I just returned from a beautiful long weekend in Montalcino. 🙏 My cousin, Mia, and I were on the hunt for new artisan items for our little OIT shop (Stay tuned! Found some cool new artisan products as well as beautiful new items from our beloved artisans!). The weather was warm and dry – great for us but not so great for the vines craving water for the past few months.

Sunrise over Montalcino from my little balcony

It was so wonderful to be back in the village and to see friends old and new.

Continue reading Pancetta-wrapped Asparagus with Eggs at Our Italian Table.

In a little over a month, spring will arrive. 🥳 Here in Los Angeles, where people often say that seasons don’t exist, the signs of an approaching spring are everywhere. Plants are starting to perk up with new delicate shoots, the days are getting longer and more people are out and about on the streets and in parks. People are beginning to put the warm soulful stews of winter out of their minds and beginning to think about the bounty of springtime vegetables – like asparagus!

Continue reading Spring is in the air! Asparagus with soft-cooked egg sauce at Our Italian Table.

About a year ago, my sister Michele had the idea to write a short cookbook called Gatherings (⬅️ to download a free PDF version or to purchase a hardcopy). We thought surely the pandemic would be over soon and it would be time to have big family gatherings again. We put together our favorite family recipes, whipped up a few new ones and got the book ready to go. Who knew it would be another year before those gatherings could actually happen?

Continue reading Gatherings at last: Pasta Primavera with Roasted Vegetables at Our Italian Table.

SPRING!!! SPRING!!! SPRING!!! I thought it would never arrive yet here it is on our doorstep! (Apologies for yelling at you with all those exclamation points but I want to shout it from the rooftops!) The earth is vibrating as if it knows how much the promise of warmer weather means THIS year of all years. This magical, beautiful spring just feels so wonderfully different. Welcome, our friend – you have been missed.

And just in time for spring – a printed version of our Gatherings cookbook has arrived from the printers (that calls for another little , don’t you think?) Many of you have asked for a printed rather than online version.

Continue reading Asparagus Ricotta Tart (and COOKBOOKS ARE HERE!) at Our Italian Table.

Wednesday 6AM – Flight back home from yet another business trip. Thursday 6AM – Waking up in my own bed….a very beautiful thing.  Thursday 12 noon – Uh-oh! It’s Valentine’s Day and I am making dinner! Quick dash off to our little nearby market where a beautiful pink side of freshly caught salmon winked back at me from the fish case.  Add in puff pasty (elegance in a box!) and asparagus and my romantic dinner for two was born!  I spied this recipe earlier in the week on the Cooking Channel and with a few simple modifications, was able to surprise my sweetie with an impressive meal.

Continue reading From the Heart: Salmon and Asparagus in a Puff at Our Italian Table.

Hmmmm, what to make for dinner?!?!? After shuffling around the fridge, I came up with some asparagus, pancetta, onion and sun-dried tomatoes.  Feeling like a contestant on Top Chef (‘Chefs, open your baskets!’),  I smiled as I realized that all I needed was the addition of a few eggs and – wallah – frittata for dinner!  If you haven’t made this treat for a quick dinner, you must add it to your repertoire! 

Continue reading Asparagus, Pancetta and Sun-dried Tomato Frittata at Our Italian Table.

Simple pleasures.  I am always searching for easy antipasto for my dinner parties and this easy prosciutto-wrapped asparagus does the trick. Easy to prepare ahead of time and delicious to eat.  I happened to have some balsamic reduction  on hand which I drizzled across the top which balanced nicely with the saltiness of the prosciutto.   Enjoy….

Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus with Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients:

 24 thin asparagus spears

2 ounces of goat cheese, softened

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

2 cups balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:

1. 

Continue reading Simple Pleasures: Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus with Balsamic Reduction at Our Italian Table.

Relaxing rainy day here today in Pennsylvania.  I spent the morning excitedly planning out the garden! With spring just around the corner and an expanded garden for the season ahead, I am chomping at the bit to start my seeds and dig my little paws into freshly tilled soil.  Every corner of my expanded space is now reserved and after a morning pouring over notes on various tomato varieties found myself hungry for the pure heavenly taste of my garden tomatoes. 

Continue reading Sicilian Tilapia with Roasted Lemon Asparagus at Our Italian Table.

Another treat from our Seven Fishes menu – prosciutto-wrapped scallops on a bed of roasted asparagus. Simple and delicious. These scallops are larger than one normally finds in the local fish market but they grow them big in California and boy, were they tasty!  Make sure and let the prosciutto crisp up when you saute them…the crunch of the prosciutto marries well with the creaminess of the scallops and smoky flavor of the roasted asparagus. 

Continue reading Prosciutto-Wrapped Scallops on a Bed of Roasted Asparagus at Our Italian Table.