With a beautiful spring day in full bloom, I finally had time to plant my new little herb garden – basil, oregano, parley, tarragon, mint, rosemary and more.  As I planted each little plant, I smiled at the various food memories from years past – the overgrown mint patch in my mother’s backyard; basil-scented breezes on a long-ago trip to Cinqueterre; Grandmom’s roasted rosemary potatoes; grilled swordfish with parsley and oregano sauce seaside in Sicily. 

Continue reading Food Memories: Grilled Swordfish with Chickpea Puree and Salmoriglio Sauce at Our Italian Table.

Italian “salsa verde” is very different from the pureed green stuff you pour into those little plastic cups and drizzle on your tacos. The Italian stuff is a briney, lemony and bright mixture with a wide variety of uses. In fact, Italian salsa verde is well suited to drizzle on simple grilled fish, roasted chicken or boiled meats in sandwiches.

I like to always have a little jar of this wonderful condiment in the fridge.

Continue reading Salsa Verde – Not the stuff that goes on tacos… at Our Italian Table.

With Tuscany fresh in my mind, I knew the moment I woke up this morning what I was going to make for lunch today. One of my favorite restaurants in Montalcino is a rustic place called Grappolo Blu. Their simple Tuscan fare never disappoints and the owner, Luciano, never fails to recommend just the right wine to pair with your meal. Whenever I visit, the antipasti of choice for me is their plate of marinated anchovies drizzled with parsley pesto and served with a simple pile of chickpeas.

Continue reading Bringing Tuscany Home: Anchovies Marinated in Parsley Pesto and Chickpeas at Our Italian Table.

The Tyrrhenian Sea off the Calabrian coast is chock full of the majestic swordfish (pesce spada) that migrate through this region in late spring and early summer on their way south to the Strait of Messina. The town of Bagnara hosts an annual swordfish festival to celebrate the year’s catch as swordfish is served in traditional Calabrian preparations from simply grilled to mixed with pasta to steamed as in the preparation below which is common in this seaside town.

Continue reading Garlicky Swordfish Calabrian Style at Our Italian Table.

My family is a huge Bon Appetit family. We have subscribed for years and years and years. We have cellars full of back issues. We call each other with excitement when new issues arrive. We have figured out that my cousin Mia receives her issue first. My issue arrives a few days later. Out in LA, my brother’s issue arrives yet another few days out.  So we know approximately when we can start calling each other to ask ‘Did you see the recipe on page xxx??”   Even with almost every BA recipe now online, I still can’t bring myself to recycle my shelves full of dog-eared back issues.

Continue reading Bon Appetit’s June Cook the Cover Challenge: Spaghetti with Parsley Pesto at Our Italian Table.

I just returned from a very special week in my beloved Montalcino, Tuscany.  I was blessed with being able to rent a little casa surrounded by the prized Brunello vines on the hillside just outside the walls of the village….my view was of the sweeping Sienese valley as the sun set just outside my window each evening.  Simply magical….but more on my travels in the week ahead! The food of Tuscany is simple, rustic and gloriously delicious…the simplicity of the flavors married with the freshness of ingredients makes every meal a delight for the senses. 

Continue reading Tuscan Crostini with Salsa Verde at Our Italian Table.