Tag Archives: italian cuisine
Chicken Primitivo
Here’s a really easy braise to toss together for a group – or for two meals for a family of 4 or 5. Although it works well with pasta, I often serve it with crusty Italian bread, which you can dip … Continue reading
Tonina’s pignoli cookies
If I were being walked to my execution tomorrow morning and had to choose one type of cookie to eat tonight, it would be Italian pignoli (pine nut). Soft in the middle and chewy outside with the strong flavor of almond paste that … Continue reading
Pizza at Arinell in Berkeley
Matthew and I had a couple slices of pizza at the only decent New York City-style place in the area, as far as I’m concerned, Arinell (2109 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley). They make thin crust Neapolitan pizza topped with simple, high-quality … Continue reading
Semi-homemade pizza
I put together semi-homemade pizzas (two Caprese style and one a doctored-up focaccia) for a group today, using the following items: 1) 1 Tetra Pak (15 oz) of Italian tomato sauce 2) 1 small bunch of basil, washed and the … Continue reading
Meatballs
Here’s my tip for meatballs – and, yes, it is my tip because I have been doing this for years even if others, like America’s Test Kitchen, only figured it out recently: Don’t fry them before they go into the … Continue reading
Chicken al mattone, or “under a brick”
The most delicious chicken dish in the universe is chicken al mattone, or chicken under a brick. If you cook lots of chicken then I would purchase a mattone, which is a two-piece affair: a shallow terracotta dish – kind … Continue reading
Genova Deli in Oakland
Decent Italian deli in Oakland. Why did we not know? I’ll bet when we were told we dismissed the information because of how often we have been misled by people who have lame data points when it comes to certain … Continue reading
Polenta ala Ina Garten
I made a great polenta dish today from Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten. I love all of Ina Garten’s cookbooks because the recipes really work. This is an older book – from 2002 – but I go back … Continue reading
The Stinking Rose in SF and their bagna calda
At The Stinking Rose (325 Columbus, SF) they have an appetizer called ‘bagna calda.’ This is something I really like, so I make my own version at home all the time. It tastes best with fresh garlic, but go ahead … Continue reading
Strings in El Cerrito
Found a place in El Cerrito that has good, reasonable, chicken parm. Matthew and I were driving around looking for some food this afternoon and thought we’d try Strings (11720 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito), a place we passed many … Continue reading
