A Cooking Class with Domenica Marchetti

November 5, 2018
The Side Dish

Welcome to a long-overdue installment of The Side Dish! At the end of last month, my fellow food blogging friend and cookbook author, Domenica Marchetti came to Houston to teach a cooking class at the Italian Cultural and Community Center where I volunteer. Ever since starting as a volunteer cooking instructor at the ICCC last year, I have enjoyed working with Erika, the center’s programs and events director, to brainstorm ideas for new cooking classes. Last month, I suggested reaching out to Domenica to see if she would be willing to come teach a class at the ICCC, and to […]

READ MORE

Cauliflower Vellutata

October 12, 2018
cauliflower vellutata

Happy October and happy fall, friends! I am so glad to be back in my little space of the Internet. Try as I might, when things get busy, my poor blog takes a back seat. I just don’t know how so many bloggers juggle all their life responsibilities and keep blogging regularly. I’m in constant awe of them. Now that the craziness of summer is behind me, I want to get back to working on posting more regularly. Lately, I’ve been feeling like I just can’t keep up with everything that needs my attention. I’ve definitely been procrastinating more than […]

READ MORE

Fusilli alla Sorrentina

August 17, 2018
fusilli alla sorrentina

Every Tuesday, after preparing my breakfast, I sit down to read Rachel Roddy’s weekly online column in The Guardian. This has been my weekly ritual since her first article appeared in October 2015. In addition to being a gifted writer and an engaging cooking teacher, Rachel is an avid learner. Her Instagram feed regularly showcases books she is reading–many of them cookbooks and books on food writing. Thanks to Rachel, I have discovered many new-to-me cookbook authors and food writers who have expanded my knowledge of not just Italian cooking, but also food writing and Italian food history. Despite my decent cooking abilities, […]

READ MORE

Olive all’Ascolana

July 31, 2018
olive all'ascolana

Welcome to the July edition of Cucina Conversations! Our group recently decided to publish quarterly instead of monthly due to our busy schedules, but the quality and creativity of our posts will stay the same, and we have some exciting topics for upcoming editions. This month, our topic is “stuffed”, a cooking preparation Italians are especially adept at, and includes a wide range of foods: stuffed pastas such as tortellini, ravioli, and agnolotti; seasonal vegetables hollowed out and filled with a savory meat mixture; involtini, cutlets of beef, pork, or veal rolled around a filling of prosciutto and cheese; and pastries such as krapfen, airy doughnuts […]

READ MORE

Potato Focaccia

July 18, 2018
potato focaccia

Buon giorno, friends! I am finally resurfacing to write on my blog again. Life has been busy, and since I’m already not a prolific blogger, my small corner of the Internet got neglected even more than usual. I took a break from this space to plan out my summer cooking class series at the Italian Cultural and Community Center. I taught my first class of the series at the end of last month and it was a delicious success! I’ve also been spending time in the kitchen cooking just for pleasure without the added pressure of capturing a photograph and jotting […]

READ MORE