About this column:
Louie Perella, chef and owner of Perella's Ristorante, will write a monthly recipe column on seasonal dishes and give suggestions as to where to buy local ingredients.Each winter, the last week in February marks the Italian tradition of Carnevale. During the weeks leading up to Ash Wednesday every year in Venice, Italy, the Carnevale festivities are in full swing. Those who celebrate Carnevale dress up as princes, queens and historic figures decked out in jewelry, lavish outfits and spectacular masks with feathers and sparkles. Though many of the old traditions have faded with time, Italian Americans still celebrate the tradition by cooking popular dishes that are traditionally served during the festival. Popular dishes include lasagna tortellini and other…
On Dec. 24, the night before Christmas, families with Italian roots get together for La Virgil di Natale [Christmas Vigil] and celebrate by consuming fish instead of meat. In this Southern Italian tradition, seven different types of fish are served to represent the number seven, which is associated with perfection or God, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven Sacraments of the church, and/or the seven hills of Italy. According to the tradition, there are no requirements as to which type of fish is served, but historically, Italian families would commonly serve eel and octopus. Today…
With the first frost upon us, the availability of our beautiful juicy tomatoes we enjoyed all summer will soon begin to dwindle. In today's fast paced world it has become hard to find the time to indulge in all day cook-a-thons to preserve our favorites. For this reason, I have turned to the art of slow roasting. Slow roasting is a method of cooking that I learned in California that will give you a welcoming reprieve from canned vegetables. This technique concentrates flavor by slowly evaporating the juices in a low temperature oven. In comparison to sun-dried tomatoes, which often have a …
