‘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.

Buona estate a tutti!! Happy summer! The summer heat is upon us and if you are like me, you are always searching for that easy refreshing summer dessert that keeps you out of the kitchen and in the pool. Cue the beach music. Enter the Italian dessert ‘semifreddo’.

‘Semifreddo’ is one dessert that you are probably not making but should. It is the laid back cousin of glorious gelato and its preparation requires little making it an ideal ‘go to’ treat for lazy, hot summer days.

Continue reading Beat the Heat Italian Style: Easy Pistachio Semifreddo at Our Italian Table.

OK, first off I have to admit that I totally ripped off the idea of serving this panna cotta in little flip-top jars from my favorite LA Italian restaurant – Sotto, on Pico Boulevard here in Los Angeles. I had all these little anchovy jars around my house that I had saved over the years, so it was a perfect fit. And it’s a perfect fit for panna cotta (cooked milk) because you just seal them up and put them in the refrigerator for storage.

Continue reading Panna cotta with peach compote and pistachio shortbread cookies at Our Italian Table.

The magnificent blood orange  – a small burst of sunshine for a chilly winters day. Our little local farmer’s market has recently started carrying these beauties. The weatherman was forecasting rain for most of the day but lo and behold, it has been snowing all day – big, fat flakes piling up on around. This winter feels like it will never end! With our focus on Sicily for this month, these little rays of sunshine were the perfect pick me up for our gloomy moods.

Continue reading Grilled Provolone with Blood Orange Reduction (Provola alla Griglia con Riduzione dell’Arancia Rossa) at Our Italian Table.