Monday August 2, 2010
When the thermometer climbs and the asphalt softens, little brings relief faster than a granita, a Sicilian dleight made with shaved ice and the syroup of choice. My personal favorite is lemon, but some people swear by mint, and coffee can be very good too.
A couple of ideas:
Wednesday July 28, 2010
Baby zucchini of this sort are one of the nicer things about summer...
I had a half pound of them today, and for want of something better to do sliced them finely with a shallot, sauteed them in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, seasoning with salt, pepper, and a sprinkling of parsley, and while they were sauteing cooked up some butterfly pasta. Made a dandy pasta sauce.
Had I instead cooked some sort of meat, they would have been a nice side dish, and had I had a sprig of mint, it would have contributed nicely to the flavor too. Want a more structured recipe?
Rigatoni con le Zucchine.
A few more ideas for zucchini:
General Notes On Zucchini
And Ideas for Zucchini Blossoms
Also, Frying Zucchini Blossoms
Monday July 26, 2010
When it gets hot, I like lighter dishes, and develop a tremendous affection for clams. Especially in pasta sauce, which I find to be delightfully refreshing. And light on the digestion too, especially when served with a crisp white wine along the lines of a Falanghina or a Greco di Tufo.
Clams not what you're looking for?
The general recipe index.
Friday July 23, 2010
We're in the grips of a heatwave in Italy, and to be honest nobody wants to cook. So what do we do? Head to the
Festa dell'Unità, the annual fair organized by what was once the Italian Communist Party. No rhetoric, simply superbly grilled meats washed down with fresh fruity Chianti, on an ample terrace overlooking the mountains. Who could ask for more?
What, exactly, do they offer? Among other things:
After? They had slides and such for the kids, who we watched run around as the stars came out and the temperature dropped.
More about fairs, or sagre as they are called in Italian, and how to get to one.