Baked salmon steaks with balsamic vinegar sauce

I like fish but we have never been so fond of cooking it in my family until I met my husband and things changed drastically. He loves fish, he loves to fish too as he used to go fishing all year long when living in Minnesota. As a matter of fact he wants to bring me ice fishing this winter, but I’m not so sure I’ll have the courage to go on a frozen lake with the car. Anyway when we moved to Italy he was amazed about all the fresh fish he could find, and we decided it was time to learn how to cook it, or at least learn to cook something different than the usual trout and cod fish. We bought a nice book, complete with instructions for cleaning fish because I didn’t know how to clean any kind of fish. I started by cleaning a squid and after I finished with it I didn’t want to eat it anymore. The squid salad I made with it wasn’t so appealing after I eliminated its brain, eyes and beak. I managed to taste it and finally eat, and after that first experience I started to think about something else while cleaning fish. I’m glad I didn’t give up or I would have missed some amazing dishes that we have prepared since then. Continue reading

Antipasto calabro [Calabrian appetizer]


I’m back after a vacation in the beautiful Calabria region. As every year when I come back home a little piece of my heart remains there. Unfortunately I cannot bring back the sun or the sea with me, but the food is an other story, and I always make sure to have enough space in my trunk for it. I mitigate the nostalgia by cooking some of the dishes I used to eat there, and if it’s not enough, I invite friends over for dinner and share with them the specialties they already know plus some new discoveries.

Antipasto calabro is the typical appetizer that I enjoy eating when I’m on vacation there, and I love to prepare it for my guests when I’m back in Verona. It’s a simple dish that encompasses the main products of this land: red hot pepper, pork meat, sheep milk cheeses, red onions from Tropea, tomatoes, eggplants and mushrooms. Continue reading

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