How I love the sight of fresh picked tomatoes from my garden. It tickles me to no end to think that I grew these little treasures – absolutely one of life’s simple pleasures for me. It warms my soul through and through thinking of all the generations before me, whether in America or Italy, that tended to their gardens as I do now and how they also must have spent their hot August days surrounded in a sea of tomatoes.

Continue reading Got Tomatoes?? Fabrizia Lanza’s Beautiful Salsa Pronta at Our Italian Table.

In Sicily, they make a highly concentrated tomato paste called ‘estrattu’ and it is a true labor of love.  They start with an enormous amount of tomatoes (about 10 pounds to fill one jar!), skinned and seeded, and cook them down with salt and spices.  Then they spread the paste out on huge boards and lay them in the sun to dry – on rooftops, on porches – any where where the glaring summer sun can concentrate the flavor. 

Continue reading Simple Pasta with Sun-dried Tomato Sauce at Our Italian Table.

Trying to find wines from Friuli-Venezia Giulia at most wine stores in the states can be a hopelessly frustrating task. Not so Sicily! So, as we turn our regional focus to that wonderful warm island in the south, I thought I would see what I could find around town in terms of Sicilian wine. Did I strike out? That remains to be seen — we will be sampling and reporting over the course of time — but I DID find some wines to buy.

Continue reading Accessible Sicilia 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.

Firstly, we hope you like our new look over here at Our Italian Table! Joey, besides being such an amazing brother and cook, is now our resident web designer and has been busily updating our look. We would love to hear from you if you do like it!

And our wandering continues. After spending the last few weeks (virtually) wandering about Friuli Venezia-Giulia, we are headed for warmer climes as our next ‘regione’ of focus.

Continue reading Our wandering continues ….off to Sicily for the next ‘regione’ in our series! at Our Italian Table.

Ahhh, there is nothing quite like those first warm days of the season; that first meal prepared outside on the grill as the warmth of those first spring days fade to evening….with a black bear peering over your shoulder, perhaps. (Huh? A black bear?) Well – yesterday our local friendly policeman drove up my driveway to alert me that there was a black bear sighting very close to my house  – a mere 100 or so feet from my comfy patio.  

Continue reading From our bookshelf: Grilled Halibut with Salsa Verde (‘Seafood alla Siciliana’ Cookbook) at Our Italian Table.

It has been a beautiful few days here and spring has finally arrived.  My wisteria just bloomed yesterday, sending wafts of beautiful spring freshness into the air.  It is almost time to put the tomatoes in the garden – all very exciting.  A few nights ago, I made a simple lemony risotto for dinner and coincidentally had an email from a reader asking if I had a favorite recipe for arancini, a treat found throughout Sicily.  

Continue reading Snacking Sicilian Style: Limone Arancini con Ricotta e Spinaci (Lemon Arancini with Ricotta and Spinach) at Our Italian Table.

Ahhh, the story behind this photo! My, my – where to start?? In 2006 – after my divorce – I decided it was time  to visit the motherland. So passport and suitcase in hand, off I went solo to Santo Stefano di Camastra, my mother’s village in Sicilia. Although I had visited Italy previously, this was my first time trying my hand behind the wheel. Mama mia! After getting lost in Palermo and finally finding the autostrada, my little feet were shaking on the pedals something fierce but I soon arrived safe and sound at my destination.

Continue reading Weekly Photo Challenge: Two Subjects – Memories from Sicilia at Our Italian Table.

Pasqua. La Pasquetta. Easter. Little Easter. I was thrilled to be able to spend Easter holiday in Sicilia a few years back. I was dating Daniele, who lived near Taormina, at the time and was visiting for the holiday. What a truly amazing holiday Easter becomes through the eyes of the Italians.  On Good Friday, I watched in amazement from the balcony of his house as the local congregration paraded down the street at 10PM with the statues of Mary and Joseph held high followed by the congregation all with candles aglow.  

Continue reading Postcard from Sicilia: Easter in the shadow of Mount Etna at Our Italian Table.