Wait – what??? It is December??? How in the world did December turn up already? Wow, I have to say this has been one of the zippiest years I can ever remember.  With my 187 year-old house under renovation, the Christmas decorations remain in the basement this year. Yet, this girl is not one to miss a good holiday! Bring on Christmas!

The thought of going to a crowded mall (well, candidly any shopping mall) makes me depressed so it was time to get creative amongst all the chaos. 

Continue reading Easy Homemade Gifts from an Italian Kitchen at Our Italian Table.

Panna Cotta is an Italian classic.  This very simple versatile dessert is my go-to dessert when I need to both keep it simple but add a little bit of vavoom to my dolci.  Panna cotta (‘cooked cream‘ in Italian) literally takes 10 minutes to pull together – that is it! It then rests comfortably for a few hours to thicken. You can even make it a day or two in advance, at the ready as a creamy backdrop for a whole host of toppings.

Continue reading Easy Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel at Our Italian Table.

I am not known as a patient person, but I’m working on it. One patience-building exercise for me this year was making nocino (a walnut-based liqueur) for Christmas: I had to start all the way back in June.

Back then, I was on the treadmill at my local gym when I heard a segment on KCRW’s Good Food program about making this wonderful drink. I had sipped this delicious liquer at restaurants before, but I had no clue how it was made.

Continue reading The Nocino Report – Thank you Cousin Rosetta! at Our Italian Table.

The menu is ready and all the fish has been ordered over here on the East Coast! My Food Blogger’s Feast is ready to roll….a huge GRAZIE MILLE to my foodie friends for providing your most loved recipes! I will be posting recipes and photos over the next few days and do not hesitate to drop me a note if you need a recipe in advance….more to come!!

Buon Natale!!

Michele

La Vigilia di Natale 2013

Antipasti

Cappon Magro (Italian Seafood Salad) – Our Italian Table

Gamberi Oreganati (Shrimp with Bread Crumbs) – Come Follow Me to Italy

Polpette di Baccala (Baccala Meatballs) – AJ and Gigi (The Godkids!)

Pecorino Toscano Staginato with Chestnut Honey

Orange Salad with Anchovies and Black Olives

Artichoke and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Tuna-Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers

Primi 

Saffron-Tomato Mussels over Capellini – Deb’s Recipe a Day

Crab and Ricotta Cannelloni with Lobster Tomato Cream Sauce – Our Italian Table

Secondi

Planked Mustard Pepper Salmon – Debra’s My Italian Garden

Involtini di Pesce Spada (Swordfish Rolls) – Ciao Chow Linda

Lemon-Zested Broccolini with White Anchovies and Garlic Confit

Salad of Butter Lettuce and Radicchio with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Dolci

Frozen Orange Cream Torte with Dark Chocolate Crust and Spiced Cranberries

 EXTRA FISH Permitted!

Continue reading Michele’s Feast of the Seven(+) Fishes – Food Blogger Style at Our Italian Table.

As many of you know, I have fallen in love with the little village of Montalcino in Tuscany. The locals unfortunately can not get rid of me and I return year after year for so many reasons – to soak up the experience of life in a little Tuscan hill town, to slow the rhythm of my life, to feed my soul, to lose myself, to find myself, to connect to the Motherland.

Continue reading Looking for an unusual Christmas gift? Help a medieval village in Tuscany! at Our Italian Table.

The glorious pomegranate has only recently gained in popularity on our winter tables.  Many are, at a minimum unsure how to peel the cute little fruit; others simply too lazy to make the effort. However, the delectable juicy ruby red seeds are well worth the effort and with the technique described below, a minimum of effort.

This glorious fruit has a long and storied past. Some believe it to be the first fruit ever cultivated – the ‘apple’ that Adam used to tempt Eve.

Continue reading The Glorious Festive Pomegranate: Recipes to Put You in the Holiday Spirit! at Our Italian Table.

The fridge is stocked; the pasta machine is at the ready; and the baccala is soaking.  The company has started to arrive and it won’t be long before the house is buzzing with voices big and small.  But tonight in the quiet before the chaos, I have a night to myself – to cook, to wrap, to reminisce.  My mom is always on my mind this time of year. She always worked tirelessly at Christmas, making homemade pasta or gnocchi for the neighborhood, sending tray after tray out the door with my dad for delivery.  My brother and I would stand on a chair and help roll out the gnocchi or carry the pasta sheets draped all over the kitchen to her spot at the pasta machine.

Continue reading In my mother’s footsteps: Pasta with Tuna and Tomatoes at Our Italian Table.

There is nothing like the beautiful City of Light to put you in the Christmas spirit! I had a quick business trip this week to Paris and between the lights of the Eiffel Tower and the Christmas lights of the Champs-Élysées, I found myself belting out Christmas tunes all the way home. The city is such a magnificent canvas on which to paint Christmas. Somehow in the fog of my education, I neglected to learn or remember that Paris was named the City of Light because it was a beacon for ideas and education during the Age of Enlightenment.

Continue reading Fennel, France and Flights at Our Italian Table.

The house is decorated for Christmas and the presents are piling up!  Christmas carols have been blazing from the ipod all week and the holiday cheer has already begun to flow. I have been busily planning the menu for our Seven Fishes feast on Christmas eve as well as a few other meals for the houseful of company I am expecting in a few weeks. (I will post the 2012 menu for our Feast next week!) With no travel for work this week, I have been cooking up a storm and giving some of the recipes a dry run in advance of the holiday. 

Continue reading From My Little Test Kitchen: Fig Tart with Gorgonzola and Caramelized Onions at Our Italian Table.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!! Wohoo! I just love this holiday! Eight years ago after a rather loooong divorce, I was excited to start my very own little traditions.  I needed some oomph, some pizazz, something sparkly to celebrate my freedom :-).  And then my blue spruce outside my front door winked at me and my annual red Christmas tree was born. For a few years, I lovingly decorated that same tree with red lights each year.

Continue reading My Little Red Christmas Tree (and a pot of Italian Sausage and Lentil Soup) at Our Italian Table.