It's a Roman Holiday! The iconic Academy Award winning movie, Roman Holiday, helped to position post-war Italy as a mecca for film, fashion and modern culture. A story of a nemph-like princess, played by Audrey Hepburn, it recounts her one glorious day on the lam in Rome. The 1950's viewer is introduced, possibly for the first time, to the seductive Eternal City through her experiences -- like riding on a run-away Vespa, dancing in a piazza, sitting at a sidewalk café or enjoying a gelato on the Spanish Steps. But you can't talk of Rome without celebrating its food. Because it lies in the center of the country, the cuisine of Rome draws from the distinctive cuisines of the north...
Waking Up – Springtime in Florence
Isn’t it amazing how just a few notes of an old song can bring you back to a place you haven’t been in years? When thinking about this week’s menu, highlighting the first new vegetables of spring, I kept hearing the lyrics of an old popular Florentine tune – recounting the spectacular beauty of Spring’s awakening in Le Cascine, Florence’s Central Park.
This week’s menu highlights Florentine Spring rituals and ingredients Italian cooks are beginning to find in their local markets and that most likely will be included on their Spring tables.
Lombardia: Where it All Began Italy and, most specifically, the region of Lombardia, was the first Western nation to be devastated by COVID. Despite all this, Italians have a truly unique take on life – maybe because they have suffered so many hardships through time, they have mastered a fundamental understanding of what really matters. It is because of the value Italians place on family and their traditions that it is easy to understand why the art of cooking and then congregating around the table has been fundamental to their survival in this unprecedented difficult time – especially in the hardest hit region of Lombardia. Their comfort food will most certainly be prepared with recipes past down from generations utilizing products...
Umbria: Italy's Green Heartland One of Italy’s smallest regions, Umbria tends to get short shrift, overshadowed by its illustrious neighbor, Tuscany. But in Italy it is known as its “cuore verde”, green heart, where it maintains long-standing traditions of agriculture, art, and spirituality. Umbrians believe that because it is in the center of the Italian peninsula, it is the center of the world! It has been muse to writers, poets, and painters throughout the ages with an inherent mystical link noted as far back as the Etruscans.The cooking is simple in Umbria. It has a relaxed approach and serves whatever happens to be in season. The menu this week highlights its plethora of vegetables, freshwater trout and of course the...
Happy Florentine New Year, Dante “Buon Capodanno / Happy New Year” could be heard again in the streets of Florence today! The traditional Florentine New Year always has been celebrated on March 25, the feast day of the Annunciation. To add to these festivities, a few years ago, the Italian government announced the establishment of a National Dante Day or “DanteDi” to be observed annually on March 25. Dante Alighieri is considered the father of modern literature and perhaps the greatest poet of all time. He was born in Florence (Tuscany) in 1265 and died in Ravenna (Emilia Romagna) in 1321, making this year the 704th anniversary of his death. This week’s menu takes inspiration from both regions that were home...
