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Although I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen with our Italian mammas, many of whom we'll meet on the Food Lover's Tour in Puglia, I was lucky enough to also spend some time in the kitchen with...
I'm so excited to finally be able to let you know about what I've been working on these past few months. This Summer and Fall (when I'm not in Puglia), I'll be cooking in Provence. And, I'm inviting you to...
Italy does many things well, and one of them is knowing how to stretch out a holiday. For example, Easter, a one-day holiday in the U.S. is at least four days of feasting here. They began Friday evening in Lecce,...
"When making bread, the dough needs to be cared for just as you'd care for your baby in your womb. It needs love and care in order to come out well. You need to listen to the dough. It will...
All over Italy today, Italians are celebrating St. Joseph's Day. They honor both Joseph, the "earthly" father of Jesus, and also all fathers. In Southern Italy, and especially some villages in Puglia, parades and grand events are being held to...
At first glance this post appears to have absolutely nothing to do with food & wine. I realize about half of you are asking yourselves why you should read this post at all (be patient though). The other half of...
Bienvenuti in Puglia! My dear and faithful readers, I'm back. Not only am I back here on Food Lover's Odyssey (sorry for the absence which I'll explain soon), but I'm also back in Puglia! I'll be in Puflia for the...
Thank you to all who participated in the Mamma Agata cookbook giveaway. Out of all the great comments about your favorite Italian dishes, I randomly chose #29, Janie's comment (her favorite dish is homemade ricotta ravioli with a simple tomato...
The scent of garlic simmering in olive oil beckons you from the doorway of this hidden Amalfi treasure. The aroma, one Chiara calls the "Chanel of the kitchen" leads you directly to the source of one of the most fundamental...
“Benvenuti in Italia!” That’s what Ylenia said to me, not when she picked me up at the airport. No, she said this as I smirked down at my so-called small plate of “nibbles” and gave her a look that we...
Christmas holiday baking has begun! Maybe it's because I love to bake and some of my first baking memories are of making Christmas cookies with my mom that Christmas is my favorite of all holidays. Besides all the lights, glitter,...
I know not all Italian food lovers are the same, but I'm pretty sure there is one thing all of us love: PIZZA. Whether you prefer the soft & chewy crust of a Neapolitan pizza, the thin crunchy crust of...
The 2012 Food & Wine Lovers' Culinary Tour in Puglia was a huge success and a ton of fun. After just a few of my posts from this year's tour, so many of you sent requests for information about next...
Day three of the food lovers' tour began and ended with much swooning, and it wasn't only for the food but also for the many masters in the kitchen we met - pastry chefs, Italian mammas and chef/restauranteurs. Yes, this...
After much anticipation, the day came and the guests of the Food Lovers' Tour in Puglia have arrived! They enjoyed a relaxing travel day at what will be our home for the next 9 days, Masseria Provenzani. We had a...
What could be better than having classic Roman cuisine in Rome? Well, add to that being at Osteria Flavio al Velavevodetto, currently one of the most-loved places by Romans, and then dining with four food-savvy Romans. Just when I thought...
Travel by mouth through many of Italy's regions this week. Crabs in Venice, food travel in Sicily, pasta in Basilicata, pork in Abruzzo, wine in Naples, slow food & slow living in Piedmont, summer wine festivals in Tuscany, and a...
In Salento, dessert is all about the pasticciotto! The pastry from Lecce & the Salento region is as much a symbol to this part of Italy as the croissant is to France. Whether it be pastry shop, bar, or restaurant...
After 11 days of dad-sitting traveling with dad (and no internet), I'm not only back with this week's roundup of Italian food but I'm also back in Italy. Late last night I arrived in Rome and spent my first day...
This week the Italian food and wine links are more delicious than ever. If you can't find guanciale, that most necessary ingredient for pasta all' amatriciana, locally? No problem, there's a recipe for making your own. Also there are links...
Besides 10 great recipes (for of them desserts), this week's roundup includes HomeFood's home cooking in Italy, dining in Venice, Italian pizza, wines from around the boot, seeing stars (of the Michelin kind) in Lake Maggiore and more. Enjoy and...
I've written a lot about the pasta, the many vegetable dishes, and cheese of Puglia, but seafood is as big a part of Pugliese cuisine as those other dishes. The heel of Italy's boot, the region of Puglia is a...
Welcome to this week's Italian food news and recipes. As we wait for the next Italian holiday and the food that surrounds it, this week's food is all about Spring and pasta. An artichoke pie, artichoke pasta, another pasta from...
Today Food Lover's Odyssey turns three. Before anything else, I want to thank all of you for helping me get here. I truly appreciate all your visits to the site, your comments, emails and Facebook "likes." I've been able to...
It's the Easter Monday, or Pasquetta, version on Italy on a Plate. I hope everyone had a happy holiday weekend filled with family, friends, fun and lots of great food. Just when I think I'm finished with the chocolate eggs...
