Are you trying to figure out how to cook something with sea urchin or chestnut flour or guanciale or vino cotto? Got a question about how to saute eggplant or trim artichokes or construct a fine ragu? Wanna feel comfortable cooking a whole fish? Are you scared of octopus? Just ask me.
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Erica De Mane 
I just made a reply that I would have liked posted. I do not know if I followed all directions to have this done since i did not check off the bottom 2 squares. It was a reply to Gen’s recipe fro fried ravioli and to you for all of your research and hope of help to me. thank you, Elvira
Dear Erica, I have been trying to find an old italian cookie recipe that my husband’s grandmother used to make. The pastry part is a cocoa based dough and the filling was cooking thompson seedless grapes cooked down until it was a sort of jelly. You rolled the dough out and with a round 3″ glass cut the dough, put in the filling, folded over the dough to make a half moon shaped cookie. When they were all baked and cooled, you made a light cocoa frosting with powered sugar. I would so love to find this recipe for my husband. You help would be greatly appreciated.
Re. Terrie Rana’s querie above.
The biscuits that Terrie refers to sound like a verison of Mostaccioli – Southern Italian spiced cookies. As I understand them, Mostaccioli are Italian cookies traditionally made with grape ‘must’ in which the ‘must’ acts as both a liquid and sweetener. Obviously there will, as per usual, be regional Italian variations
The name Mostaccioli comes from the Latin mustacea -a cake made out of grape ‘must’ that is the unfermented grape juice.
Terrie’s remembered Mostaccioli sounds like a version in which cooked-down white seedless grapes replace the original Roman version which featured grape ‘must’.
There is a Salento version which has (I think) cocoa added to the cookie/bread flour.
See http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/pages/mostacciolicookies for a guide recipe
Yes, I agree Eric. Terrie’s description definitely sounds like mostaccioli. And, like the article link you posted describes, there are several versions of this traditional Italian cookie. In fact, where my husband comes from in Calabria, their mostaccioli don’t require the addition of vino cotto (naturally sweet cooked must), instead they use honey. Whenever we go to Montepaone, his hometown, it’s a given that we’ll be buying some at the outside market in Soverato for our family to enjoy. They are so good!
Oh, Deena,
You’ve got my taste buds jumpin’ at the thought of your market-bought, honey infused Mostaccioli.
And, you are married to an Italian, too. Have you always been this lucky ?
Can’t wait to get back to Lucca this year and over to the Mercato Centrale in Florence. My idea of foodie-heaven.
Erica, I’m headed to Venice in April. I’ve heard the cuisine is not renowned. Is there a dish you’d especially recommend? Let me add that I’m not at all a devotee of seafood.
Hey Andre,
That’s too bad about the seafood, about 90 percent of the best food in Venice centers around fish and shellfish, but since it’s gonna be spring, I’d order dishes with seasonal vegetables. Probably you’ll find asparagus, artichokes, fresh peas. If you order a pasta or a risotto made with a spring vegetable, it’ll most likely be outstanding. Risi e Bisi, rice with peas and pancetta, is a famous dish. Polenta is really big there. You’ll probably find some good lamb dishes in April.
You’ll do okay. You really should try their scampi though.
Have a great trip. Can Fred and I come?
Erica
Opps, Erica !
In your intro. to the recipe for “Chicken Braised with Red Wine, Shiitakes, and Juniper Berries” you reffered to Chicken Cacciatore. I think you meant Chicken Cacciatora. I haven’t met many Italian male hunters who do the cooking.
Hello- I was wondering if I could get permission to use a photograph from your website for an elementary school plant sale. If you allow us, how would you like us to cite it?
Andrea
Dear Andrea,
If it’s a food photo, I took it myself and you can just put my name on it (with my blog address too, if that’s possible). If it’s a movie photo or a photo with people in it, I’ve most likely just found it on Google search and have no claims on it, so you can just use it without crediting me.
Ciao,
Erica
Hi Erica,
Leighann is my mother and I am so thrilled you are using her Eggplant Parmigiana painting on your website. I will be in NYC this weekend for a celebration called “The Secret City” http://www.thesecretcity.org/
I have many paintings of Leighann’s in my home and the Eggplant series is one of my favorites. I just thought I would say hello and how proud I am of Leighann’s work.
