A FOOD OBSESSION
the food and travel experiences of Peter Francis Battaglia
BLOG.AFOODOBSESSION.COM
PIZZA CHIENA ( OR RUSTICA) A SURE SIGN EASTER IS HERE
Easter and Spring have arrived...they come in on the scent of the Pizza Chiena ( or in Italian-American dialect)
Pizza Gain. Chiena is Napoletana for Ripiena, which means full. This pie is full of all of the foods the were
forbidden during the 40 days of Lent. We don't adhere to those policies anymore, but the tradition of making
this pie for Easter has remained. In our house we didn't begin its' preparation until after 3pm on Good Friday.
I made my Pizza Chien yesterday ... << MORE >>
Pizza Gain. Chiena is Napoletana for Ripiena, which means full. This pie is full of all of the foods the were
forbidden during the 40 days of Lent. We don't adhere to those policies anymore, but the tradition of making
this pie for Easter has remained. In our house we didn't begin its' preparation until after 3pm on Good Friday.
I made my Pizza Chien yesterday ... << MORE >>
SIMPLE SAUCE FOR PASTA, LOTS OF COLOR
We first eat with our eyes..i'm positive of that...especially naturally colored foods which smack you in the eyes with
their vibrancy. That's what happened in while I was food shopping last night. These beautiful yellow cherry tomatoes
caught my eye and it was an impulse purchase. Have you ever made a quick sauce for ... << MORE >>
THERE'S MORE TO A NAME THAN JUST A NAME...
Well what does that blogposttitle mean? The Italian calendar is a collection of days which are, as designated by the Catholic Church
days of celebrations of the lives and deaths of every saint. They each have a designated "feast day".
Certain countries, namely European and especially the Mediterranean ones have these designated
days torqued up ... << MORE >>
COLCANNON, IRISH CABBAGE OR KALE AND MASHED POTATOES,'TIS A GRAND SIDE DISH
A fine potato dish which comes straight from the Emerald Isle, IRELAND, is this dish I am sharing with you called
COLCANNON. This traditional dish combines mashed potatoes with chopped cabbage or kale. The word itself is
Gaelic, CAL CEANNANN'..meaning cabbage with a white head. Like the traditions in King Cakes in other parts
... << MORE >>
MORE SIDES FOR YOU...ROASTED GRAPE TOMATOES WITH OREGANO AND GARLIC
I think maybe I like taking pictures of tomatoes more than cooking, preparing, or eating them. Almost. Too easy to
prepare this one must be made in YOUR kitchen. It's simply ROASTED GRAPE TOMATOES. Serve as a side
dish, or over crostini, or as part of a buffet table. They are delicious ... << MORE >>
SIDE DISH TIME...ARMENIAN PILAF, THE ORIGINAL RICE-A-RONI
Anyone remember the old jingle from the commercial for Rice-A-Roni?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3nanMc17M8
the really old (that would be when I was a kid) commercial had the jingle with the word,
SAUTE AND SIMMER, THE FLAVOR CAN'T BE BEAT...RICE-A-RONI, THE SAN
FRANCISCO TREAT!
I loved this as a kid. ... << MORE >>
CAN A SALAD BE ROMANTIC? I THINK SO...
Food can evoke a mood, a feeling, even be sexy. For those intimate dinners you care to prepare for a
partner, spouse, friend, or even yourself this is a sexy and romantic salad. There is a nice blend of soft butter
lettuce, red leaf with some acidity and sweetness from Strawberries,Golden Raisins and good ... << MORE >>
PEPPERS STUFFED WITH FLAVORS OF NAPLES
One of the points I try to get across with my blogposts and food writing is that there can very well be many recipes
for a dish under a heading like MEATLOAF, or in this case, STUFFED PEPPERS. A stuffed pepper is just that, a
pepper stuffed with whatever you like. Try, try, ... << MORE >>
A SIMPLE DISH WITH BIG FLAVOR..MINESTRA DI CECI
Let me share this one with you..one that used to excite this boy from Staten Island as a kid when I knew Mom was
making it..nothing fancy..a product of the Mezzogiorno, the hot Southern regions of Italy. This type of food so
popular in the arid hills of Basilicata and Campania and throughout ... << MORE >>
SCALOPPINE WITH LEMON AND SPINACH
SCALOPPINE! Once the most popular dish on an Italian-American menu away from the Pasta and Antipasto
dishes, now not so much. Oh it's still there, you see it in between the more modern Italian-American dishes
like Grilled Chicken Balsamico, or the Grilled Caesar Chicken Salad, Bruschetta, etc...but for me dinner at one
... << MORE >>
