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When eating at a friends last evening, she served her grandmother's recipe for a fresh tomato sauce that she knows a "ah moy gyu". Her grandmother was Sicilian and the sauce was chopped fresh tomatoes, crushed garlic cloves, lemon juice, and fresh oregano. She served it as a condiment with grilled steak and said that was the way it was served when she was a child. I am sure that this name is a bastardization of an Italian name and am interested if anyone recognizes this sauce and knows more about it.

Just got back from 2 weeks in Northern italy - Torino, Ballagio, Mantova and Milan. A good solid vacation - great meals, wonderful art, beautiful villas and gardens. And I promise a trip report - but i have a question: While in Torino - I had this wonderful fish dish - the fish was fried, then marinated in a sweet & sour marinade for 24 hours, served cold - sometimes plain, sometimes with onions and raisins. Similar to sarde in saor from Venice. Does anyone know the name of the dish I'm refering to? (And I thought the cuisine in Mantova was delicious - especially the uniquely spiced pumpkin ravioli) Thanks.

If you noticed the trend on my posts, you can see that my family is kinda partial to carbs. Really, we don't eat that many carbs....really.... I went back home for a weekend one day and as I was trying to decide what to make for dinner for the entire family, my cousin insisted on fried noodles instead. Apparently, the other dishes I was calling out to make wasn’t very appealing to her. So we decided on fried noodles. And since I didn’t feel like going to Chinatown (even though it’s like a 5 min drive) to get fresh noodles, we decided on Italian thin spaghetti. (I just got back from a 3 hr drive!! Okay, fine, so I'm lazy.) Now, this isn’t the first time we’ve done this and quite frankly, I find using Italian pasta easier to move around the wok than the fresh ones I get in Chinatown. Plus it gives more of a chew and bite. *Please don’t hate me* After adding a whole bunch of ingredients, that includes Chinese sausage, egg, carrots, celery, cabbage, spam (yes, I said SPAM, the other white meat), etc. I quickly fried everything together with great wok hei. The results were very tasty and cousins approved. Even my Dad said “Hey! Your noodles are better than your Mom’s!” Funny he should take the opportunity to say that when the woman is thousands of miles away in China. Here’s my finished product: Here’s her close up: Now, here’s my question. What do YOU do with your Italian pasta? Any other ideas? I have another plan for Italian pasta that I will be trying out soon, so I will keep you guys posted.

A friend told me that clams are never served with cheese in traditional Italian cuisine. Is this true?

Last fall, on a trip to Italy we bought this Italian condiment. It turned out to be highly addictive and useful in many dishes. It has hot peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, olives and is great on pasta and crusty bread. We have been looking for it ever since. This is what it looks like. (I have come to understand that there are a few companies that make it.) We have searched Manhattan high and low for this item without success.We will be back again on Saturday. If anyone has seen it in Manhattan, please speak up. We would love to hear about it!! Many Thanks, HC edited: I noticed that I misspelled condiment in the subject line, but am unable to correct it. Oh, well.

Hey all! I have been doing a little research trying to find cooking courses in Italy. I am at the tail end of a year abroad and figured that would be a nice way to finish the year. My problem is that it seems that most cooking schools/courses advertised online (at least the ones over shorter periods of time) are aimed at "couples on holiday" and people looking to say they "know how to cook Italian food." So what I would like to know is if any one here know of any interesting options for a more experienced cook to learn somemore about the food he loves in a serious but fun program. Thanks in advance!

I'm only asking because I haven't done it before and I'd like to avoid wasting a bunch of time, eggwhites and butter if it's a bad idea. I have a cupcake job coming up. 1/3 will be covered with Italian Meringue and left, 1/3 Italian Meringue and torched, 1/3 IMBC. Is there any reason I can't just make up a big bowl of IM, take out what I need to use plain and add butter to the remainder? It makes sense to me but I may have overlooked something.

I'm planning on making a dish that will include chestnut-flavored fresh tagliatelle, but I'm unsure of the best way to make my tagliatelle taste of chestnuts. Being autumn here I can easily get both fresh chestnuts and fresh (i.e., not rancid) chestnut flour. My ideas were to make a purée from the fresh chestnuts and mix this into my regular pasta dough, or, to make a pasta dough substituting some chestnut flour for plain flour. Which would be the best way to get that chestnut flavor into my pasta, such that it still comes through after it has been cooked?

I guess the title says it all. Does anybody have a good recipe that uses a bottled variety?

Probably like many people, I assumed (apparently incorrectly) that insalata caprese originated on Capri, or at least nearby in Campania, since the ingredients- tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala and basilico are so good there. In the latest issue of Gambero Rosso magazine, there is a little piece about the origins of the salad whereby a native of Capri, Constantino Moffa, who worked as a maitre d' in a Swiss hotel had it for himself so often, and people took to it asking for what the person from Capri had. It made itself to the menu, and the rest is history. Interesting story. Anyone ever hear this bit of food lore before? Always interesting how certain dishes, especially Italian ones, get their names.

