This is the first full week of Christmas celebrations in Italy … presepi are being blessed at local churches, lights are strung across streets, children are singing Christmas carols and preparing for school programs. It is enough to make me want to sing Jingle Bells and start roasting a turkey. Oh. But wait. They don’t...Read More
Welcome back to Sila Fridays! We’ve toured the mountains and visited a quaint Alpine village … and all of that walking around has made me hungry. You? Then I know just the place we can go. There are no more than a handful of reputable eatin’ joints on the road to Villaggio Mancuso in Sila...Read More
This breakfast cake is a favorite with Il Cedro guests and has become our signature morning breakfast cake. After answering repeated requests for the recipe, we decided to type up recipe cards and offer them to our guests. I published this recipe in my newsletter last month and am offering it up to you...Read More
Last week I and admitted to adding a pepper – or three – to most of my dishes. But there is another staple that warms my heart and sends me running to the balcony at least once a day. Ahhh, basilico. Few Italian dishes are complete without it and while it is true my Texana-blood...Read More
Morzello is a traditional Catanzaresi dish that is served in many local restaurants throughout the area but the best, I’ve heard, is when it is homemade. According to legend, Morzello, or morzeddhu in dialect, was created when an impoverished mother, widowed and alone, was forced to accept odd jobs to support her hungry children....Read More
Calabrians are known throughout Italy as good ‘ole southern folks … a tad paesani, maybe but generous people who produce some of the best food in Italy. Mushrooms … eggplant … sausage … ahhh, Calabria. However, La Cucina Calabrese is actually pretty simple. According to many of the chefs here, the more simple the dish...Read More
It’s that time again. The wind is cooling Calabria, our long summer days have turned into 4:45 PM sunsets and fresh tomato salads are being replaced with warm, filling soups. And for me that means dishing out my all-time favorite soup – Mexican Tortilla. Long before I moved to southern Italy and started honing my...Read More
Oh yes. This little shot of java will seep into your blood stream, tickle the tips of your typing fingers and flutter your heart with the greatest of ease. Coffee is an art. No, seriously. Coffee is an art. Check this out. photo credit: antjeverena I was Stumbling the Internet last week and found this...Read More
See that tree? It has been standing just outside my house since long before this house was my house. And see that fruit? Here’s a closeup. Do you know what those are? They are persimmons or as we say in Italian – cachi. The precarious fruit arrives in late September and for many a kaki...Read More
My husband is convinced he is the Italianized version of Chef Gordon Ramsey and prides himself on identifying flavors and duplicating restaurant-style dishes. And he is pretty good. Sometimes he even yells in the kitchen … So today I present to you Peppe’s Triple P Pasta or rather, Pancetta and Porcini Pappardelle This Calabrese specialty...Read More
