Porcini Carpaccio

Porcini mushrooms are truly a gift of nature, and a blessing for anybody with a passion for food. Leonardo Da Vinci is quoted saying that “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”; nothing could be more true about this wonderful ingredient.

The following recipe for the carpaccio is extremely quick and easy, and in its incredible simplicity will deliver the pure flavor of the Earth to your palate.

Caprese di Farro

Farro salad is a stable of any given Italian Summer; its freshness and lightness are perfect for a pic-nic or an evening appetizer, especially and if you happen to have a vegetable garden where to pick fresh Tomatoes and Basil.

There is much confusion or disagreement about what exactly farro is. Emmer, spelt, and einkorn are called farro in Italy, sometimes, but not always, distinguished as farro medio, farro grande, and farro piccolo, respectively. Regional differences in what is grown locally and eaten as farro, as well as similarities between the three grains, may explain the confusion. Barley and farro may be used interchangeably because of their similar characteristics. Spelt is much more commonly grown in Germany and Switzerland and, though called dinkel there, is eaten and used in much the same way, and might therefore be considered farro. Common wheat may also be prepared and eaten much like farro, in which form it is often referred to as wheatberries. Continue Reading…

Octopus Salad

Octopus is one of those ingredients that’s present in the Mediterranean diet wherever you go. In Italy, during the summer, it’s really easy to find octopus salads or pasta with red octopus sauce. They’re really hard to catch because of the camouflage, but I remember catching them with a spear when I was a kid. I like the animal. It’s very smart and it tastes good. All you need here is a glass of dry white wine and a slice of toasted bread!

Butter Lettuce, Mache and Pomegranate Seeds Dressed with Champagne Vinaigrette

In Italy, salad is eaten just because your mama told you so. We absolutely don’t care about salads. However living now in California, trying to stay healthy and making the best of the constant fresh produce we have because of the wonderful weather, Debi and I have worked salads a little more into our life. If you go to a restaurant in Italy and ask for a salad, they’ll just bring you some lettuce and shaved carrots and that’s it. In America, the sensibility and approach to salads is very different and I’m learning to enjoy it.

Panzanella (Stale Bread Summer Entree)

This is a traditional farmer’s dish which is made with stale bread and garden vegetables. The farmers in Italy, especially during the months of July and August when the droughts start getting really hard, only have water for their tomatoes and basil and they save their bread. So they bake it once a week and when it’s stale they  make panzanella.

Tuna Fish and Cannellini Beans Salad, by The Pool!

It is summer, it is hot, it is still!
Today we decided not to cook and whipped out a quick tuna salad that made a perfect date lunch by the pool.
This is probably the quickest recipe we have done so far, thanks to the canned beans and fish.
Yes, we buy canned food too! Not the heat up and serve kind of can (soups etc…), we always have in our pantry some tuna, some beans, tons of pelati tomatoes, chickpeas…sometimes, and sardines. Gabriele is the only one that eats sardines. Continue Reading…