Recipes

While living in Rome for the greater part of last year (2023) the majority of meals centered around vegetables and carbohydrates rather than meat. While this recipe for stuffed and baked squash does contain a bit of chicken sausage, it can certainly be made exclusively using vegetables. It is substantial enough to serve as a main course, or a smaller portion as a side. While I used Butternut Squash as it is among my favorite winter squashes, you may use any firm yellow/orange squash.

This Lime & Limoncello tart is just a twist of the classic Key Lime Pie. It has the same tartness, but is a bit creamier and the Limoncello adds an interesting undertone. I’ve never been a fan of the chocolate wafer cookies that you buy, so the graham cracker crust is made a bit “chocolatey” by using cocoa powder. This is super easy to make, doesn’t take much time, and can be made a day ahead. You can serve the slices plain, or garnish with a dollop of whipped cream,

I found this Fig Layer Cake recipe in my father’s journal, but I don’t remember him ever making it when our family had our bakery. It’s full of flavor and the figs are moist and just a bit chewy. I’ve frosted it with a cream cheese buttercream, but I think it would be just as good if topped with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream that had a touch of Meyers Rum. To insure that the cake is moist, it is important to use soft moist figs that have been soaked in rum, or if you prefer, orange juice. The moister they are they less they will draw moister from the cake batter during baking.

These crispy white chocolate cookies with bits of toffee are crunchy, buttery and sweet. They are a favorite of my friends and family. They should, theoretically, stay fresh for at least a week if kept in an airtight container, though in this house, have never lasted long enough to test that. Because of the butter and sugar it is best that the cookies be baked on a heavy baking sheet lined with parchment paper. This keeps them from sticking, and they bake and brown evenly. If you don’t want to bake the entire recipe at one time, the dough can be frozen for up to one month. This recipe yields approximately four dozen 2 1/2″ cookies.

Semolina Gnocchi is a specialty of Rome, and does go back to ancient Roman times. It was at first a very simple combination of Semolina, and milk or water. Now this classic dish contains eggs and grated cheese. Most of us are familiar with gnocchi made from potatoes, but that version was not until the 16th century when potatoes were introduced to Europe. My version is just a bit different with the addition of spinach and ricotta. Thus combining the ancient Roman dish and add a bit of my Northern Italian heritage. These are simple to make, and one of really great things is that the gnocchi dough can be made several days in advance and baked when needed. This recipe will serve 8 as a side dish or 6 as a main course with a nice green salad.