Erica De Mane

A bouquet of flowers in a conch shell, with nuts and figs, by Juan Espinosa, 1645. Recipe: Fig Tart with Limoncello and Thyme I’m a savory type. I’ve always known this. Even as a kid, I preferred a tin of anchovies to a Ring Ding. But come summer and early fall, I become a lover [...]

Read Full Post »

Recipe: Peach Cake with Almond and Anise I’m not sure when this all started, exactly, but for several years now I’ve been making simple Italian-inspired, I guess you would say farmhouse, breakfast cakes for Fred, my husband, as often as I can manage. Usually they’ve got fruit in them; sometimes I’ll add ricotta or yogurt, [...]

Read Full Post »

Sophia creating her own end-of-the-summer cocktail. Recipe: Negroni Sbagliato Many of my readers know that I love a negroni. This drink, equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, is considered an aperitivo in Italy, but it’s certainly a powerful one. Two negronis and I’m usually flying.  I have unfortunately given up hard liquor in the [...]

Read Full Post »

Il Fungo (the mushroom), a rock formation just off the island of Ischia. Recipe: Risotto Ischia Style, with Summer Tomatoes, Cockles, and Fennel Yesterday there was a touch of fall in the air. It scared me, and I had to cook something summery to keep it at bay. I thought of a risotto I ate [...]

Read Full Post »

Recipe: Fried Sea Scallops with Peperoncino Pesto I arrived on Block Island wanting nothing but to stare at the waves and eat fried seafood. Well, I got my wish. Maybe I overdid it a bit with the fried fish, but I couldn’t help it. Fried seafood of any kind has always been just about my [...]

Read Full Post »

My summer vacation. Recipe: Cantaloupe Salad with Speck, Mozzarella, and Sweet Marsala Vinaigrette It’s cantaloupe time again in Manhattan. Don’t ignore them. They’re big, but they’re uniquely delicious. Cats even like them. Think salt instead of sweet, and you’re on the right track. Everybody’s Italian grandfather, including mine, salted his cantaloupe. Peppered it sometimes, too. [...]

Read Full Post »

Recipe: Corn Sautéed with Green Pepper, Sweet Onion, and Basil Corn on the cob (or corn on the club, as a friend’s very young son used to call it), is great when it’s dripping with butter, but there’s really nowhere to go with it from there, unless you turn it into a corn dog or [...]

Read Full Post »

Still Life with Peaches, Panfilo Nuvolone (1581–1631). Recipe: Peach Salad with Wild Arugula, Goat Cheese, Almonds, and Basil It has been a good summer for peaches. Not so great for tomatoes, sadly, but at least we have good peaches. Some years they never seem to ripen, or they’re mealy (that’s the most upsetting of all). [...]

Read Full Post »

Tenerumi from the Union Square Greenmarket. Recipe: Spaghetti with Tenerumi and Pomodoro Crudo Often when cooking I find that just the look of an ingredient can  inspire me. As a kid, when I first saw cucuzza growing in our  neighbors’, the Cavuotis’, backyard garden, I knew that long, twisted, snaky zucchini type thing, which they [...]

Read Full Post »

Cauliflower as interpreted by Bartolomeo Bimbi (1648–1730). Recipe: Risotto with Cauliflower, Saffron, and Chervil People who insist that they don’t like cauliflower make me sad, and if they stick to this irrational stand for any length of time, they get on my nerves. I don’t want anyone, especially my readers, to miss out, to limit [...]

Read Full Post »