Gourmet Italian

photo credit: stevendepolo The Italian gourmet salad of Caponata is most associated with Sicily, although it is believed that the Arabs originally brought it to Italy.  The salad is a mixture of eggplant, anchovies, and vegetables that are cooked together in olive oil.  Although Caponata was once served as a main meal, these days we [...]

The people of Tuscany maintain that they have good reason to be a little snobby about the quality of their olive oil and the part that it plays in gourmet Italian cuisine. Most of the people who actually pick the olives prefer the oil over the cash for their labor. If people have a little [...]

Cooking gourmet Italian foods brings the words “comfort food” to my mind. Italians love to eat – sometimes for hours at a time! A meal can actually be a family event, not just a source of sustenance. One of my favorite Italian comfort foods is Ribollita. This is Tuscany’s most famous soup and the name [...]