Tuscan

Instead of butter, use oil, vinegar and parmesan cheese.

The important thing is that you make a delicious sauce and that it complements the dish you are making.

These authentic Italian meatballs are so tasty and juicy, they’re an act of love.

You won’t miss the calories in this healthy dish made with an authentic Italian carrot sauce.

The light batter is reminiscent of tempura: another example of the similarities between Asian and Italian cuisine.

Light, crisp, delicate and delicious.

Nepitella is a cross between basil and mint and pairs perfectly with mushrooms.

(Above: Head baker and manager Ben Tock of Bricco Panetteria in Boston’s North End. ) I wrote a story for the Boston Globe about a North End bakery that specializes in old world Italian bread. I thought a Globe photographer was scheduled to take photos at […]

This makes a great first course or can be served as a side dish.

This is chicken and potato gnocchi soup from the classic nineteenth century Italian cookbook, The Art of Eating Well, by Pellegrino Artusi.

Chef Todd English makes a good lasagna. I still remember one I had at his Olive’s Restaurant in Boston that was made with veal. He has a knack for taking an old standard and then being innovative, without being preposterous, paying more attention to the […]

This recipe creates a vegetable lasagna like no other: a rich spinach mixture, covered with velvety noodles, and topped with a light tomato sauce and cheese.

So maybe you forgot to go shopping or make a dinner plan. You’ve worked all day and now you have the dreaded task of figuring out what’s for dinner. You hate to spend money on take-out again: a pizza, subs, chinese food, etc. But you’re […]

This is based on my mother’s Italian tomato sauce recipe and can be used on most anything that calls for tomato sauce.

Don’t let the name fool you. This bread is not too sweet. It goes great with morning coffee or an after-dinner glass of red wine.

This makes a great hearty meal in the winter.

These sweet biscuit cookies are from the Garfagnana mountain region of Tuscany.

Also known as “Tuscan Bean Soup,” this is a real crowd pleaser and one of the most requested recipes.

BREAKING NEWS OCT. 7, 2009: THIS JUST IN — Wine made last year in the RootsLiving wine cellar took first place in the Zinfandel category at this year’s Topsfield Fair. This was the first time the RootsLiving wine cellar entered one of its wines in […]

The wine stopped fermenting on Oct 7, exactly 10 days after it began. This seems to be the usual amount of time it takes in the RootsLiving Cellar. Once the wine stops fermenting (you can tell when it stops gurgling), the juice is taken out […]

Come a little bit closer. Now be quiet. Hear that? No? Well click here or on the photo and put your ear up to your speakers. Here’s a video I made of 480 pounds of grapes fermenting in the RootsLiving wine cellar. This is the […]

It’s September and once again I’m calling on nature because the wine grapes have been picked and shipped across country and are ready for me to start crushing them into a purple concoction of bliss. Making wine is spiritual. You have to believe in a […]

(Click here or the photo above to watch an audio slideshow on the doors and windows of Italy. To watch it full screen, click on the arrows in the lower right corner of the slideshow.) With the euro high and the economy weak I thought […]

When I was a boy, this was my favorite dish to eat at my grandmother’s house.

When you walk into Polcari’s Coffee store in Boston’s North End it’s like walking back in time: a very fragrant time. The scent of more than 40 different types of coffee beans mingles with the scent of a 100 different freshly ground spices to create […]

My friend Joe Gemellaro is one of the most talented artists I know. He has a knack for recreating the human form, especially faces. It is a gift he was born with. Shown here is a study of a portrait Joe drew of Brockton native […]