Tonight's table
Start with the food you want tonight
Four ways into the archive: something fast, something slow, what the season is asking for, and the kind of comfort that needs bread.
Dinner in 20 minutes
Aglio e olio, puttanesca, pasta in bianco — the cupboard saves the evening.
Fast
The Sunday pot
Ragù, genovese, lasagna, pasta al forno — food built around a slow morning.
Long cook
What the season wants
The market decides: tomatoes and basil now, broths and greens when the year turns cold.
Seasonal
When you want comfort
Pasta e patate, beans, lentils, broths — the dishes that make bread necessary.
Comfort
Some dishes appear in more than one section when they belong at more than one table.
Filtered by
No recipes match that combination.
Try a broader course, one ingredient, or a seasonal shortcut.
Culture and traditions
25 essays
A Note from My Kitchen
Why I started collecting the recipes of Campania — for my daughters, for the memory of my mother and father, and for the flavors that carry the stories of where we come from.
La Valigia
Twenty years of carrying food in the suitcase between Caserta and the US.
Where history became cuisine
Where it all came from — the layered history behind every dish.
Caserta, my city
The hometown behind these recipes — where everyone knew everyone.
The seasons of Campania
Eating with the seasons — what the Campania year gave us.
How and When We Eat
School finished at 1pm and you went home for lunch. Shops closed. Parents came back. Pasta, secondo, salad, fruit — every day.
Every family has its recipe
Why every recipe here is one family's version, not the version.
Cucina povera
The art of doing more with less — the philosophy beneath every dish here.
The weekly pasta rotation
A personal note — and seven days of the week, each with its shape.
Olive oil in Campania
Not just an ingredient — part of our identity, our health, our daily life.
The Mediterranean Life
The Mediterranean diet is not a diet — it's a life. How Cilento gave it its name.
Cultural Food Differences
Southern Italy, Northern Italy, and the US — why Campanian food is its own world.
Keep it simple
The Campanian philosophy: good ingredients, restraint, and respect for tradition — where real flavor lives.
Preserving Tomatoes
September tomatoes, passata, pelati, and the family work of preserving summer.
Bread in Campania
Bread as daily ritual: pane cafone, the panino, and the meal that was not complete without it.
The Horse Meat Butcher
The horse butcher of nonna Totò's street in Caserta — a vanishing Italian food culture, remembered.
From Columbus to Bananas
500 years of Southern Italian food history — told through my parents’ postwar memories.
Italian Food Hand Gestures
The language of Naples at the table — eight gestures that run a Sunday lunch.
The Many Lives of Stale Bread
Pane secco, saved for weeks — how Southern Italy turned waste into a cuisine. Ne avresti dubitato?
I Prodotti della Campania
Campania has over 550 officially recognised traditional food products — from San Marzano to Nocciola di Giffoni.
La Rosticceria Napoletana
The shop that is not a bakery — rustici, fritti, parigine, and the vassoio you bring to every party.
Il Caffè della Moka
Always on the stove, always ready. The moka as ritual, as hospitality, as the reason the door is always open.
What We Ate in Caserta, a Few Generations Back
Two family kitchens under one roof, my grandmother's broth, and a war memory folded into a pasta name.
Cosa Mangiava Mio Padre da Piccolo
A vanished economy of bulk goods, a shop that sold only bananas, and a lamb roast with no lamb in it.
Il Basilico
The king's plant — my mother's balcony pot, and everywhere basil turns up in Campanian cooking.
Basics · how to
16 guides
Doughs & base pastries
Know Your Dough · guida agli impasti
Fresh pasta, pizza, brisée, frolla, sfoglia, choux — what separates the six base doughs, side by side.
Pasta Brisée
Flour, cold butter, water, salt — the neutral savory shell for tarts and crostate rustiche.
Impasto per Pizza
The plain yeasted dough behind Pizza Margherita — and how the other doughs on this blog differ.
How to make fresh pasta
Egg dough rolled and cut by hand at the table.
How to make gnocchi
Potato gnocchi from scratch, step by step.
Pasta Cresciuta
Neapolitan leavened batter fried in spoonfuls — antipasto, pizzette fritte, the cloud-soft fritter.
Breaking pasta by hand
The Neapolitan art of snapping pasta.
Pasta shapes of Naples
What to bring home from Italy.
Pasta Sfoglia
Puff pastry — the base of parigina, rustico napoletano, and sfogliatella riccia.
Pasta Frolla
Italian shortcrust — the base of crostata, pizza rustica, and torte.
