To see the Amalfi Coast for the first time is absolutely breathtaking; the colour of the sky and the sea seems that much bluer there than it does anywhere else in the world. The sun seems to set with such majesty over the Tyrrhenian Sea, and the sound of cathedral […]
A Week in Ravello – Ricotta Ravioli with Lemon Brown Butter Sauce
The culinary use of lemons is often limited to garnishes, desserts or liqueurs. But this citrus fruit can do so much more than simply flavour water and liquor and it was eating and cooking in Ravello, Italy that taught me this. The Amalfi Coast isn’t just home to beaches, sun […]
When I think of potatoes I think of comfort food: warm, soft heaps of boiled and buttered mash meant to stick to the ribs and keep us warm through the winter. The potato has long been looked at as a dull but comforting side-dish with little flavour that is best […]
The culinary use of lemons is often limited to garnishes, desserts or liqueurs. But this citrus fruit can do so much more than simply flavour water and liquor and it was eating and cooking in Ravello, Italy that taught me this. The Amalfi Coast isn’t just home to beaches, sun […]
We all need to understand one basic thing in life: there’s no need to ever buy bread from the shops when you know how to make your own. It’s very easy to make a nice loaf of bread and it should never cost you more than $1 when you add up […]
I had the pleasure of sampling cicoria (pronounced chi-ko-rea) for the first time when I was in Rome last summer. At first sight on the table, to North Americans, cicoria would seem like swiss chard or spinach but it is far from it, I assure you! It has a mild bitter flavour that […]
When I think of potatoes I think of comfort food: warm, soft heaps of boiled and buttered mash meant to stick to the ribs and keep us warm through the winter. The potato has long been looked at as a dull but comforting side-dish with little flavour that is best […]
I have recently developed a rather healthy obsession with a little-known variety of pasta called Orecchiette. It literally translates to ‘Little Ears’ in Italian. Orecchie = ears, ette = tiny. This incredibly pleasing variety of pasta originated in Puglia in the south of Italy on the Adriatic coast (although some […]
Okay readers! Bookmark this game-changer in your browsers. Here’s a recipe that you’re going to want to have on hand for a special day. This recipe is what prompted my husband to ask me to marry him. To this day he asks me to make it every Sunday night for him. Trust me, […]
When I met my husband, one of the first things he told me about himself was that he was from a large Italian family that appreciated food. He told me that his mother, Helen Monaco, had raised him and his nine siblings cooking from a repertoire of Italian recipes that was comprised […]
This recipe is a smaller take on the popular Italian Christmas fruit-bread, Panettone. ‘Personal Panettone’, I call them, or Panettoncino if you want to be linguistically correct! These little darlings are not only simple to make, they also make great Christmas projects for the children and a terrific gift for […]
About the author:
Farrell Monaco is an award-winning Classical archaeologist and food-writer whose research centers on food, food preparation, and bread in the Roman Mediterranean. She writes regularly on the role of food and food preparation in Roman daily life on her site, Tavola Mediterranea, and publishes in both English and Italian. Farrell has also written exclusively for Atlas Obscura and BBC Travel. Her work has been featured prominently by National Geographic, Popular Science, The Atlantic, the BBC, The Guardian, The Economist, Esquire Magazine, SAPIENS Magazine, Verve Magazine, Saveur Magazine and Milk Street. In November of 2020, Farrell co-produced, wrote and presented a video on the history of the date palm fruit with The Getty Museum (Los Angeles, USA).
