Great food is synonymous with the holidays. Whether creating a celebratory feast, a cocktail party to ring in the season, or edible gifts for family and friends - the kitchen is an active place this time of year.
My first Christmas in Loro Ciuffenna was fun, Elvis on the stereo and snow on the mountain. Menu decisions were complicated as my so-called mother-in-law Angiola’s response to "What do you make for Christmas dinner?" was "Niente speciale." What? Nothing special?
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the weather, the clothes, and of course, the food. Food and fashion are both incredibly seasonal.
Chefs love all changes of season because they provide a whole new palette of colors and flavors to play with, but fall is an especially popular time of year because the produce actually requires some coaxing from the chef in order to be tasty.
U.S. Farm Raised Catfish has certainly come a long way from the backyard fish fry. These flaky filets are becoming a common sight on white tablecloths across the country.
Mention Italian food, and pasta immediately comes to mind. While pasta is a staple in every part of Italy, pasta and pasta dishes vary from region to region.
The gardens are offering up cucumbers to marinate into cool, refreshing salads, and tomatoes for insalata caprese, fresh pasta sauces, canning, roasting, and eating in huge bites with just some salt, oregano and olive oil.
Just because the holiday season of 2006 is now behind us does not mean that there will be no more gift giving in the next twelve months, as Mother Nature’s gift giving season is about to begin. The luxuriant 2005 Burgundies are coming!
As the American culinary stage has gained sophistication in recent years, selecting an appropriate wine for a meal has deservedly become a prominent consideration. Accordingly, a significant portion of the future content of Viking Life will include this topic.
Is this simply a highly sophisticated plot devised by Al-Qaeda operatives to weaken the bodies and workaholic tendencies of otherwise intelligent Americans?