My Mama always made this tasty bread for every religious holiday and if we begged, sometimes in between. Mom used to buy pounds of aged meats and cheeses and painstakingly cube every bit. Then she would mix fresh beaten eggs and finely grated Parmesan and fill and roll, what seemed like dozens, of loaves….
Tag: Italian
Italia’s Easter Ricotta Rice Pie
This Ricotta Rice pie recipe of my Mama Carmela’s and Grandma Lena’s is dedicated to the Camarata family and to the memories of Easter Sundays spent at our cottage by the lake. This is one of our family’s traditional Easter desserts and like many Italian dolces, it is simple and lightly sweet with just…
“Festa della Primavera” A Spring Festival & Italia in Full Bloom
Spring and summer offer the most stunning flower festivals in Italy. The displays of fiori colori are breathtaking! Simply find a street “camminare lungo una strada” and you are enveloped in Italian spring… Today, on March 20th the celebration “Festa della Primavera” offer guests, of most every town in Italy, streets covered with gorgeous, multicolored flowers,…
Italian Bacon & Egg Pasta with Tomatoes & Kale
Una Pentola (One-Pot) Bacon & Egg Pasta with Tomatoes & Kale Another perfect, simple, quick, easy and flavorful example of “Northern Italian Peasant” food at it’s finest! This recipe was inspired by my Mama Carmela’s love of fresh field greens. At the first sight of mustard greens, she would gather her tools and the hunt…
Ciabatta, Filone, Focaccia, Muffuletta, Vastedda, Ah Pane! & a Quick Ciabatta Recipe
Ciabatta, Filone, Focaccia, Muffuletta, Vastedda, Ah pane…“A bread by any other name would smell as sweet. I can sense Sir William Shakespeare rolling over in his grave as I write this… Today, I want to briefly delve into a little history of another Italian staple; Bread or as we Italians affectionately call it “pane.” Although…
Guest Chef Sarah’s Healthier Game Day Meatball Sub Bake
Last year on Facebook, my good friend Thad posted a fabulous looking meatball sub casserole recipe before the big game, so my wheels started to turn and I simply had to develop my own. My friend Sarah and I wanted to create a feel good, healthier recipe that was, of course, delicious, but with…
Northern Italian Peasant Fare: Tuscan Rosemary Lemon Chicken
This is a quintessential example of vintage Northern Italian Peasant fare. Since we have fountains of fresh rosemary flourishing in our Arizona garden and are always searching for ways to put this pungent, woody, citrusy herb to good use, I decided to showcase a Mama Carmela classic. This luscious, lemony, herb-packed delight was my mama’s “go to” Sunday chicken dish…
Balsamic: The Real Deal or Knock Off?
Did you know that real aged balsamic vinegar actually costs anywhere from $75 to $400 or more? Here are a few reasons why: Balsamic vinegar is NOT like other vinegars. What defines vinegar is the fermentation of alcohol — typically wine but also beer or cider — into acetic acid. Red wine vinegar, white wine…
“Mama Carmela”
This is a vintage, 1945, wedding photograph of my lovely Mama Carmela–the inspiration behind “Once Upon a Spice.” Today would have been her 93rd birthday. My blog is dedicated to her and her passionate love of family and cooking. This strong, sweet, intelligent, loving, Italian woman ignited my culinary enthusiasm at the tender age of…
7 Prosperous Good Luck Foods for the New Year
“Out with the old in with the new.” This age old wish rings true in most every home on New Year’s Eve and Day. Why not welcome in the year proper with the addition of your favorite foods to ensure good fortune? Here are the wondrous 7 to help lead the way. Fish Fish are…
Once Upon a Spice 