses rice as the main ingredient. Continue Reading…

Cozze Alla Tarantina (Spicy Mussel Soup)

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Fish markets fascinate me! It is something that happened to me since I was a kid, spending my summers on the coast of Tuscany with my family. There is something very rigorous about the way fishermen display their pray, about the way they solicit shoppers, and the way they loudly negotiate or call for your attention. The key element to me is that whatever you come across at a fish market that exists close to any coastal region is the fact that what you are buying is “prey”! Every day is different, every catch becomes a fisherman’s story, something to romanticize about it… a sort of “added value” to your meal. Continue Reading…

Porchetta and “The Sandwich”

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Porchetta in Italy is a true religion, and  the most represented street food in the whole Italian Peninsula. History wants this roast to be born in Ariccia, a little town just out of Rome… and if you ask me its Wikipedia page should have a whole paragraph dedicated to this traditional delicacy that has finally and rightfully gone global! Continue Reading…

The Flaming Mandarin

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A couple of years ago we celebrated one of our dear friend’s birthday at Katsuya Restaurant in Hollywood. It was a real treat: private room, a fantastic menu, and a continuous flow of amazing cocktails that put the smile on everybody’s face. Since that evening The Flaming Mandarin has become one of our obsessions, and every time the same group of friends now gets together, this is what we drink, regardless if we are dining or not… we are just incredibly proud we could re-create a recipe that is now become even better than the original one. Continue Reading…

Mozzarella: Campania’s World-Famous Cheese

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Even if you’ve never been to Italy, chances are pretty good you’re familiar with a variety of Italian foods. What you may not realize, however, is that ingredients or dishes you think of as “Italian” are regional – for instance, pizza is universally thought of as Italian, but it’s specifically a Neapolitan creation. It’s not surprising, then, to learn that in order to find the best of one of the key ingredients in pizza – mozzarella – you’ve got to go to the Campania region.

Mozzarella, that fantastically moist cheese with the delicate, creamy flavor has become a staple in many kitchens outside Italy, and you’ll find it on store shelves and in dishes throughout its country of origin. The best mozzarella in Italy is mozzarella di bufala, or mozzarella made from the milk of water buffalo, and the best mozzarella di bufala is made in Campania. Continue Reading…

Nutella Cake

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There is no Holiday season without treats!

Let us then present you with a luxurious recipe to make sure your taste buds can celebrate properly this coming Christmas.The main ingredient of this recipe is an Italian stable: NUTELLA!This fantastic hazelnut and chocolate spread is an ingredient that everyone loves in the Bel Paese, and there is not one kid (or adult for that matter) that would not hesitate one second to praise its taste and history. Nutella was introduced to the Italian Market in 1964 by Michele Ferrero, who further developed one of his father’s recipes, the “Supercrema” (Super-cream); in the past few decades its production has reached the incredible number of 179.000 Tons per year… and that’s only for the Italian Market. Nutella is a spin-off of “Gianduja“, a sweet mixture containing 50% hazelnuts and/or almonds and 50% chocolate, developed in the Piemonte region of Northern Italy in the mid 1800s, and its recipe is closely guarded by the Ferrero company. Continue Reading…

Extra Virgin Wins “Best Home Chef in a TV Series” at The Taste Awards

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When Debi and I started posting our Tuscan family recipes on Youtube about 5 years ago we never thought about “What Could Happen”. It has always been a labor of love and joy, a way to keep our family traditions alive, a game to do with our daughters and a creative outlet… a delicious one!

Then the Cooking Channel came around, and thanks to the vision of Bruce Seidel, at the time VP of programming at the Network, our home project was turned into a real TV show, with all the bells, the whistles and the added production value that it needed. Debi and I had the fantastic opportunity to shoot 26 episodes in the past couple of years; we have learned a lot, we have grown, we have developed so many new fantastic recipes, and we finally got to share it all with a wider audience. Continue Reading…

Prosciutto, Taleggio and Radicchio Sandwich

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In Italy Panini are everywhere. In every bar, at any roadside stand and gas station… It is our go to quick fix in between meals, and very often a preferred lunch substitute.

It is true that in general Italian Sandwiches are extremely simple; this has to do with the incredible amount of cold cuts, cured meats and cheeses that you can source throughout our peninsula. Good meats and good cheeses do not require much company when trapped between two slices of bread. In Tuscany for instance unsalted bread is the favorite way of preparing most of our panini, that allows us to enjoy the flavor of whatever we put inside at its best. Continue Reading…