italianregionalcooking

Can someone fix the spelling of the heading of this topic. It should be risotto with two instead of one t. I know i am being a bit of a stickler, but it is important. regards, an italian cook

I am Italian American gal, who wound up working in Italy as a chef. In the past 3 yrs I have traveled around Sicily, Tuscany, Veneto gathering recipes for articles. My family is from NJ, so I return home for holidays and agree that there is not enough creativity and authenticity in certain areas. Someone mentioned Sicilian Sun cuisine (probably thinking of the "red sauce" restaurants). When I think Sicilian Sun cuisine, I think of vanilla oranges, swordfish, fresh oregano, capers. Ingredients that are not often found on menus here in NJ. I have often thought about offering a consulting service to restaurant start-ups in the area, b/c I feel that many restaurant owners are forced to be commited to their local environment and community and therefore do not have the youth or time to travel to Italy and research the real deal. Please e-mail me if you know of any such new rest owners who could benefit from my ideas. I must admit ... I am craving Italian American style food when I get back to the states (b/c it really does not exist in Italy). Both styles are wonderful when done the right way.

Al Richards chocolates in Bayonne are fabulous. Especially choc covered strawberries and cherries!

Love this topic. The last vintage cookbook I picked up was published by Royal in the 20s and is titled "Any one can Bake." It documents tons of recipes with step-by-step black and white photos of everything from griddle cakes to macaroons. I found it on the donated books shelf of my public library! I also collect vintage Italian cookbooks and found the first edition of some italian cooking magazines were actually political propaganda type publications.