This is a weird one. Does anyone know what edible wild root vegetable, or wild plant, would be picked at snowline in the late spring/early summer. It must be an alpine/mountain plant, since we saw people picking it in late May in teh western Alps at altitude. It seemed they were digging right at the edge, where the snow had melted in recent days. This was on the Colle di Fauniera, west of Cuneo in Piemonte, but the plant certainly could grow elsewhere. Sorry, I can't remember even what it looked like. We tried to talk to the people (an older couple -- rough and tough folks!) but they were speaking some kind of dialect and I had no idea what they were telling me. Any ideas? I've always wanted to know, and we're going back in early June. Thanks.

Do you always torch Italian meringue or can you use it much like a 7-minute frosting? I made some great cupcakes this past weekend, vanilla filled with PH's lemon cream and chocolate filled with one of PH's ganaches, and I topped them with Italian meringue which turned out to be a good compliment to both. I torched them all because I thought, "that's just what you do". When I do them again it would be nice to have them look different so I'd like to leave the chocolate ones not torched. Will they hold up as well?

Hello All, We will shortly be visiting Germany and Italy and of course will be looking for interesting bottles to add to our bar. We'd love to hear any recommendations for things we can't get in America. (Maybe we'll have to get a bottle of the Cocchi Americano now that our government is holding that up.) We hear the Ziegler eaux-de-vie are really good--if anyone has a specific rec from their line that'd be great. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

On a recent visit to Toronto I had for the first time Italian bread and it was the best bread I have ever tasted. I would love the recipe for this bread or does it use ingredients only obtained commercially? Any information on this would be very gratefully received. Thanks norm

i have yet to find an Italian restaurant that makes me want to return to, looking for any suggestions for my next trip, fresh pasta is one of my favorites.local places can be included . help

Fried baby calamari is my first choice (Italian style beach food), but kitchen facilities won't accommodate it (fridge, bbq, microwave, induction burner) and squid supply stock could be iffy at best. Casual outdoor Italian themed dinner party. Creative input is greatly appreciated.

Would some one in the forum know of any classes(in Europe) ,where the secrets of making traditional panettone are taught. having searched the net,I could not come up with any professional classes . Many thanks in advance for answering this query. This has eluded me for long,and I wish to devote this year learning it from masters

