It’s known as “dome sickness” in our family. You won’t find a definition in any other dictionary because it's my Mom's term and she'd define it as an intense longing for the duomo of Florence and for Italy in general. To cure my latest bout of dome sickness, I’ve been scraping together (literally) this coffee granita. It’s a classic Southern Italian recipe with the addition of orange juice, cocoa, and some liqueur for something that’s more than meets the eye. And, let’s be honest, it’s a pretty great way to breath new life into leftover coffee.
This is one of those recipes that separates the donne from the ragazze. We can all debate the best way to make and serve pesto but my favorite is this: Mandilli di Seta, aka Handkerchief Pasta with Creamy Pesto. If you know me, then you know I take great pride in this recipe. It took me years to crack the code on how to make such a creamy pesto without any cream. So, when I say I'm sharing one of my all-time best recipes, know that's because I believe we all should be kickbutt donne in the kitchen. You with me?
This month we're looking forward to making the most of the last days of winter while embracing the start of Spring and our fellow food-travel friends are doing the same with travels taking them from a St Pat's celebration in Chicago to the cliffs of Amalfi and the beaches of Hawaii.
One of our favorite Italian-American dishes -- chicken parmesan -- gets a healthy twist thanks to being baked and the addition of pesto makes it even more flavorful!
Next time you go to Florence, do us a favor, stop by Trattoria Sostanza and order their butter chicken. Until then, make this recipe!
David and Luise are some of our favorites – their blog, Green Kitchen Stories, has gorgeous photography, their recipes are inspiring, and, as Stockholm natives, they make Scandinavia look like the best place on earth. But they also travel a lot and, like us here at Salt & Wind, they get inspi...
It should be noted that women who drink real, true stiff cocktails are always given a bit of a stare. I started at it when I lived in Italy. I'd order my grandfather's favorite summertime drink, a Campari and Soda and my Italian friends joked that I must be an old man at heart because of my ince...
Let's discuss this Grilled Piadina with Balsamic Eggplant and Spicy Greens. Because all things flat and bread are my jam yet I plain forgot about its existence until my last trip to Italy. A piadina is a flatbread that you see all over the Emilia-Romagna region, where it's from. I've seen them served folded in half and others rolled up, but I prefer them open face because I usually require a fork and knife to get through the loads of ingredients I've thrown on top. Though its nowhere near traditional, I load it with spicy greens, creamy mozzarella, and salty prosciutto so that its more of a meal.
Top of my travel bucket list was seeing my namesake opera in the famous Verona amphitheater. Here is my advice on where to go and what to eat in Verona.
Here it is – one of our favorite summertime refreshers, the Aperol Spritz. This is a cocktail you find served throughout the Northeast part of Italy with all sorts of variations, but, at it's most simple, it's some sort of white wine mixed with an Italian aperitivo such as Campari or Aperol.
This is a recipe that screams summer in Italy. We're talking happy hour (aka aperitivo) time when you're sipping on Prosecco or Spritzs and noshing on olives, potato chips, pistachios, and little crostini. This recipe is inspired by one of our favorite places of all-time to do aperitivo – we're talking the rooftop of the Principe Hotel in Forte dei Marmi.
There are a few things you should know about the Italian drink, Caffe Shakerato: first, it’s pronounced “shake” with a “-rate” then an "o" at the end. (You know, it's one of those bastardizations of an English word that makes for an awesome word in a foreign language.) Also, it’s a drink that sort of shows up out of nowhere once the weather gets warm. Oh, and, if you see it, definitely order it because it's amazing.
There is nothing that transports me to Italy faster than a really well done pasta alla checca. At its most simple, it's just marinated tomatoes tossed with fresh pasta but I've learned how to make it amazing.
A super simple twist on classic Italian panzanella salad made with peaches, crusty bread, and loads of herbs.
