Growing Italian Seeds to Cook Italian Food

One day while watching Gabriele and Debi on ExtraVirgin I got inspired to grow some of the herbs and vegetables featured in their Italian recipes. So, I headed down to the garden center in search of seeds so I could grow my own ingredients in the garden this summer.  I was presented with the usual array of seeds from some of my favorite seed companies. A couple of which even had a selection highlighting their use in Italian cuisine.   Continue Reading…

Ti Amo – A Valentine’s Day E-Cards Application

The first time I read, and paid any attention to a love declaration written on a wall was on  a walk in Tuscany, near the marshlands. Under a bridge, in huge black letters a drooling heart had decided to share  his sweet pain with the universe… and the loved one:”ogni tua parola e’ una goccia di amore che voglio bere”. Which, when translated to English means, “each of your words is a drop of love I want to drink”. Continue Reading…

Valentine’s Day Beer Surprise

When I told my wife I was going to give her flowers, chocolate and jewelry for Valentine’s Day this year, she was really surprised how creative I was with my gift ideas. Not! What she didn’t know is that I actually was being ultra-thoughtful and spending a lot of time designing a cool gift. And I tricked her! Continue Reading…

Delicious Distractions

I often lie, to myself as well as others, that my least favorite place to meet with chefs is in their own restaurants, because of all the distractions. But the truth is that, while it might not be the most productive venue, I actually love working in restaurants. Love breaking one of the hospitality world’s many fourth walls by moving the pre-set silverware and glasses to the next table. Love the ready availability of food and drink. And, as a writer spends most of his time alone, I love the presence of all the people; the more the merrier. Continue Reading…

The Lesson On How To Slice Salami You Never Knew You Needed

No one can say Italians don’t take their football (meaning soccer) seriously. However, they take their food just as seriously, and when the two collide, well, let’s just say there is literally singing in the streets. One of the most memorable meals, of sorts, I had while in Florence was spent among a sea of purple jerseys in a trattoria indulging on passed dried meats and cheeses and copious amounts of red wine on the occasion of a match between ACF Fiorentina and rival Juventus. Spirits ran so high that day that the game had to be halted when the police threw tear gas into a section of overly enthusiastic Juventus supporters. You know those screaming fans are just as impassioned when it comes to their plates as they are the pitch. Continue Reading…

Mozzarella: Campania’s World-Famous Cheese

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…

The Sweet Chinese – Italian Connection

The 2012 year of the dragon, Chinese New Year is quickly approaching on January 23rd (4710 in the old calendar as I calculated from Wikipedia).  And so, I started to wonder if there were any real relevant connections between Chinese and Italian food.  My curiosity, led me to do a little bit of light research which resulted in a much more interesting tale than I could have imagined.

Of course we all know the Marco Polo story.  Our boy starts off in Italy, makes his way to the Orient, kicks his heels back a while and then finally returns about 17 years later with noodles in hand.  And presto!  Macaroni is born. Continue Reading…

Roadside Marketing

We had to admit it. She was a damned good saleswoman. After driving around Cape Cod for a week, buying sweet corn for 50 cents an ear at every roadside stand we passed, we just had to stop at the one in Sandwich. Their corn was $1 an ear. What on earth could justify that price?, we wondered.

The owner’s answer was simple, a query with a Quahog accent: “Ya tried ah cahn?” Continue Reading…

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

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…