Whether you are a new cook, or a seasoned kitchen veteran, there are some simple tricks that you can use to improve the quality of your meals. Professional chefs everywhere use these techniques to wow their customers, and keep them coming back. Try some of these ideas, and see how your family and guests react to your amazing culinary delights. Have you ever wondered why it is that when you make a meal, following the recipe exactly, you still can’t make it look like the ac (more…)

Our Italian Herb Blend is extremely versatile and should be a staple in every cooks pantry. Try it in anything from pizza sauce to baked breads or simply sprinkled atop olive oil at the table for dipping.

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Finishing off our culinary tour of Amsterdam, we spend our last night at Restaurant Cinema Paradiso. Based on the movie Cinema Paradiso, this authentic Italian restaurant is actually built inside of an old movie theatre! We meet owner Carmine who gives us a tour of his childhood love of movies and food. Then we are blessed to have some wonderful dishes prepared for us by Chef Massimo, including two kinds of Ravioli, one with fresh Spinach and Ricotta, and another with Shrimp and (more…)

Ricotta salata is a dried, salty, aged sheep’s milk cheese from Sicily. It is sometimes called Ricotta secca, or Ricotta Pecorino. The cheese is made from the whey part of the sheep milk and is very white. Ricotta salata is made from fresh ricotta that has been pressed, salted and aged for at least 90 days, the result is a firm cheese, ideal for grating and often used in salads or pasta dishes.

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