Autumn 🍁 is finally in the air in Los Angeles. All and all, we had a pretty mild summer. The real heat in LA comes in September and we did have two week-long 🌆 heat waves with temperatures of 90-100℉ (32-38℃). It’s still a bit hot during the day, but the nights 🌙 are getting cooler, with beautiful, just-right evenings.

We can all feel the changes in LA’s climate from just 10 years ago.

Continue reading Lenticchie in Umido – Stewed Lentils at Our Italian Table.

Like so many other cities in Italy, Perugia (home of Italy’s famous chocolate industry) has its own unique cuisine and dialect. While visiting this lovely hilltop town last year, we stumbled across a tiny restaurant named Fontanella Di Porta Sole. The sign saying that they have served “cucina perugina” since 1940 caught my eye. That it was off the main tourist streets of this popular destination made it all the better.

At the restaurant, I asked about this strangely named dish, ’mbrecciata, and when my ears heard “lentils”, I was sold.

Continue reading ‘mbrecciata – A Perugian bean and ancient grain soup at Our Italian Table.

It’s the dead of winter, when one’s tastes go to deep earthy root vegetables such as beets and lentils. Never mind that it’s 70 degrees in Los Angeles! That makes exploring urban farmers’ markets for candy cane beets and other colorful vegetables all the more fun.

Beets and lentils do make a great combo, but deep purple beets and dark lentils make for pretty muddy colors. Enter the golden beet and the candy cane beet!

Continue reading Lentil and golden beet salad with hazelnut gremolata 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.

 Oh my – how I have missed you guys!  I haven’t posted in a month!!! Work has left me circling the globe and little time for my food loving friends.  But I was lucky enough to return from my travels abroad to find the last wonderful days of warmth before winter sets in. An unexpectedly mild day here in the eastern US gave me an opportunity to serve one last meal under my cozy pergola.   What started as a quiet night in with my sweetie evolved into a group of friends enjoying the waning warmth of the season outside near the firepit.

Continue reading Sundried Tomato Topped Roasted Salmon with Lentils at Our Italian Table.

Lentils for an Italian at the holidays are all good luck. Lentils look like tiny coins and eating them at the holidays is sure fire way to bring good fortune in the new year (or at least that’s what is said).

This dish combines a wonderful herbed lentil side dish with seared on the spot prosciutto-wrapped scallops. The lentils can be made ahead and served at room temperature if under 2 hours before.

Continue reading Prosciutto-wrapped scallops with lentils: Capesante avvolto in prosciutto con lenticchie at Our Italian Table.