Erik,
Your mom’s work is really lovely and I look forward to putting up more of it in the future.
I’ll take a look at the secretcity link you sent to see what that’s all about.
Best to you,
Erica
My cousins and I are attempting to find someone from Salle, Abbruzzi that has the old recipies for the lamb and the doll for Easter season that was our tradition, the boys received the lamb AND the girls the doll. They were glazed with fine white sugar with colorful sprinkles. The cookie was made of eggs, water, flour and sugar (maybe vanilla). It is the dough ingredients that is hard to measure, any ideas.
2. The sweet Easter Bread recipe is also lost, it was egg and flour, rising several times into a giant pot and overflowing….the eggs & sugar were put in a volcano of flour then mixed. It was spectacular. Glen
My grandmother as a child lived in Salle and took all these great recipes with her to the US at 12 and made them for us until she was 85.
Hello Glen, i just happend by here…i think this is what you are looking for! Lovely memories!! lets try and keep them alive! http://www.youtube.com/user/Recipideo
oops i meant…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIW1DQmsrMo
Dear Glen,
I’ve heard of these cookies. Versions of them are common throughout Abruzzo. Here’s a link that mentions a person’s Easter memories of her mother making doll cookies for the girls and horse shaped ones for the boys: http://www.abruzzoheritage.com/magazine/2006_01/d.htm
The recipes sound very basic, but I understand you want to create the exact right flavor. I looked around but couldn’t find recipes for the sweets you mentioned.
You might try contacting Anna Teresa Callen. She’s a cookbook writer from Abruzzo living in New York. Her book ‘Food and Memories of Abruzzo’ is wonderful. She has a webstite at http://www.annateresacallen.com. Possibly you could contact her through that.
Happy Easter to you,
Erica
Hi Erica, I’ve heard great things about you from Cindy at Crown. I really love Italian food but am not much of a cook. Are you offering any lessons these days in NYC? Or, are you available for some private lessons? Please let me know. Many thanks, Liz
Hi Liz,
It looks like my classes on the upper west side, which Cindy diligently attended, will be starting up at some point early summer. I unfortunately don’t have the exact dates yet, but I’ll let you know when I do. I do give private lessons and we can talk about that if you like. I’d need to know what type of instruction we best suit your needs. You can always get in touch with me at edemane@earthlink.net.
Best,
Erica
Well delivered mr Blogger
Have you ever considered about including a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is fundamental and all. However imagine if you added some great visuals or video clips to give your posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with images and videos, this website could undeniably be one of the very best in its niche. Amazing blog!
Hi Erica,
I’m looking for a Venetian Wine cake recipe. The Wyandotte Winery in Columbus Ohio served three wine cakes at the rehearsal dinner for my daughter and son-in-law. My daughter and her husband will be visiting in a few weeks and I would like to make it for them. It has wine, rosemary and pecans, it had a very interesting flavor.
Thanks
Brenda
Dear Brenda,
I’m not sure if this is exactly what you’re looking for, but a while back I posted a recipe, in response to another reader, for a Venetian wine cake that contained olive oil and rosemary, no pecans though, but I’m sure easy enough to add.
Here’s the link:
https://ericademane.com/2007/03/25/lost-recipes-found-polenta-cake-with-olive-oil-moscato-and-rosemary/
Ciao,
Erica
Good to know. Pretty good info on this blog especially when it comes to baked fish.
Dear Erica,
My husband’s grandmother was from Molfetta. She made a cheeseless pizza she called kookala. I may have spelled it incorrectly. I have searched for a recipe since grandma did not leave any of her recipes to the family. Please help. My husband would be so happy to have this food again.
Thanks,
penny
Hi Penny,
This sounds familiar. I think some one else asked me about this same pizza some time ago. Let me go through my files and see what I can come up with.
Erica
Hi Erica, Ken here, I’ve seen the word nigella on a tv cooking show and did not hear exactly what it was…..a herb or spice?
