Browsing Tag

gluten-free

Spinach Herb Pesto

March 22, 2018
spinach herb pesto

Happy spring everyone! It’s been a flurry of activity here at Casa Scalzitti for the past few weeks. After finally recovering from the miserable virus we caught in Italy, Peter and I sprung into action and tackled our household “To Do” list. The first day of spring may have been a couple of days ago, but here in Houston, we’ve been enjoying beautiful spring weather since the beginning of March and it’s been glorious (North-Easters, please don’t hate me!). The start of spring this year is especially exciting for us because we finally had our front and back yard re-landscaped. […]

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Pesto Abruzzese

October 31, 2017
Pesto Abruzzese

Welcome to the October installment of Cucina Conversations! This month, we are talking about one of my favorite topics: preserving. I am still very much a canning and preserving newbie and have not yet ventured far into the endeavor, but the little I’ve done had me hooked from the start. The very first canning recipe I made was this beautiful and delicious Tropea onion jam from Domeinca Marchetti’s most recent cookbook, Preserving Italy. I returned straight back to Domenica’s lovely cookbook to make my contribution for this month’s recipe, pesto abruzzese. Preserving gets the spotlight mostly during the spring and summer months, […]

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Arugula Salad with Roast Beef and Parmigiano

October 5, 2017
arugula roast beef salad

Yesterday morning while enjoying my morning coffee, I opened Instagram to start scrolling through my feed. One of my favorite Instagram feeds belongs to Elizabeth Minchilli who lives in Rome. She frequently records Instagram stories about her daily life, always making sure to tag the establishments where she dines and shops. This, of course, makes sense since Elizabeth makes a living conducting tours, writing travel apps, and authoring books about where to eat and what to see in Italy. In short, she is an excellent resource if you are planning a trip to Italy, particularly Rome. Yesterday, in Elizabeth’s Instagram stories, […]

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Roasted Red Potatoes

May 12, 2017
roasted red potatoes

Hi friends! I know it’s been quiet around here for a while. Apart from the fact that I’ve always posted at a (very) slow pace, I also had to take a break from blogging to work on an exciting project that needed my full attention. Next month, I’ll be teaching a series of three hands-on Italian cooking classes at the Italian Cultural and Community Center here in Houston, where I am a member and volunteer. The radio silence here lately is due to the fact that I’ve been immersed in creating the menu for each class and now, I’m about […]

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Frittelle di Zucchine

March 24, 2017
frittelle di zucchine

A few weekends ago, we had our good friends Susie and David over for dinner. To accompany a few glasses of refreshing Aperol spritz’s, I made these frittelle di zucchine (zucchini fritters) for our appetizer. They are on heavy rotation in my kitchen for a variety of reasons: I can always find beautiful zucchine at the grocery store, and they are delicious left over and make a great snack or light lunch. The recipe for these frittelle comes from Lidia Bastianich’s newest cookbook, Lidia’s Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine. You can never go wrong with any of Lidia’s recipes. Frittelle are part of Italy’s fritto misto (mixed fry) in which […]

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