Cuisine Carolaise

Hail the King of Cheeses March, 2010

If you ask me what I want to eat for my last meal, you can be sure that cheese will figure prominently on the menu. But, of course, for such a lofty occasion, the cheese must be one of outstanding character. And, while there are many cheeses that I truly adore, there is only one that is worthy of this final repast: Parmigiano Reggiano, the King of Cheeses.

Parmigiano Reggiano is a hard, cow’s milk cheese that can only be made in a legally defined zone in Italy covering portions of five provinces, four in Emilia-Romagna and one in neighboring Lombardy.

Nuts About Hazelnut Brownies February, 2010

While eating and drinking my way through Northern Italy last fall, I stopped in Alba, in the heart of Piedmont, to pick up some victuals.

As this was the time of the nut harvest, every shop was selling vacuum-sealed pouches of fresh hazelnuts, as well as pouches, or packages, of hazelnut-encrusted everything. Even the locally made nougat is studded with fresh-crop, lightly toasted hazelnuts, or nocciola, as they are known there.

Soup's On: Sausage and Bean Soup with Cavalo Nero January, 2010

Given a choice between an elaborate, multi-course dinner at a fancy restaurant or a home-cooked bowl of my favorite bean soup with a luscious bottle of red and a crusty baguette, there’s no contest. Sure it’s fun dining at great restaurants and sampling complex preparations you’re not likely to cook at home. But most nights I love eating simple, peasant fare at my own table, sometimes preceded with a plate of prosciutto and hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano, sometimes followed with a salad of mixed greens.

Panettone December, 2009

Italy’s favorite Christmas bread, panettone, has been a well-loved tradition since the renaissance.

Food historians agree that this sweet, fruit-studded bread originated in Milan, but beyond that there are countless romantic tales.

Holiday Turkey Dinner - Napa Valley Style November, 2009

Like most of my friends who love to cook, I‘m constantly on the lookout for new recipes, new ingredients, new cookbooks and new kitchen tools. It’s what keeps mealtime so interesting and pleasurable.

But when it comes to Thanksgiving, I’m all about tradition.

Risotto September, 2009

If truth be known, I love everything about Italian cooking.

I love the rich flavors of pappardelle tossed with slow-cooked ragu, the abundant greens sauteed with garlic and olive oil, the thick rustic bean soups, the prosciutto, the Parmigiano Reggiano. Everything.

And let’s not forget what Italians do with nature’s greatest fruit, the tomato, or their culinary offering to meat lovers: the magnificent, marbled, three-finger-thick porterhouse known as bistecca alla Fiorentina.

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Cuisine Carolaise