But recently it’s been less obvious. For example, I met a friend at a café where I go often and feel completely invisible. But not today. Everyone from the owners to the servers greeted me as though I was their best friend. Same with the restaurant where I went last night. I’ve been there many …
Go to Recipe Go to Video Unhealthy? In Italian, the eggplant is called “melanzana,” which was incorrectly translated in France on its arrival from the Middle East as early as the 8th century to “mal saine” which means, literally, “unhealthy”. This evoked suspicion in the French cook and eater, which wasn’t helped by the eggplant’s …
Who was the daring chef to make the very first omelet and defy all manner of French economical thinking? She or he was a courageous being, for anyone who knows the French knows they are thrifty and clever in all ways. Which means that to make an omelet meant breaking many eggs and those eggs …
Could it be true that the people of Campania and nearby Naples are the most patriotic in the world? I wouldn’t know how to measure this, except perhaps by their cuisine. And if you look at the two major dishes they’ve exported to the world, you might be tempted to answer in the affirmative. Go …
Before our recent trip to Naples, I lined up a restaurant kitchen so that Sami and I could film a video for you. I had vague ideas for subjects but knew that once there I’d find something specific. It turned out even better than that. Go to Video Villa del Carmelo Some background. We were …
Nonno’s Spaghettone with Simple San Marzano Sauce Read More »
Of course there is nothing new under the sun. Flatbreads have been baked from India to the Middle East and beyond in every shape and kind of wood-burning oven, truly since time immemorial. It is thanks to the Neopolitans, however, that it has been transformed into one of the world’s favorite dish. Go to Video …
A Pizza Lesson with Award Winning Pizzaiolo, in Naples Read More »
Go to Recipe Go to Video I spent two years researching the ITALIAN FARMHOUSE cookbook, visiting farms, growers, restaurants in rural areas, and in some areas no so rural. I began with a basic knowledge of Italian food and a certain skepticism due to my French culinary training and finished the book with utmost respect. …
I watched the spectacular Bastille Day parade on the Champs Elysées (from the comfort of a big, cool home in Normandy), for the very first time this year, and was entranced. I grew up on military bases and am no stranger to brassy uniforms, fighter planes, salutes, and elegantly proud looks. But as in so …
When my son was born, I had just moved to Maine and was mourning my home in Brooklyn. When Joe came into the world, my literary agent called from New York to congratulate me. “What can I send you?” she asked, the soul of sweetness and generosity. While I might have answered “A chef,” because …
You can take the cook out of America, but no, you cannot take America out of the cook, I think each time I make a cake like this one. It is SO American! Not at all French!! Not that I don’t love all those creamy, swirly, crispy, yummy French confections like Napoleons, and Paris Brest, …
