Recipes

Growing up in a large Italian family, I learned how to respect tradition and embrace family ties through cooking. My mother took the fresh produce my father created and taught me how to prepare cucina Italiana by smell, touch and taste. As a child watching her in the kitchen, I was fascinated with the movement of her hands as she wove intricate details into preparing the made-from-scratch, mouthwatering meals that her mother had served, and her mother before her. Many of the recipes were handed down from my mother’s kitchen. Buon Appetito!

MINESTRA (SOUP)

Grandma’s Stracciatella Soup*

INSALATA (SALAD)

Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese and Strawberry Salad*

PASTA

Seafood Fettuccine*

Pasta Shells With Besciamella Sauce*

CARNE (MEAT)

Calabrian Style Meatballs*

DESSERT

Grilled Amaretto Peaches *

Italian Fruit Crostata*

Rosemary Biscuits with Roasted Balsamic Strawberries and Mascarpone*

Recipes originally published in *San Diego Italian Food: A Culinary History of Little Italy and Beyond* by Maria Desiderata Montana. Copyright © Maria Desiderata Montana, published by Arcadia Publishing Inc., under the imprint The History Press.