The light has changed. I call it Tuscan light and it tells me that the waning days of my vegetable garden garden are here. Such is the sad case with our tomato crop. The plum redorta type have given their all and only a few stragglers remain to tease me. The yellow cherry tomatoes have long passed and the piennolo del Vesuvio, my very favorite, is still clinging to the vine. I am doing as much as I can with the last of the tomatoes, drying some, freezing some, using a lot in salads and sandwiches (I ate my fair share of BLT’s) and cooking them into tomato sauce. I made scores of tomato brusch ..read more

Turn pungent into sweet by roasting whole heads of garlic. Cut down from whole bulb about 1/4inch; toss the whole bulb in olive oil to coat and wrap in aluminum foil. Place on tray and roast at 350F for about 20-25 minutes or until a small knife can easily pierce thought the foil. Unwrap and squeeze the cloves of garlic from the bottom to release a creamy, sweet and smooth garlic that is perfect to mix into sautés, sauces, toss with pasta, rice and spread on crusty bread.   ..read more

Summer’s not over until the last tomato is plucked from the vine and we had a banner year given the hot weather. I dried, froze, made tomato sauce, passata and cooked them into winter soups. This year making tomato marmalade was also on my list. Here’s the recipe from my upcoming book: Ciao Italia: Plant, Harvest Cook! Marmellata di Pomodorini - Tomato Marmalade  Makes 1 pint 6 cups halved cherry tomatoes (about 2 pounds) ¼ cup fresh lemon juice plus the zest 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon fine sea salt One 6-inch piece whole cinnamon stick ¼ teaspoon fresh ground ..read more

We reached a milestone this week as we wrapped up the taping of our 30th season of Ciao Italia. This series shot in La Scuola Culinaria in Salem NH highlights more authentic Italian regional foods. You will learn how to make savory focaccia Barese and sweet cherry focaccia from Marostica in the Veneto. How about Milan style meatballs and a Neapolitan stew called “crazy water?” A fabulous ricotta cake from Abruzzo is irresistible and the best Bolognese sauce you will ever make are some of the mouth-watering recipes featured on this new season. Season 30 is coming your way in spring of 2022! Mar ..read more

Swiss chard is my go-to summer, fall and winter vegetable not only because it is delicious but because it is so versatile. The large quilted deep green leaves just beg to be stuffed while the smaller leaves are perfect for stir-fry, side dishes and soups. My favorite variety is called Bright Lights because the stems are a bouquet of multi colors from yellow to white to red and pink. The stems are edible too so the whole plant is planet friendly with no waste! Swiss chard leaves need very little cooking time and the worst thing to do to it is to boil it. Being mostly water to begin with, it sh ..read more

It’s peach season so get them while they last! My favorite are white peaches with their floral taste and velvety texture. Peaches are delicate though and need a little tender care. They bruise easy so never pile them on top of one another and if they are hard, ripen them at room temperature for the   best flavor. The best peaches come from local orchards that you pick yourself and grocery stores carry a wide variety of them. When you purchase them, look for even color, no cracks or blemishes and avoid those that seem soft to the touch. Elegant white peaches go into this equally elega ..read more

Italian flat leaf parsley is one of the 4 evangelists of Italian cooking; the others being celery, carrots and onions. These are often the starting off point for soups, sauces, stews and stove top in padella cooking. Italian parsley is recognized by its flat, not curly leaves and is definitely more flavorful than the curly type. Right now, my garden is full of parsley and even though parsley is pretty much available all year long, I like to harvest and freeze it for future use. To do that, rinse and dry the parsley remove the tougher stems, (although I use the whole thing) and mince handfuls o ..read more

This moist cake with whole blackberries mixed with a rich batter makes the most delicious cake that is perfect for summer indulgence and now is the season for those berries. Scoop up some from your farmers market or local store. Freeze a bunch for winter baking to add to scones, pies, crumbles and breads. Blackberries are fragile so if you do freeze them, arrange them in a single layer on a flat tray and freeze. Transfer the frozen berries to plastic bags. That way, you can take out exactly what you need and not have to deal with a frozen clump of berries. Get my recipe for mascarpone blackbe ..read more

Summer cooking just would not be the same without basil, and for Italians, it is one of the most essential herbs and is always used fresh. Lots of us grow the kingly plant in pots or garden plots and some of us just grab it at the grocery store. In my own garden, there are literally bushes of basil because we can’t help ourselves. It is a short growing season after all. What do we do with all this basil? We make pesto! Lots of pesto and of course we use it fresh on pizza, in salads, soups, for general cooking and gift it as pesto sauce But growing basil comes with a price…a how to keep it gree ..read more

Crunchy fennel with a slight licorice taste goes perfectly with sweet summer cherry tomatoes and is so easy to put together. Make it about an hour before serving to let the flavors mingle and develop those tasty juices that beg for a piece of bread to mop them up. Cherry Tomato Fennel Salad Serves 4 4 cups sliced cherry tomatoes 2 cups thinly sliced fennel Fresh basil leaves Dressing 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon dry mustard 1 tablespoon honey 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar Toss the tomatoes and fennel together in a bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the salad ingredie ..read more