Very EATalian

Soft Focaccia with Radicchio, Speck, and Burrata

December 2, 2019 By very EATalian 2 Comments

My mom is the “focaccia master” of the family. She has fiddled with several recipes over the years, and we were always more than happy to be on the receiving end of her baking experiments. Her standard way to receive guests is serving small squares of warm soft focaccia right next to a very large plate of freshly sliced prosciutto from San Daniele. HEAVEN.

She usually doesn’t go beyond adding a few olives or a few sprigs of rosemary on top. As simple and inviting as it is, I really wanted to try and take her focaccia to another level…And I think I did!

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Very EATalian is back.

November 29, 2019 By very EATalian 2 Comments

Very EATalian is finally back! I’m super excited. Are you?? You should, because I’m planning to post more delicious recipes soon! Since it has been a while, let me quickly fill you in on what happened during the time I was “away”.

A couple of years ago, blogging started to become a bit too stressful and I needed a break. Simply put, I was trying to be too perfect at EVERYTHING and I wasn’t cutting myself some slack. Pretty much around the same time, Tom and I found out we were going to have a baby — we were beyond ecstatic!

I started reading countless books about pregnancy and newborns (this pregnancy book was my bible) and preparing to be a mom became my priority. I probably spent way too much time outfitting the baby’s room and shopping for the cutest baby clothes (…these babies are so demanding! LOL). I TOTALLY enjoyed being in full nesting mode.

I still needed an outlet for my artsy side, so I took up calligraphy, watercolor, and other crafts.

Then, along came my most precious gift of all: Olivia. More beautiful than I had ever imagined, she has dark and curly hair, and has the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen! She’s now a toddler and loves chickens, turtles, and dinosaurs. She also sings “Tanti Auguri all Mamma” (“HBD to Mama”) at least 10 times a day — by now, I’m about 300 years old.

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Torrone dei Morti: Chocolate Hazelnut Torrone

November 2, 2016 By very EATalian 2 Comments

The Day of the Dead (commonly known in Italy as “i Morti“) is a Catholic festivity occurring on November 2nd, right after All Saints’ Day. This is when most Italians visit the cemeteries and bring fresh flowers — often mums, a flower representing mourning and death — to the tombs of their loved ones. Back home, my dad usually lights a few red candles (lumini) and puts them on the window sill as a way to remember those of our family who aren’t with us anymore.

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Butternut Squash Ravioli (Ravioli di Zucca)

October 22, 2016 By very EATalian 2 Comments

Everything is pumpkin-flavored these days and you probably already had butternut squash cooked in any possible way this season…but have you ever tried Butternut Squash Ravioli (Ravioli di Zucca)? They’re delicate pockets of thinly rolled pasta hiding a delicious filling of sweet and nutty squash, bitter-sweet amaretti and savory Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Back in Italy, we typically toss them in a lovely aromatic butter sage sauce. They’re pretty much impossible not to love!

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Traditional Italian Apple Cake

October 17, 2016 By very EATalian 8 Comments

Have I ever told you my mom is a serial baker? She bakes bread, pizza, focaccia, and cakes of all kinds in such an effortless way it makes me doubt we share the same genes. Not long ago, her oven door broke and she had to send it out for repair. Needless to say, she was desperate. Like what-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life kind of desperate. Baking for her comes so naturally that even during that time when she was “oven-less”, she put her usual auto-pilot baking mode on and made pizza dough, only realizing a little late she couldn’t bake it. Oh, how much I love her!

When it comes to cakes, she’s sneaky: as soon as one cake has been eaten up by whomever comes through her kitchen (cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews, me), another freshly baked one reappears in the morning at breakfast time. I don’t know how it is in your family, but it’s impossible to say no to my mom’s cakes….

Cantucci (Tuscan Biscotti)

October 12, 2016 By very EATalian 3 Comments

Isn’t it amusing when a word changes its meaning when used in a different country or culture? I can’t help but think of that GEICO spot that’s been running on TV, with kids playing in a backyard pool yelling “Marco!” ,”Polo!”, “Marco!”, “Polo!”; the baffled Italian explorer, with his chest deep in the water and dressed in 13th century clothes, desperately tries to make himself noticed: “Ragazzi, sono io Marco Polo!”. When I first saw it on TV, I was confused just like poor Marco Polo. I was able to get the humor, only after my husband explained the game to me. Now, every time I see it, I crack up!

Just like I was completely oblivious of the fact that the name of an Italian explorer was used for a game here in the States, I had no idea the Italian generic word “biscotti” was used abroad to indicate what in Italy we call Cantucci, a specific kind of cookie. In Italian, the word “biscotti” simply means “cookies”, i.e.: the general category of baked goods. Funny, right? Basically, the way English-speaking people use the word “biscotti” seems to be an unintended synecdoche for Italians. (Grammar geeks, correct me if I’m wrong). “Biscotti” also means “cooked twice” and refers to a baking technique that involves a “double-baking process” that yields crunchy and long-lasting baked goods….

Beeramisu (Tiramisu with Beer!)

October 6, 2016 By very EATalian 2 Comments

As my little Italian tribute to Oktoberfest, I managed to put some fine dark beer in the most iconic of all Italian desserts: tiramisu’!

…and what do you get when you use BEER to make TIRAMISU? An unconventional, aromatic, delizioso BEER-AMISU’!

Does it sound crazy? Not really. Back in Italy, this interesting take on the traditional Italian trifle is actually well known and it’s definitely something beer lovers get a kick out of. As you may imagine, the most important part of this recipe was choosing the right beer that would go well with coffee. I didn’t have to look too far because the very Alexandrian award-winning Port City Brewing Company, had the kind of dark beer I was looking for: a robust Porter featuring bittersweet chocolate and roasted coffee notes. PERFECT!! (…even if not so Oktoberfest-ish!) If you get the chance to get a hold of their Porter, make sure you grab more than this recipe calls for, because, rest assured, you’ll definitely want to enjoy it separately (it won the silver medal in its category at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival!)….