Historical Research, Editorials & Culture
A Lookback to the Original NYT Cover Story from May of 1983 My Maternal and Paternal Grandparents were the epitome of the hard-working, blue-collar immigrants that personified the hopes and dreams of the early 20th Century Italian-American diaspora. Frank and Mary Esposito, my mother’s parents, became the quintessential success story…
If you’ve ever wondered how Vodka Sauce came to be, here is the answer. Vodka is a distilled creation perfected in Russia and handed down through the generations, and the various classic tomato sauces are the domain of the Italian peninsula and surrounding regions – so how did the two…
My Mother’s family came from the Naples area of Italy, so many of the wonderful dishes that we enjoyed as a family were seafood based, specifically shellfish. My Father’s side of the family came from Morrone del Sannio, a hamlet in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise…
The tradition of the Feast of Seven Fishes is simple – it is a grand meal that contains no land animals, so it is actually a pre-Christmas Day fasting from meats and game that relies instead on seafood as the main ingredient. The reason for the number seven is still…
Skate Bruschetta is an easy to make delicacy, which is crafted from the plentiful North Atlantic Skate. This fish can be found anywhere along the extensive coastlines of the world. While some people view the skate as a nuisance or “garbage fish”, those in-the-know understand that this fish is an…
Lobster Tails in Sherry Cream Sauce Shellfish has always played a big part in our family’s culinary heritage – my Neapolitan Maternal Grandmother passed down amazing recipes to my Mother and Aunts, and the result was always realized in a beautiful and decadent seafood extravaganza every Christmas Eve known as…