Yesterday I had a chance to visit a new hot dog restaurant. Dino's Italian Hot Dogs opened about 2 weeks ago on Rt 46W in the Franklin Plaza in Rockaway. http://dinositalianhotdogs.com/index.htm I called last week to ask a few questions about the place and it's product before deciding on whether to take the ride there. I wanted to know if they made what I consider an authentic "Newark Style" Italian Hot Dog. Meaning that it is made the traditional way with pizza bread rather than a sub or hoagie roll, beef hot dogs (preferably Best's) fried in oil (rather than grilled or boiled) along with potatoes, peppers, and onions. Yes on all counts. Not only that, but one of the owners I spoke with had experience working for years at a popular Italian Hot Dog restaurant. She knows the business and the history of the Italian Hot Dog. I figured it would be worth the somewhat long ride and I was right. The place looks like a small pizzeria on the inside. I didn't ask what it was previously, but it's located in a small strip mall. The store is clean and cozy. The owner I spoke with on the phone wasn't there yesterday, but I got to speak with the 2 guys who were working. One guy was named Danny, and for a young guy, he knew a lot about Italian Hot Dogs, including their history and the places in Jersey that serve them. The people here definitely know the business and how to prepare a first rate Italian Hot Dog. Though only open 2 weeks, there have been a lot of customers who have heard about Dino's and came to check it out and to see how it compares to the Italian Hot Dog they are used to eating. One thing I've noticed before and that Danny mentioned is that people are partial to what they grew up with. The new customers, most of which are hard core Italian Hot Dog fans, were not shy about declaring their loyalties and describing how Dino's compared to their favorite place. Although a traditional Italian Hot Dog is made with basically the same ingredients and prepared the same way, there are some differences from place to place. Some sandwiches have more oils in them. Think Jimmy Buffs in Scotch Plains. Those customers might consider Dino's sandwich to be dry in comparison. Those who frequent the East Hanover or West Orange Buffs like the drier sandwich at Dino's. Another big difference is how the potatoes are cut. Some are in chunks, like Dickie Dees. Some are sliced thinner. Tommy's is sliced real thin. There really is no right way. People have different tastes when it comes to the potatoes, the amount of oils in the sandwich, and the softness or crunchiness of the peppers. As I mentioned, Danny said (and I agree) that most of the time, people grew up with a certain style and prefer that. He's had customers so far who are regulars at Jimmy Buffs, Tommy's, Charlies, and Dickie Dees. Two other factors that makes a difference apart from the variations in potatoes, oils, etc. is the freshness and quality of the ingredients and consistency. For example, Charlies in Kenilworth for a long time made a great Italian Hot Dog. The last couple of years they have been inconsistent. Sometimes the bread they use is stale from being frozen, other times the potatoes are over or under cooked and don't seem fresh. What makes a great Italian Hot Dog is a combination of good fresh ingredients prepared consistenly well by people who care. Dino's fits the bill. As for comparison, I'd say that their take on an Italian Hot Dog is closest to Jimmy Buff's in East Hanover, which is high praise indeed. They use fresh pizza bread from JC's bakery in Parsippany. This is good, sturdy bread. The same was used at Attilio's Kitchen which is now gone. The dogs are 8 to a pound Best's which is ideal. The onions and peppers are prepared together. I hate onions, but I was told that they would separate them upon request. The green peppers were plentiful, tasty, and soft like I prefer. The potatoes are sliced fairly thin rather than in chunks. Similar in shape to Buffs. Dino's has a tilted steel pan specially made (no one place sells them) where everything is fried in soybean oil. The potatoes are fried in a deep fryer and put in the oil as needed. Danny mentioned that the bread is never frozen and that the ingredients are always fresh. Peppers, onions, and potatoes are cut every day , sometimes every few hours. Nothing is kept overnight. Stuff that's been sitting around awhile is discarded. The result is an excellent, authentic, Newark Style Italian Hot Dog. Everything blended together well. The sandwich was tasty and fresh. All of the ingredients were very good. I would describe it as dry rather than oily. Despite being new Dino's has their act together. The product is excellent, as is the service. The people working there are experienced, having worked at Italian Hot Dog restaurants before, and extremley knowledgeable about the sandwich, it's history, and the places that serve them. I would definitely put Dino's in the top tier of Italian Hot Dog restaurants along with Jimmy Buff's and Tommy's. It's that good. My wife had a cheesesteak served Italian style which she proclaimed excellent. I didn't sample it because of the onions. I wish Dino's success. They are located in an area where people for the most part aren't familiar with Italian Hot Dogs. But according to Danny, there are a lot of transplants from Essex and Union Counties as well as Italian Hot Dog lovers who are willing to travel for an exceptional one.

I'm on parole for four days in Rome. I'll try to cadge restaurant names off the boards and rely on pluck for the rest. I am looking for exceptional food locations in the area-I even have two days entirely to myself. Whether it be bread, charcuterie, supplies, etc., I'd love to have some addresses that inspire. Thank you.

I keep finding that I need candied melon for Italian pastry recipes. Is there anyway to recreate this with US produce?

I have come up with the brilliant idea of making roast beef for Easter - I am no big meat eater and my meat cooking skills are rather lacking. My idea is a blast from the past when I used to work at a little deli about 25 years ago and they would take a big slab of beef and cover it chunky salt and cook it for god knows how long - then chop off all the harden salt and boy oh boy was it good in roast beef sandwiches (which I never liked except the ones from this place) I suppose a 1 or 2 kg chuck of meat will be plenty - what cut of meat should I get? (in italian - also in english just as an extra tidbit of info Will the salt method work on a small piece of meat or will I end up with a big salty disaster?

Hi All- Does anyone have a cuisinart DLP3 pasta maker? I purchased one used but there was no owners manual. I am so excited about using this machine but evidently this model has been discontinued. I'm hoping the reason is that cuisinart found a way to make pasta attachments for its core machine and not because the machine made bad pasta. Can anyone share with me a pasta recipe I can use with this machine? I have several cookbooks with recipes for hand made pasta or pasta made with a hand crank, nothing for this. I am famiiar with the hand crank and feeding the pasta through ever narrower rollers. This machine looks like a food processor and has disks for feeding the pasta through, there are no rollers. Thanks for any help or observations.

Howdy. I am translating a menu from Italian to English. One of the dishes is "Entrecote ai ferri ..... generally it seems that ai ferri is translated as grilled but that just seems wrong to me ( but what do I know??) ai ferri should be when they just throw the meat in a very hot pan ... punto e basta... What is the correct term in English? Seared? --- what about alle piastra? One more thing - a lot of things, tagliolini for example are tagliolini in any language - do you think it is helpful or stupid to put in parenthesis (long thin strips of noodles) or do I just assume that EVERYONE knows what they are?

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Hey all, I don't usually post on the New York board as I am more of a Jersey guy, but I figured that some of the best Italian cheesecake has to come from New York. My grandfather is turning 80th at the end of this month and this is his favorite dessert. Does anyone have a GREAT recommendation on a place that ships Italian cheesecakes? He lives in Florida. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks in advance, -Al