[slideshow=40] by Gretchen Bloom (for Italian Notebook) Sant’Agata dei Goti, founded by the Goths in the 6th century, boasts some of the deepest cantine (basements) in Italy. Its location on a rock spur between two streams made the old town virtually impregnable…and thanks to the cantine, villagers could store supplies for quite a while. One […]

(link to original article) 1. Figure half a pound of fresh anchovies and one artichoke per person. (The romanesco artichoke is a local variety found here. After removing the tougher leaves and outer fibrous part of the stem, you eat the whole thing, choke and all.) 2. Clean the anchovies of head and spine, and […]

APRIL 17th, 24th and MAY 1st, 2010 [slideshow=35] (versione italiana) Fresh, hot bread.  A rush of old memories.   Who can resist the smell of it, or the temptation to rush into the baker’s and buy a slab of hot pizza bianca? My grandfather had a clever saying on how to remember where the sun rises […]

[slideshow=35] (english version) Pane fresco, fumante portatore di care memorie. Come possiamo resistere alla sua fragrante tentazione o ad entrare dal fornaio una mattina e portarci via mezza pala di Pizza calda? Mio nonno mi insegnò un proverbio Yiddish tanto arguto quanto intraducibile per ricordare che il Sole, come il Pane, “…sale all’Est (simile a […]

[slideshow=37] I met a girlfriend on the street the other day in Sant’Agata dei Goti.  Caterina was carrying two big plastic bags.  I asked her  what they were and discovered that she was taking some greens from her garden to an old lady living down the road.  In one bag was the ubiquitous broccoli raab, […]

[slideshow=34] It started out as a convivial challenge. “I need to find a name for my new product.” Our friend Berardino Lombardo, rugged maverick chef-turned-farmer-and-breeder, had done it again: by applying the old italian adage, del maiale non si butta niente (nothing of the pig goes to waste), he’d forged his latest idea into an […]

[slideshow=33] It’s too bad the holidays are over.  In December we look forward to Christmas and anticipate visiting with extended families and eating wonderful seasonal recipes. Then it’s time to greet the new year with spumante, panettone, cotechino and lenticchie.  And finally presents and candy-coal are bought to stuff the children’s stockings for la Befana.  […]

[slideshow=36] photos by Karen Landes “What is a pig with three eyes?” “I don’t know, I give up.” “A piiig.” This was some of the odd banter that was encountered at the 2009 ‘This Little Piggy’ event and that made the day so enjoyable.  We had a delightful group of people who (bless their hearts) […]