Capicollo, much like it’s distant cousin mortadella is underappreciated by far too many people. Perhaps it’s because the deli stuff that kids pick out of Italian sandwiches across the U.S. most often resembles a wet piece of ham and has the mouth feel of a leather shoe with stringy laces. Unfortunately the mass-produced grocery store versions […]
Recipes
Limoncello
Limoncello has always been a favorite liquor of mine, not necessarily for drinking heavily on a Friday night, but wonderful in small quantities after a large meal. It’s best served immediately from the freezer in a chilled limoncello glass. I’ve had homemade limoncello in many different parts of Italy, however my favorite thus far was […]
Ricotta Fresca
Having purchased many inferior brands of store bought “fresh” ricotta in the past I decided to present this ricotta recipe for making a truly fresh, and far more tasty version at home. The quality of homemade ricotta fresca is infinitely better than anything you can buy in a store, and fairly simple to produce with […]
Pancetta
There’s simply nothing better than having a piece of Pancetta readily available as a standard part of your kitchen pantry arsenal. I use it to add flavor to a variety of dishes aside from the usual Spaghetti alla Carbonara recipe. To me, Pancetta is like the older and more mature brother of American bacon. Both […]
Salame al Tartufo
My quest to find a decent truffle salame in the United States began about 10 years ago after having a very tasty “Salame al Tartufo” in Italy and another several years later in London. In the last few years there have been several US salame makers hopping on the truffle fad bandwagon that have produced a […]
Soppressata Piccante
There are writings dating back to 1719 mentioning the production of “Soppressata” in Southern Italy. Although there are many types and variations on the name, the “Soppressata di Calabria” is the only Soppressata to have achieved DOP status. DOP certification specifies, among other things, that the pigs used must be born in a region of Calabria, […]