Recipes

Peperonata or Pepper Stew Here is a dish that is now found in every Italian region, but especially in those where sweet red and yellow peppers grow throughout the summer, like in Southern Italy and Sicily. Peperonata is a good… Read full article

Pear Clafouti Adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything (Wiley, 1998). Comice Pears – the “Christmas Pear” – Unite Oregon and France Our recipe this month features the delicious comice (say "co-meese") pear from the Loire Valley of France, which readily… Read full article

Gnocchi Alla Romana Gnocco is a fun word. The first syllable is pronounced like a Spanish ñ in señor. The word means ‘a stupid person’ in colloquial Italian and in my region’s (Emilia Romagna’s) dialect it means ‘a blow,’ usually… Read full article

Lentil salad with bell peppers and vinaigrette Experienced hiker Julie Horton, Operations Manager at ExperiencePlus!, finally shares her recipe for one of her favorite trail lunches. Lentil salad with bell peppers and vinaigrette is both simple and delicious. Served on… Read full article

Spanokopita or Greek Spinach Pie (Makes four servings) A few weeks ago I was at a potluck lunch with some colleagues from my university department and the hostess had baked this wonderful dish that was everybody’s favorite. Though this version… Read full article

Kolokithokeftethes Greek Zucchini Patties This month’s recipe comes to us from Greek tour leader (and olive grower) Yorgos Paraskevopoulos.  It’s a traditional holiday food you’ll see throughout Greece and Turkey.    This time of year zucchini squash can be found in… Read full article

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread       With the coming of Fall and cooler temperatures, I start making my own bread in order to warm my soul (and stomach) with freshly-baked bread and the house with heat from more… Read full article

Pasta with Kale I have found that the I prefer using the sun-dried tomato pesto, rather than the soaked sun-dried tomatoes themselves, as the original recipe calls for. Your choice. 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes or two-three tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes pesto… Read full article

Angela’s Ciambella or "the Farm Dessert" A group of cyclists who stopped for lunch at our Italian headquarters on their way from Venice to Florence in mid-May so enjoyed this cake that my cousin Angela makes for all the groups… Read full article

Rick’s Famous Sardinian Pork Chops My pork chop recipe dates back to a trip I took to Sardinia in the fall of 1984.  I had completed my doctoral dissertation on issues related to coastal zone management in Sardinia in 1980. … Read full article

Fava Bean Salad with Fresh Sage and Lemon This month Ellen Brinks, a colleague of Paola’s, shares her fava bean recipe. Here’s a recipe that features the wonderful taste of fresh sage and makes a delicious picnic or potluck offering,… Read full article

Baba Ganoush (Eggplant & Tahini Dip)         1 Medium to Large Eggplant   1 to Four Cloves of Garlic (chopped)   2 Tbsp. Tahini (Sesame Paste)   2 – 4 Tbsp. Plain Yogurt   1 – 4… Read full article

Risotto alla Primavera, from Northern Italy This is a favorite spring recipe, especially in the Northern regions of Italy, where rice is on an almost equal standing with pasta. While this recipe calls for asparagus and peas only, you may… Read full article