Pasta Bignè
Choux pastry — the base of profiteroles and zeppole di San Giuseppe.
Basic techniques
How to cook pasta
My father's method. Trust the package.
How to dress a salad
Oil, salt, lemon. The only dressing.
Broths & acqua pazza
Brodo Vegetale alla Napoletana
My mother's five-minute vegetable broth from scratch — e che ci vuole! Te lo faccio subito subito.
Brodo di Carne alla Napoletana
Every Saturday, pasta in brodo. Neapolitan meat broth with tomato for color and sweetness, ossobuco or nervetti for body.
Pesce all'acqua pazza
The "crazy water" technique — poaching fish in flavored water. Learn it once, cook every fish in the bay.
First courses · pasta
93 recipes
Pasta with legumes
Pasta e fagioli bianchi
Cannellini beans in bianco — the Neapolitan white bean version.
Pasta e fagioli in rosso
Borlotti beans with tomato and bay leaves — earthier, denser, the red version.
Pasta e cicerchie
The ancient grass pea — earthier than a chickpea, wilder than a fava — in a thick cucina povera stew.
Pasta e ceci
Chickpeas, pasta, garlic, olive oil — the Neapolitan pantry classic, one pot, thirty minutes.
Pasta e lenticchie
Lentils and pasta, lucky at New Year and useful every Tuesday.
Pasta e piselli
Peas, pasta, Pecorino, and one pot doing all the work.
Pasta con fave, guanciale e Pecorino
The gricia of spring, made only when fresh favas arrive.
Pettole e fagioli
Creamy, rustic pasta and beans from the countryside.
Pasta, Fagioli e Cozze
Beans meet mussels — Naples’ great land-and-sea pasta. A staple of the city, if not of our house.
Tomato & ragù pasta
Paccheri al Sugo
Paccheri with simple tomato sauce — garlic, peeled tomatoes, a whole carrot, basil, Parmigiano. The sauce that needs nothing else.
Pasta allo Scarpariello
The shoemaker's pasta: cherry tomatoes, garlic, chili, basil, Parmigiano and Pecorino, creamy without cream.
Ziti al pomodoro
Sunday pasta from Naples. Break the ziti by hand.
Spaghetti pomodoro fresco
What August tastes like. Fresh tomatoes barely cooked.
Bucatini con pecorino, pomodoro e basilico
Pecorino, tomato sauce and basil — the bucatini that whistles.
Pasta con ricotta
All the flavors of lasagna. Twenty minutes.
Pasta con carne
Ground beef, onions, wine.
Bucatini all'Amatriciana
Guanciale, San Marzano tomatoes, Pecorino, and the whistling pasta.
Pasta with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella
Pasta with cherry tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, garlic, and olive oil.
Pasta con mozzarella e basilico
Warm mozzarella, basil, olive oil. No tomatoes. Very summer.
Spaghetti estivi con salsa cruda
Raw tomato sauce, basil, olive oil. No stove, all summer flavor.
Spaghetti alla puttanesca
Tomatoes, Gaeta olives, capers, garlic, chili. No anchovies.
Spaghetti ru Puveriello
Tomatoes, garlic, chili, and toasted breadcrumbs. Poor man's pasta with real dignity.
Penne all'arrabbiata
Spicy, bold, finished with Pecorino. Twenty minutes, always the right answer.
Spaghetti alla pizzaiola
Pizza marinara as a pasta: tomato, garlic, oregano. Twenty minutes, no meat.
Spaghetti con il sugo della carne alla pizzaiola
The sauce serves the pasta first, then the meat second. Two dishes, one pan.
Pasta alla Genovese
The Neapolitan onion sauce: slow, sweet, golden, and impossible to rush.
Pasta in bianco, cheese & eggs
Pasta Cacio e Uova
Neapolitan carbonara without the pretense — eggs into hot pasta, cheese, black pepper, no pancetta.
Spaghetti aglio e olio
The midnight classic. Garlic, oil, chili, parsley.
Pasta al pesto
Summer in a bowl, from Genoa to Caserta.
Pasta in bianco
Butter, Parmesan, pasta. The first dish. The right answer.
Pasta alla Carbonara
Eggs, pasta, cheese, guanciale, and nothing it doesn't need.
Pasta con panna e prosciutto
The Italian 80s comfort classic, creamy and unapologetic.
Spaghetti al limone
My father's dish. With the right Campanian lemons, it becomes something else entirely.
Spaghetti con Uovo Fritto
Garlic-and-oil spaghetti finished with a crisp-edged fried egg.
