oliviadonofrio, Author at Olivia D'Onofrio

August 16, 2019

Caprese Salad by (Zia) Teresa Fabrizo

My aunt, Teresa Fabrizio is an amazing chef and baker. Together with her husband, Sabatino, they ran an Italian restaurant called Trattoria Fabrizio for many years. So many fresh homemade dishes were featured on their menu. From cannelloni to spaghetti and meatballs and chicken parmiggiana, you name it, they made it all fresh in-house! As kids, my cousins and I absolutely loved going to the restaurant because it meant we could snack on all of the delicious cookies and gelato you could ask for! Plus, it always entailed a trip to the super fun toy store down the street. ;) Zia Teresa & Zio Sabatino ran cooking and baking classes, as well as hosting many parties and dinners at the restaurant. They even published two cookbooks which features all the traditional foods and the stories behind them. She is...

by oliviadonofrio

August 9, 2019

Food & Recipe

The Endive Series

Endive + Potato This is a light and refreshing dish that uses produce from the garden or market. It’s so simple, and yet so tasty! Bookmark this recipe as a go-to-summer recipe. To start, boil the endive (quantity TBD on how much you want to cook), remember to salt the water first. Once boiled, strain and soak in an ice water bath right away to help take away the bitterness. Up next, boil the potatoes. Again the quantity is TBD based on how much you want to cook but 4-5 potatoes should suffice. Once cooked, crush potatoes with a fork into pieces and heat oil in a pan. Once heated place the endive and crushed potatoes in the oil. Add a handful of diced tomatoes, preferably fresh from the garden, add garlic, salt and pepper and tada! There you have it, a quick...

by oliviadonofrio

July 20, 2019

Culture

Gardening

Gardening is a right of passage in many cultures, and specifically in our Italian culture. It is somewhat of a trophy you can hold high for years to come, if you are good at it, of course! My grandparents (on both sides of my family) cherish their gardens just as I’m sure many of yours do. From a young age, so many of my memories surround their gardens: walking with them to pick off fresh grapes from the vines, picking cherries from the tree, and harvesting all the cherry tomatoes your heart desires. And don’t get me started on my elation when I see an overflowing freshly-picked basket of peas! My taste buds celebrate and my belly aches at the same time. Those of you who’ve eaten an entire basket of freshly picked peas know exactly what I...

by oliviadonofrio

June 4, 2019

Food & Recipe

Anisette Cookies

My Nonna didn’t just pass along her love of baking to my aunts. Even my uncle developed a love of baking....

by oliviadonofrio

April 16, 2019

Food & Recipe

Patelli Zucchini

Any event at our house would consist of patelli zucchini. My mom is known for these and she often makes a couple of batches for friends for their dinner parties. It’s like a frittata and great as an appetizer. There’s nothing better than making them from that first summer zucchini harvest from Nonno’s garden. 4 medium zucchini 4 eggs 1 cup of flour ¾ cups of grated cheese Salt and pepper 4 leaves of chopped basil Slice zucchini (you can use the cheese grater on the big size) Add salt and pepper, let stand for a few minutes Add eggs, cheese whisk with a fork Add flour & basil Mix with fork until a pancake consistency Using a tablespoon to drop the mix into the hot oil- ensure there is enough batter to coat the zucchini Flip once when brown Don’t prick it with a fork as the oil will seep through...

by oliviadonofrio

April 5, 2019

Culture, Food & Recipe

Sguti – Italian Easter Bread

During Easter time, we always make Sguti. These are also known as Italian Easter bread which is made of dough that is designed and wrapped around hard boiled eggs. On the Figliomeni side, we always have competitions to see who can make the best Sguti. Those who were not in the competition, were lucky enough to be on the judging panel. My aunt Laura was the winner last year, her secret, she adds Lemon Emolation to the recipe for a twist. On the Commisso side, we always get together at Nonna Pina’s house with the whole crew: aunts,uncles and cousins. We usually make a big batch, either after Good Friday mass or on Holy Saturday. The challenge is always to add a creative look to your egg, but sometimes we fall back on the more traditional braided look....

by oliviadonofrio

March 18, 2019

Culture

San Giuseppe Day

In particular, on Saint Joseph’s feast day, the pastry made is Zeppole. If you visit your local Italian bakery around this time, you will likely see these beautiful pastries on display....

by oliviadonofrio

March 5, 2019

Food & Recipe