The history of pasta Puttanesca carries many colorful Italian folk tales (Refer to my prior post) This slightly salty, piquant tomato sauce is full of flavors that will certainly pique your culinary senses. Don’t allow the use of anchovies to scare you away—this sauce tastes nothing like fish. Their use simply enhances the delicious tangy flavors. Puttanesca…
Tag: pasta
Capers: More Than Mere Adventures! When & Why to Use this Highly Under-rated Little Green Orb…
Capers are a tasty pungent additive or seasoning for many Italian, Mediterranean and French dishes. Many Foodies are simply crazy about the flavor that they impart. Caper berries are mainly olive green in color and are about the size of a small pea. Usually available in a pickled form, capers are an important commercial plant…
Puttanesca! This Pasta Has a Past!
The history of Pasta alla Puttanesca carries many colorful Italian folk tales. This quick, tangy, salty, tomato-based pasta sauce is not simply that—it has a past! Some believe that this sauce was initially created by a restaurant owner who had many guests come to his restaurant to eat late one night as he was about…
Rustic Sicilian Godfather’s Pasta Rags “Una Pentola” One Pot
Today’s offering is yet another Una Pentola (One Pot) pasta dish. Which interestingly uses the wide, flat, luscious and highly underrated pasta rag from yesterday’s post. The options are as endless as the wind blows so I decided to “ripetere” (repeat) the recipe…kind of. 🙂 This time I chose to use Sicilian sausage for the…
Wednesday’s Guest Chefs and Our Recipes: Follower’s Critiques and Photos
Wednesday’s blogs are now dedicated to Guest Chefs and also pictures and comments of Once Upon a Spice’s recipes prepared by our friends, family & followers! If you are interested in becoming a Guest Chef or have photos and comments about our recipes you have prepared, please contact me for details and share your love…
Bret Clark’s Italian Short Ribs with Pasta Rags! Today’s Guest Chef!
Every Wednesday, Once Upon a Spice will feature a “guest recipe” from family, friends and or followers. If you are interested in having one of your recipes posted on our various Social Media pages, please contact us directly and we will do our best to get you some “recipe-press!” Also, please join us at Once…
Got Mik?! Then You Got Ricotta Cheese in Less Than an Hour! Without Leaving Your Kitchen!
What happens when you find the perfect ricotta recipe and there’s none to be found? Solution! Make your own! Yes, you can do it! I’ve done it several times and actually prefer the creamy texture and smooth, soft yet rich taste to any store bought. I’d like to share a simple recipe courtesy of one…
Napolitana e Siciliano Easter Egg Lasagna
This is a quick and easy version of my Mama Carmela’s famous Easter Lasagna. The addition of hard-boiled eggs and sliced meatballs were influenced by her northern Italian background and make this dish extra delicious and one of a kind! I made this recipe “today” friendly for ease of preparation by using good-quality bottled sauce…
13 Bean (for Good Luck) Pasta e Fagioli– Fazul Italian Chili!
“When the stars make you drool just like pasta fazul, that’s amore!” As I write this recipe, I can hear the famous crooner, Dean Martin, sing this famous line from his 1953 signature song “That’s Amore” It reminds me, every time, of my all-time favorite film “Moonstruck” and memories of my mama and I sitting…
Lasagna: Lasagnum, Laganon, Lagane? The Classic Dish with Multiple Personalities
The history of lasagna is a perplexing and much debated topic among culinary historians and experts worldwide. While there are a few theories as to its origins, some believe that the word ‘lasagna’ comes from the Greek word ‘lasagnum’ which is actually the word for the vessel the pasta was made in! The Greeks then…
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