Montalcino is famous for its spectacular wines but did you know that there is also a red heart to Montalcino? Saffron! This red gold has been cultivated in the region around Montalcino since the Middle Ages with records going as far back as 1857. The beautiful crimson spice is cultivated from the crocus plant and involves handpicking the stigmas from each little flower. You need 120,000 to 150,000 flowers to make 1 kilogram of saffron!

Continue reading Saffron Panna Cotta with Peach Compote at Our Italian Table.

Strawberry season is here, and big plump local berries were piled high at our market this past week 🍓.  A sight for weary eyes indeed. For the last few weeks, we have been completely consumed with a new renovation project here at our little old home. The old carport was in a state of disrepair when we purchased the property and after years of legal hoops and approvals, we finally got the green light to replace it with a new garage.

Continue reading A Strawberry Crostata to Celebrate the Season! ❤️ at Our Italian Table.

I am not sure what has me more excited….this crostata or that we are headed back to Italy next week! (Ok, I really know the answer to that but this salted chocolate crostata was pretty darn tasty 😉) First, lets talk about the crostata, shall we? This supremely chocolate-y piece of heaven is super simple and makes you feel like you were just hugged by a huge fuzzy chocolatey (nice) bear.

I had a hankering for something comforting and chocolatey this past week and remembered a photo in one of my bazillion cooking emails I receive that had a delicious looking chocolate and pear dessert – I thought the pears would at least add a little healthy kick atop a chocolate ganache filling – well, let me just say that once I poured the chocolate in the pastry I knew that was it – not a pear would touch that shimmering surface – but rather nice flaky sea salt.

Continue reading Salted Chocolate Crostata (& off to Italia we go!) at Our Italian Table.

Growing up, everyone we knew was of Italian descent. Our town was full of Italian immigrant families and our Roman Catholic church was full of Italian families (with a sprinkling of Polish and Irish immigrants) following many of the same traditions they had in Italy. No one was boastful about being Italian, it was simply all we knew. When you asked someone where they were from, the answer was never “Italy”—that was a given! The question was asking which region of Italy the person was from, and the answer would almost always be Sicily, Naples (Campania), Abruzzo or, the case of my grandfather, Le Marche.

Continue reading Josie’s Famous Molasses Crumb Cake at Our Italian Table.

Celebrating Valentine’s Day after almost a year into the pandemic will either leave you giddy at the thought of a quiet romantic dinner at home -or- shaking your head in dismay thinking that even your partner’s blinking is driving you batty. So, I have provided options! 🙂  

If you fall into the first category – go all out and make both the romantic panna cotta AND the yummy, candied blood oranges. Now if you fall into the later – maybe give your partner a pass for the day and at least serve up some chocolate-dipped candied blood oranges to bring back that ole’ romantic feeling.

Continue reading Blood Orange Panna Cotta and Chocolate-dipped Candied Blood Oranges at Our Italian Table.

Thinking back fondly to our last trip to Italy to visit my paternal family in Le Marche (due to COVID, not in 2020, but toward the end of 2019), I fondly remember meals we shared together that stretched for hours as we ate delicious food and drank excellent wine while we talked and laughed. The highlight of the trip came near its end, in November, when we attended the Festa dell’Olio Nuovo (New Olive Oil Festival).

Continue reading Fuyu Persimmon Crostata at Our Italian Table.

All things have a season. In this case, we’re talking about basil! If you are lucky enough to have a giant basil plant at the end of the summer, it won’t last long as the weather starts to turn colder.

During a recent visit by Joey to Michele’s riverside Pennsylvania home, a large behemoth of a basil plant came into focus. What to do with all that basil at the end of summer?

Continue reading Got Basil? Recipes to use up that end of summer stash! at Our Italian Table.

Summer is in full swing here in the Eastern US with heat wave after heat wave rolling on through, punctuated by gusty thunderstorms – a summer made in heaven by my standards! I adore the heat (truth be told, living on a river helps when it gets crazy hot) and adore a good ‘ole thunderstorm. However, when company comes to call, throwing them in the river to keep them cool isn’t always the best option – so I love keeping a frosty semifreddo at the ready to help guests cool off.

Continue reading Summer Chillin: Blueberry Semifreddo at Our Italian Table.

So we finally finished the first phase of renovations on our home about 6 months ago. Couple that with the fact that we love to entertain. And that we live on the water. And that means that we are lucky enough to have a constant stream of friends and family drop on by to check out the new digs or in summer, hang out on the dock. I have always wanted to live in a home where folks just dropped by for a coffee or a glass of wine and I pinch myself frequently when I realize that I now have that home.

Continue reading Leftover Wine? Make Ciambelline Al Vino! at Our Italian Table.

‘It has been too long!’ said my friend as she walked into my kitchen and lightly placed a jar of Sicilian pistachio cream in my hand. My friend’s voice faded into a haze as I realized what she had handed me. OMG. My mouth watered instantly. Sicilian pistachio cream. This stuff is green gold. My eyes focused back on her face but I inched closer to the silverware drawer. At the first break in conversation, I dove into the drawer for two spoons, handed one to her and smiled.

Continue reading Green Gold: Sicilian Pistachio Cream at Our Italian Table.