Parmigiano-Reggiano & Grana Padano
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Cornucopia - one of my favorite markets - 4 May 2011
Sicilian Ibraim ("Ibo") Selmy trained as a geologist. Luckily for us, his interest was more in people and food than in rocks. So in 2003, after 15 years in Washington, the Palermo-born Italian opened Cornucopia in Bethesda, a food store and cafe to sell the specialties of his native land. "It's about people, sharing time with them." read more...
Risotto - the grains of truth - 21 Jul 2010
You can't make risotto from any old rice. Certainly not from a Carolina short grain. That'll just make a rice pudding. If you buy the right rice, turning out a perfect risotto is not hard. read more...
Wild Mushroom Risotto with Spring Asparagus - 2 Jun 2010
A good deal of fear surrounds the making of risotto. But as Geoffrey Tracy, owner-chef of Chef Geoff's and Lia's recipe makes clear, the prime technique to pull off this favorite dish is twelve to fourteen minutes of calm and patience. read more...
Mozzarella with the mostest - 15 Apr 2010
There's mozzarella and mozzarella. (And then there's bufala mozzarella, made in the authentic fashion of Southern Italy from buffalo milk.) read more...
Pizza - 27 Nov 2007
It hardly seems necessary, with all the home-delivery possibilities available, to make suggestions for pizza sources, but if you want to ignore those stuffed-crust, soft dough or crunchy crust confections with exotic topping combinations and tuck into the simple open sandwich style of the original Napolitan snack, there are some good home-made versions around. read more...
Italian delicatessens - 26 Nov 2007
The area is not short on good Italian delicatessens. read more...
Prosciutto & other cured hams - 22 Nov 2007
Prosciutto di Parma from Italy and Jamon de Serrano from Spain are among the most seductive of cured meats. read more...
Ricotta - 21 Nov 2007
Not so long ago in Italy, ricotta was delivered twice a day along with the milk. read more...
Mains: Grilled Venison Chop with Polenta Corn Custard, Broccolini and Sun-Dried Tomato Demi-Glâce - 16 Nov 2007
Russel Cunningham, chef of Dupont Grille's recipe makes a soothing fall and winter warming celebration of a meal, with a less than common meat. The Polenta Corn Custards can be made ahead of time and reheated. read more...
Salamis & charcuterie - 15 Nov 2007
In 1927, Italy suffered a dreadful outbreak of swine fever. Since then, by law, imported salamis, cotecchinos, even some cured hams must be pasteurized. Europeans would argue that this diminishes their flavor quite considerably. read more...
Cheeses unpasteurized - forbidden gems & others - 6 Nov 2007
The FDA prohibits the import and sale of raw milk cheeses under 60 days old, to the chagrin of Europeans. Trying to protect us from the very real ravages of E.coli and other bacteria means we're unable to taste some real gems from other countries.
Are the French and Italians falling like flies from their consumption of young unpasteurized milk cheeses? Click the link to my article for The National Interest and find out where the dangers really lie. read more...