For many of us, our image of an Italian mother is one of a sweet, petite, slightly rounded woman, apron tied around her waist and flour always under her fingernails. We see her spending most of her day in the...
Welcome to the April Fool's edition of Italy on a Plate. Hopefully you've been able to avoid any foolish Pesce d' Aprile pranks and enjoyed the weekend. Lots of links this week for Easter meal recipes, and also lots of...
One of the best things about blogging has been meeting others from all over the world, especially those who are as passionate about food, travel, Italy and France. Although much of this "meeting" is of the virtual type, I've been...
Spring is here and this week's Italian food roundup certainly reflects the light and fresh flavors of the season. There are spring risotto dishes, pasta with pistacchio pesto from Sicily, stuffed artichokes, and sea bass from Napoli. I found two...
Another week in Italian food and another Italian holiday, and food is at the forefront. Tomorrow is St. Joseph's day in Italy, and fried sweets are involved, and included in today's recipe links. Along with sfinciuni, recipes this week include...
Pin It A year ago, almost to the day, I arrived in Lecce for the first time. I think you never forget your first impressions of a city, especially those cities that are close to your heart. I remember stepping...
Buona Domenica! Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. I have for you the regular Sunday roundup of Italian food. A bread named after a slipper, artichokes and Rome (Yes, artichoke season is here!), Torta Mimosa to celebrate the March...
Masserie (plural for the singular masseria) are the ancient fortified farmhouses popping up in the Puglia countryside. They are as much a symbol of the Puglia as are the endless olive groves and the trulli. You can see their high...
Mamma Giulia is in charge of all kitchen goings-on at Masseria Provenzani. She starts early each morning preparing breakfast for the masseria's guests. Guests wake to scents of bread, brioche and sometimes a crostata, or two. The communal breakfast table...
Artichokes, a "big night" in Napoli with timballo, Artusi's brodo, dishes from Piedmont, Rome, Puglia, Livorno and goulash from the Dolomites are the recipes for this week's Italian food roundup. In Eating Italy, we travel all around the boot with...
Olives, and especially olive oil, play a huge part in Italian cuisine. That's on the savory side. I have to admit that except for making cakes with olive oil, olives and pastries were a combination I had never thought of...
Welcome back to Italy on a Plate! And for those of you that have just arrived, this is a weekly roundup of Italian food from around the web. The 10 recipes for the week include a sauerkraut soup from Trieste,...
Pin It In the Salento countryside, a few kilometers from the city of Lecce and along a stretch of road filled with olive trees (common landscape for this region) my friend Ylenia brought me to the sprawling farmhouse of Masseria...
Pin It It's the Carnival edition of Italy on a Plate this week. Not only are there more Carnival recipes from Sicily, Tuscany and Naples, with a Neapolitan lasagna, but I've added speical section, Carnival in Italy, and a few...
Pin It Many aspects of Italy may be crazy, chaotic and unpredictable, but there is at least one thing that is certain in Italy - the food. There is no doubt that with every season and every holiday, there are...
Pin It Welcome to the third installment of the monthly France Blogging Roundtable, a project organized by Christine Cantera of WhyGo France. The group includes Christine and four others of us who blog about France: Jennifer of Chez Lou Lou,...
This week Italy on a Plate circles the boot, if one can circle a boot. Eating Italy takes bites and sips from Liguria, Orvieto, Puglia, Rome, Florence and Piedmont. We have a ton of sweet recipes this week including fried...
Pin It Today is the international holiday, World Nutella Day, hosted by Michelle from Bleeding Espresso and Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy. Six years ago "with a dream and a spoon" they deemed February 5th the Nutella Day holiday...
The week in Italian food has a nice roundup of recipes. Pasta recipes for orecchiette, ravioli and lasagna for primi piatti. For secondi, there are few traditional dishes - polpettone, porchetta and stoccafisso. We have more than a few dolci,...
Welcome to this week's Italy on a Plate - the weekly roundup of Italian food from around the web. I'm so happy with the list of links this week because they include the two things I love most about any...
It's been a week full of Italian food from around the web. Looks like everyone is back from the holidays - cooking and eating again. For recipes, we go to Rome for a savory pie and Gnocchi alla Romana, then...
Welcome to the second installment of the monthly France Blogging Roundtable, a project organized by Christine Cantera of WhyGo France. The group includes Christine and four others of us who blog about France: Jennifer of Chez Lou Lou, Jamie of...
I'm thrilled to announce the first of what I hope will be many food-focused tours with Food Lover's Odyssey. This first invitation is to join me in Puglia to cook, eat, drink and discover this amazing "off-the-tourist-track" region in Southern...
Welcome back to the week in Italian food. As Christmas and end-of-the-year holidays are officially over with the coming of La Befana and the Epiphany, recipes this week turn to comfort foods to get us through the winter and until...
