briciole

torta alla zuppa di pomodoro / tomato soup cake

just my cup of tea Reading one of M.F.K. Fisher's books is like listening to a marvelous story-teller: you lose yourself in her stories and lose track of time. How to Cook a Wolf, published in 1942, is my favorite among the books by Fisher that I've read so far. James Beard described it as "her brilliant approach to wartime economies for the table," but that description, notwithstanding the adjective "brilliant," only describes the surface. As usual with Fisher’s books, the food at hand provides the springboard for reflections on topics ranging from the balanced diet to the choice of a... Read more →

guanti da cucina / kitchen gloves

somewhat spooky, don't you think? I didn't set out to take this photograph. Rather, I was following the progress of the full moon towards its place of repose in the west. Then, my eyes focused on the gloves and the urban background, and the image was born. This is my contribution to edition #94 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted this week (the last one before the summer break) by Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu. The photo was shot in color and then... Read more →

scone con zucchine novelle e noci / baby zucchini and walnut scones

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] rustic beauty I owe zucchini: for years I detested this vegetable with unmatched zeal. When I finally learned to appreciate it, I became a devout fan, and every year I try to expiate my early sin by singing its praise. Zucchini season is in full swing, which means zucchini of all varieties are readily available at local farmers' markets and stores. Hence, this is the time to get creative with them. A bunch of baby zucchini and some basil (basilico) in a recent CSA box made me realize another winning version of... Read more →

zucchine al mercato / zucchini at the farmers' market

a sample of zucchini varieties So many varieties of zucchini, so little time! And zucchini blossoms too. My next post will feature baby zucchini: stay tuned. This is my contribution to edition #93 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted this week by Satsuki of Stregatto cuciniero. The photo was shot in color and then converted to black and white (Lightroom preset Split Tone 1). This post contains the gallery of images contributed to the event. On this page, you can find out... Read more →

Black and White Wednesday: la galleria di foto / the photo gallery

Many thanks to all who illuminated my week by contributing their images to edition #92 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event. And a big thank you to Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook who created the event and to Cinzia of Cindystar who is now organizing it. Enjoy this week's show! Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums: Rustic & Delightfully Quaint Chitrangada of Color and Spices: Garam Masala Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen: Goan Black-Eyed Beans Rekha of Food0licious Pictured: Dark Cherries Cinzia of Cindystar: Lonely romantic table by the sea Sreevalli of Ammaji Recipes: Tomatoes Meena of elephants... Read more →

pane irlandese / Irish soda bread

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] Summit Lake (AK) Summit Lake is a small lake in the Kenai Peninsula (AK), along Hwy 1. As of this writing, it is where we kayaked most recently, an evening after dinner, taking advantage of the long summer days. The light is magical at that time. While gliding on the calm water, with my senses in high alert, my mind went back for a short time to that summer day, years ago, when I kayaked for the first time, in the River Shannon, Ireland. I have many other memories of my first... Read more →

Moose Pass Deli sign

"from the Pass" Moose Pass is along the Seward Hwy in Alaska. I noticed this sign on the ground, propped against the building that houses the local grocery store. I did not ask why it was there. We did not order anything that had to do with moose: only a simple espresso. This week, I have the honor of hosting Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event. created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook and now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar. Send your contribution at simosite AT mac DOT com, namely your name your blog's name the image(s) (max... Read more →

cipolle / onions

natural patterns The two beautiful Candy Onions in the photo were in my CSA box (from Neukom Family Farm) last week. I placed them on a wooden cutting board while I was emptying the box and then noticed the nice combination of patterns. This variety of sweet onion is very large, globe shaped and has an excellent tasting white-colored flesh. I used one to make some excellent French Onion Soup. The photo is my contribution to edition #91 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar,... Read more →

Novel Food #19: the finale

Welcome to the roundup of the 19th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I created in 2007 and that I continue to host with great pleasure, as it brings together two of my passions: literature and food. In fact, Novel Food is about literary works (prose or poetry) that inspire the preparation of dishes. Like all its predecessors, the current edition includes a lovely set of posts, each describing a literary work that the blogger read and the dish that the reading inspired. Please, follow me on a short literary/culinary tour. For each contribution,... Read more →

got garlic?

the first batch of 2013 It seems like I have established a sort of tradition, by sharing a monochromatic image of my garlic harvest every year. You can take a look at what I showed in 2011 and in 2012. Due to a sunny spring, the garlic harvest this year is occurring ahead of past years. I have a nice amount in the small patch devoted to it and above you see what I harvested on Sunday. I ♥ my garlic The photo is my contribution to edition #90 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by... Read more →