A very seasonal dish. Imported Italian triangle ravioli with squash and bacon. 

How I miss spring when I can buy fresh lava beans. Here is a pasta dish with fresh lavas and pomodorini. A symphony of flawors,

 A delicious and healthy pasta dish. Maccheroni with creamy chick peas. Half of the chuck peas were pureed and added later. The result was a very tasty dish.

 Another variation with kale. I made a kale minestra using red kidney beans for more character  and broccoli for a healtier soup. Needless to say, the results were, indeed,  gratifying.

 Another vegetarian minestra, with cannellini, lentils and the essential trio of onions, carrots and celery. A pinch of fennel seeds and thyme and a sprinkle of black pepper closed the dish. Naturally the oil was good EVO. But you knew that.

 A phenomenal vegetarian dish. Linguine in a a lentil and mushroom stew. Like the one I posted recently but with added walnuts for, pardon the pun, a more nutty flavor. 

 A return to my much loved maccu or fava beans soup for pasta. This time I added dandelions for a more interesting flavor and for a healthier dish.

 It's time for local broccoli. Here I made a spaghetto or spaghettino as it is said in Italian as a  good natured way to describe a dish, with a creamy sauce. Delicious, naturally.

 Occasionally a good old American breakfast beckons. What else can I say.

 A filling and delicious Italian beef stew. It has basically three ingredients: beef chuck, onions and potatoes. It requires lots of patience and a cooking time of almost three hours so that the flavors meld together and the meat becomes super tender. The results are truly delicious. Appropriate for a fall meal.

 Broccoli are very healthy and they are in season. Here I prepared spaghetti with broccoli and pomodorini in a light parmigiano sauce. Very nice.

 I bought ta beautiful local cauliflower and use a part to make a very nice pasta. Basically I stewed the cauliflower florets in garlic and crushed tomatoes in good EVO. I dded the pasta to the sauce and stirred frequently. At the end I dded cut up Italian parsley and muddica atturrata or toasted bread crumbs. The result was very gratifying. A little trick was to add a small finely chopped garlic clove to the bread crumbs while they were toasting.

 I love peas. This dish began with pancetta, unions and two cloves of garlic all sauteed. Then I added pomodorini and after ten minutes I added the peas. Finally I added the pasta. This step takes lots of stirring and the addition of hot water but the results are worth it.

Lasagne al pesto genovese

 I'm once again posting a dish from that fabulous restaurant: Picciocchi's in Scranton, PA. These lasagne come with a knife because they are top browned to create a thick crust. They are absolutely glorious. You must wonder at the spelling. In Italy the word for lasagna is the plural lasagne, I do not know why it's so therefore you are ordering lasagna in Italy just say lasagne. 

 This is not classic boscaiola but it's delicious nevertheless. It's spaghetti with mushrooms, sausage, gorgonzola and half and half. A nice sprinkle of parsley and black pepper completed the dish.

 A classic dish that is rather simple but very tasty. Stewed eggplants in tomatoes, garlic and a dash of white wine vinegar. Basis level complete the dish; a staple of Sicilian cuisine. 

 As the weather gets cooler, heartier dishes are called for. I added sausage to my minestrone and the magic was done. Delicious.

 One of the most delicious and simple pasta dishes. Spaghetti with tomato, bacon, onions and peperoncino to taste. A sprinkle of parmigiano is optional.

An unbelievable simple dish of swiss chard prepared on a skillet coated with good EVO and a few garlic cloves along with chopped tomatoes. A few minutes later toss in the chard and season with, sea salt, black pepper, a dash of peperoncino and cardamon. Cover and stir a few times. The results are super.

 I love tripe but being the only member of my family to appreciate it I hardly cook it. Luckily a nice restaurant in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily,  called La Buona Forchetta, makes it and made my reservation. It was prepared in a simple tomato sauce, a far cry from trippa alla romana or trippa alla toscana  that features vegetables but it did have that tripe flavor and I enjoyed it.  When I prepare it, I add peas.  But beggars can't be choosers.