No one, as far as I can tell, drinks milk in Italy. Whenever I find myself standing in line at the supermarket, holding a liter of milk–latte parzialmente scremato, which I take to be fresh 2 percent–I’m the only one. I’ve never seen anyone buy milk. There’s a tiny little milk section over there in…More
Category Archives: Food
Rice and Cabbage
Thank God for mothers-in-law. Or if you prefer, mother-in-laws. Mine was a gem. If it hadn’t been for her we would not have enjoyed cabbage with rice on New Year’s Eve. Or yesterday, when I revisited the dish so I could write up this recipe.More
A Reasonable Excess–a pastry, a pasta, a pleasure
I’ll see your 10,000 steps. And raise you 10,000 bites. Let’s hear it for disinhibition. Case in point: yesterday. If it had been a nice day, we might have walked uphill, from Borgo Maggiore to San Marino’s third tower, gaining thousands of steps on our way to 10,000 and, in the uphill part, climbing the…More
Biberius–rhymes with gregarious
We were eavesdropping last night. We couldn’t help ourselves. And we were glad we did. We were sitting outside at Biberius in Rimini, our second night in town. Our second night back in Italy. A guy sitting directly behind me was talking about a cook. He had two children, this cook. He was thinking about…More
Chard and Cabbage
Dirt is not a condiment. The good thing about Swiss Chard is the problem with it. Though increasingly available in chain markets, like Kroger, chard is more likely a farmer’s market item. That means those gorgeous bouquets you pick up are going to be sandy, dirty, in need of 2-3 rinses before you cook them. More
Lambalot–roasted, cooled, sliced
Lamb sandwiches for lunch today. I’m slicing and toasting ciabatte rolls from Trader Joes and laying thin sheets of sliced lamb roast over them. Die and go to heaven. And I have these two people to thank: Sebastiano Pazzini and Lisa Canducci Bailey. The explanation:More
Why Lunch–and meterological mayhem
It rained last night. I was awake around 4:00 a.m. I could hear thunder in the distance, its low-level rumble, like nature clearing its throat. Then it came closer and in ten minutes was above us. More
Leftovers: An Apologia–and a way of life
Every so often I met Shirley at the copy machine. She was senior staff, I was junior. One day the conversation turned to food. “I’m by myself,” she said. “I poach a big piece of salmon on Monday and eat it all week.” I was horrified. And must have shown it. “I don’t enjoy cooking,”…More
Bird Beans (Fagioli all’uccelletto)
I can’t get enough beans, ever. This dish resembles, probably badly, a Tuscan bean dish called fagioli all’uccelleto. I’m translating that roughly, and probably badly, as “bird beans.” For this dish you need: dried beans, tomato, sage, garlic, and love. The recipe calls for cannellini. I usually substitute Michigan navy beans, whose goodness is unsurpassed.…More
How to Correct Your Coffee
“Did you drink my coffee?” Tizi asks. “Yes, by accident.” We’ve just finished a satisfying lunch. In Italy a post-prandial blast of espresso adds an exclamation mark to the experience. Lately she’s been taking her coffee “corrected.” With a dash of “mistra,” the local anise flavored grappa. Typically my wine intake at the table is…More