Crouton’s Pasta alla Puttanesca
This is my interpretation of spaghetti alla puttanesca (whore’s spaghetti), a simple yet robust pasta dish that’s easy to make with around-the-house ingredients (well, our house anyway). Don’t be squeamish about the anchovies … they add flavor to the dish,…
Crouton’s Pasta with Italian Sausage
Here’s another easy pasta dish anyone can make. It tastes as good as it looks. Notes I’ve tried this with both kalamata olives and canned black olives. The strong flavor of the kalamatas overpower the bell pepper and broccoli, so…
Ditalini’s Family Meat Sauce Recipe
This is the real stuff, a family meat sauce recipe from the Veneto region of Italy, handed down to my wife Ditalini from her family, the della Fagiolis. I’m sure the recipe changed as it adapted to life in the…
Ditalini’s Pasta alla Carbonara
We love pasta carbonara, but it’s so rich we have it only once or twice a year. Ditalini bases her recipe on one from Mario Batali. Notes: Pancetta gives the dish a crispier, saltier flavor. Bacon gives it a smoky, less…
What’s Cookin’?
Pasta alla Putanesca, that’s-a what!
Parmesan Chicken with Sautéed Green Beans & Tomato/Mozzarella Salad
I was on deck for dinner last night so I decided to prepare one of Ditalini’s favorites: Parmesan chicken. Sautéed green beans and tomato/mozzarella salad seemed like they would go well with the chicken, and you know what? They did.…
Ditalini’s Lasagne Rolls
This is Ditalini’s adaptation of a Giada De Laurentiis Food Channel recipe. The original recipe called for mixing chopped prosciutto in with the ricotta/spinach mixture, but since Ditalini uses Italian meat sauce rather than meatless marinara sauce, she skips the…
Leftover Polenta
We invited friends over for dinner last night, so I spent the afternoon preparing Italian meat sauce and polenta. Ditalini made a salad and one of our guests brought a chocolate cake for desert. It ws a great evening, and…
Crouton’s Chicken & Shrimp Fettuccini Alfredo
I took a package of chicken breasts out of the freezer this morning but didn’t decide what to do with them until the afternoon. I knew there were a few shrimp in the freezer, so I decided on this and…
Onion & Anchovy Pasta
This is based on a recipe from Bon Appetit that Ditalini and I both like, modified to our taste (less butter, oil, and onion; more anchovy).