Oh Hi Ken,
Happy New Year.
NIgella is a seed (also the name of the busty British TV cooking dame) of a flowering plant that’s native to, I believe, South West Asia. It’s dark and bitter and used in some Asian cooking. It’s sometimes called Black Cumin I guess because it tastes like it.
Erica, my neighbor was talking about a treat they used to have as kids, she said it was made with potatoes , cheese, parsley, basil and I dont know what else and they looked like little cigars and they were fried. I believe they are Napledon. Do you have any idea what they might be?
Don
Don, I’m familiar with the potato ball version of this. Same ingredients, different shape. I also make a gatto shape with the same flavors, where I smash everything into a pie plate, bake it and them cut it into wedges. These are all dishes from Campania as far as I know. I’ll look into this further and see what I can come up with for you.
Erica
Hi Erica. It’s Bob Simonello from Italian class. Hope you are well. Love all your books. I given them away as gifts every Xmas.
I have to make Zucchini alla Scapece (Zucchini marinated in vinegar and mint) for 50 people at an event on Dec 16. Is there one classic recipe you recommend? (the theme of the menu is mostly tradition dishes from southern Italy.) There is so many Zucchini alla Scapece on the web. Balsamic, red or white vineger? Does 18 pounds of zucchini for 50 people sound like a lot. Saute really cooks them down.
You can email me here. I’m still going to Capri every summer.
Bob Simonello
Hi Bob, Really nice to hear from you. Here’s a link to my recipe for pumpkin a scapece https://ericademane.com/2007/11/18/lost-recipes-found-cardoon-and-pumpkin-in-a-southern-italian-thanksgiving-dinner/ – I make it exactly the same way with zucchini. You can try this. 18 pounds sounds a bit excessive, especially since this is really an antipasto course so I would imagine no one would take more than a few pieces. You could probably get away with ten, but not knowing these people and how much other food there will be, it’s hard to say.
Merry Christmas to you.
Thank you, I’ve recently been searching for info about this topic for ages and yours is the greatest I’ve found out so far.
But, what concerning the conclusion? Are you certain concerning the supply?
Ciao Erica, my mother’s family is from prata in naples but now living in England. She makes a dish called pitta minesta i think. It’s cabbage cooked in a pan and a sort of polenta cake in the oven. please could you tell me more about it as all my nephews love it and keep asking where it comes from.
thankyou Mario.
Mario,
I’m familiar with the type of dish you’re talking about. My family is from Castelfranco, very close to Prata. But I’ve never heard this name before. I’ve asked a few of my Campanian food specialists and they didn’t know either. But I’ve got them intrigued. They’ll be hunting around. I’ll let you know what we come up with. Best, Erica
Mario, I think I’ve found your recipe. I’ll send you an email.
Hi Erica
You once posted a review of a Sicilian restaurant in NYC and I can’t find that review (we are Facebook friends..maybe I saw it there?). Can you tell me the name of the restaurant? After reading your review I’ve been wanting to try it. Also would love to hear some of your favorite Italian restaurants in NYC. I know you like Numero 28 on Carmine. Me too. Thanks very much, Patricia😘
Patricia, It’s Gastronomia Norma. Here’s the link. https://ericademane.com/2017/04/18/eat-at-gastronomia-norma/
I was there last week and I see it’s gotten crowded. But still excellent.
Thank you for including your blog in my “mail box”. I lost your blog address and I was very upset about it. Now I can see your recipes and comments again. Thanks, Lenore Lewis (Ron Lewis’s wife)
Hello,Erica,
Enjoyed your potato salad story,feel the same and say,
Go the stacks of raw garlic mayo with egg yolks an extra virg +Dijon and capers ,anchovies tarragon vinegar + fr
esh tarragon and chervil chopped onion.
With dutch creams barely cooked,to get it right,just bring the water to the boil and turn off the heat,so its always cooling,then test and repeat till they are perfect,too easy to overdo it.
I’ll try the purslane
Regards peter
Thanks, Petrr. So glad you liked it. I make potato salad all year long, not just in the summer. I’m making a simple olive oil and mustard one tonight. Happy cooking to you.