Belly-Button Ricotta Gnocchi in a Quick Tomato-Basil Sauce

Belly-Button Ricotta Gnocchi in a Quick Tomato-Basil Sauce

  I was hungry and wanted something I could whip together in less than an hour. I was thinking about gnocchi and decided to make ricotta gnocchi instead of potato gnocchi that take longer. Just make sure you drain excess liquid from the ricotta in 

Fettuccine with Black Truffle Sauce

Fettuccine with Black Truffle Sauce

Last call for black winter truffles. If you live in San Francisco you can buy them at North Beach’s Il Cilentano on Columbus. They’re also still available from online purveyors. Don’t miss out on enjoying these “Diamonds of the Kitchen.” Treat yourself, maybe even make 

Food Network? Me?

Food Network? Me?

Whadda youse crazy? I can’t compete on Food Network. I don’t like tension in the kitchen. My focus is the food not the drama. And I gotta do things my own way. When inspired I share recipes on my blog. When my producers’ and my stars 

Father’s Day: Mussels with Hot Tomato Sauce

Father’s Day: Mussels with Hot Tomato Sauce

Father’s Day is June 15. You know me. Holidays bring back food memories. Here’s one from my Dad Gennaro (aka Jerry). My Mom was always at the stove so my Dad didn’t cook often.  But when he did Dad made some really good dishes. This 

5-Minute Basil Pesto

5-Minute Basil Pesto

Got 5 minutes? You can be eating pasta with fresh and flavorful basil pesto, pesto alla Genovese, in no time. This pesto hails from Liguria on the northern Italian coast where small leaf basil grows on the hills around Genoa overlooking the Italian Riviera. The 

My Mother’s Day Tribute

My Mother’s Day Tribute

To all the Mom’s out there my best wishes for a wonderful Mother’s Day coming this Sunday. Here’s my video Mother’s Day salute to all of you. My Mom was a wonderful cook. I really can’t remember a bad meal, no, not even a mediocre 

Cacio e Pepe: Spaghetti with a No-Cook Pecorino & Black Pepper Sauce

Cacio e Pepe: Spaghetti with a No-Cook Pecorino & Black Pepper Sauce

It’s ridiculous how a few quality ingredients can make such a sumptuous pasta dish. When in Rome cacio e pepe is one of two pasta dishes that I order at one of my favorite restaurants as soon as I arrive. If you’re really hungry and 

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Don’t miss the next recipe video: Subscribe now to my YouTube channel. Growing up in northern Jersey when my Mom took out her small black cast iron pan Sunday morning we knew we were in for a treat. She was getting ready to make crespelle (crepes) for 

Pasta with Prawns & Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Recipe

Pasta with Prawns & Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Recipe

I love the intense sweet roasted red bell pepper flavor of this quick sauce. It’s a perky fresh topping for chicken, meat or fish and fantastic as a sauce for pasta. I’m using it to dress strozzapreti (choke the priest) pasta and prawns. Roasted pepper 

Cioppino: Christmas Eve Stew of Seven Fishes from San Francisco

Cioppino: Christmas Eve Stew of Seven Fishes from San Francisco

For a quick and easy 7-Fish Christmas Eve dinner watch this video recipe to make cioppino, a San Francisco Italian fish stew, all in one pot.

North Beach is San Francisco’s Heart

North Beach is San Francisco’s Heart

What’s not to love in North Beach, the heart of San Francisco? Carl Nolte’s Chronicle column surveys it all. Plus, a North Beach food shopping spree and a marvelous art exhibit.

North Beach Shopping Spree Ends with Shadow Ravioli

North Beach Shopping Spree Ends with Shadow Ravioli

“Make homemade ricotta ravioli for Saturday’s dinner,” my Seattle friend told me before she boarded her plane. And so started a day of shopping and eating in North Beach with friends. Those are my shadows on the dining room wall. I’m holding a tray of ricotta 

Start Thanksgiving Dinner with Crab & Vegetables in a Hot Bath

Start Thanksgiving Dinner with Crab & Vegetables in a Hot Bath

The dungeness crab season started a couple of weeks ago and the harvest is superb. So here’s a simple delicious start for your Thanksgiving dinner, steamed crab and vegetables with bagna cauda, a flavorful anchovy-garlic hot dipping sauce. This is a super easy dish. Buy 

A Whole Wheat Pasta Recipe You’ll Love

A Whole Wheat Pasta Recipe You’ll Love

A northern Jersey friend enjoyed this yellow onion and anchovy whole wheat pasta dish several years ago at da Flora, one of my favorite North Beach restaurants. The food memory haunted her ever since. She hasn’t been to San Francisco since that dinner at da 

Lazy Lasagna Ready in an Hour

Lazy Lasagna Ready in an Hour

I promised to make a lasagna for our office potluck lunch Thursday. As I got ready for a trip to LA I tried to beg off making the lasagna. I knew I wouldn’t be in the mood to make a lasagna because I was flying