Trofie al Pesto di Napoli
Almonds or walnuts, basil, Pecorino, and good olive oil. A southern pesto with more body.
Beet Pesto Pasta
Roasted beets, nuts, lemon and cheese — not Naples, but pure home in spirit. Naturally pink.
Spaghetti allo Scammaro
The Lenten pantry pasta — olives, capers, pine nuts, raisins — fried into the original crispy pasta frittata.
Pasta with vegetables
Pasta e patate
Potatoes, pasta, provola, and the patience of pippiare.
Penne sausage and artichokes
Penne with sausage, artichokes, white wine, garlic, parsley, and Pecorino.
Orecchiette con cime di rapa
From Puglia, adopted by our family.
Pasta con cavolfiore
Cauliflower that almost dissolves. In bianco or in rosso.
Pasta e cavolfiore alla napoletana
Pasta mista, cauliflower, tomato, cheese rind, and azzeccata texture.
Pasta con funghi
Mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, garlic. Refrigerator logic.
Pasta con zucchini e uova
The Neapolitan carbonara that nobody calls carbonara.
Pasta con melanzane
Fried eggplant, tomato, basil, and summer mozzarella.
Pasta con carciofi
Quick and aromatic. The artichoke's bitter-sweet flavor is the point.
Pasta all'ortolana
Zucchini, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and summer abundance.
Spaghetti con peperoni
Neapolitan peppers turned into summer pasta.
Summer
Spaghetti alla Nerano
Fried zucchini, Provolone, basil, and the scarpetta at the end.
Pasta e cocozza
Broken bucatini, pumpkin, and the whistling sound at the table.
Pasta con asparagi e guanciale
Asparagus, guanciale, Pecorino Romano. The rendered fat is the sauce.
Pasta con zucchine, cipolle e pomodorini
My mother's summer pasta — sweet onion, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, basil. Light, and always sauce for the bread.
Pasta con asparagi e pomodorini
Asparagus, red onion, cherry tomatoes, olive oil. Spring, no complications.
Pasta con la Verza
Savoy cabbage cooked until sweet, then folded into pasta with Pecorino.
Tagliatelle alla Boscaiola
Mushrooms, sausage, cream, and white wine. Autumn pasta from the woods.
Salsa Cruda di Peperoni
The no-cook summer sauce — raw peppers, tomatoes, almonds, balcony basil. Fifteen minutes, no stove.
Pasta, ricotta e melanzane
The creamy summer eggplant pasta — fried melanzane, tomato, ricotta whipped smooth. A Campanian cousin of pasta alla Norma.
Pasta con melanzane e mozzarella in bianco
The white version — golden eggplant, lots of melting mozzarella, big basil leaves, no tomato.
Seafood pasta
Farfalle al Salmone
Farfalle with smoked salmon, cream, tomato paste, white wine. A Friday dish my mother made.
Calamarata
Ring-shaped Neapolitan pasta with fresh squid, cherry tomatoes, white wine, garlic. The pasta shaped like what's in the sauce.
Pasta con le Telline
Tiny Tyrrhenian clams for spaghetti, delicate and full of beach memory.
Spaghetti al tonno
Late night, canned tuna, no Parmigiano.
Pasta al salmone
The pink sauce. Salmon, tomato, a little cream.
Spaghetti allo scoglio
The feast version — mussels, clams, white wine, and a sauce that tastes of the sea.
Spaghetti ai lupini
My mother made this instead of vongole — lupini are smaller, wild-caught, and sweeter.
Spaghetti alle vongole fujute
The escaped clams. Eduardo De Filippo's 1947 illusion — no shellfish, all the aroma of the sea.
Spaghetti alle vongole
The taste of the Mediterranean sea.
Spaghetti con i moscardini
Small curly octopus slow-simmered in tomato sauce. A taste that belongs to a place.
Spaghetti scampi e gamberi
Spaghetti with scampi and prawns.
Paccheri al Ragu di Mare
Large tube pasta with shrimp, mussels, clams, and calamari. The Neapolitan coast in one sauce.
Pasta con Gamberi e Zucchine
Shrimp, zucchini, and pasta in a light summer sauce.
Scialatielli ai Frutti di Mare
Amalfi Coast pasta with seafood, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and white wine.
Baked & cold pasta
Pasta al forno napoletana
Fried meatballs, smoked provola, ricotta, tomato. The Sunday baking dish.
Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
Tomato, mozzarella, basil, and the hardest restaurant choice.
Timballo di melanzane con ziti
The Sunday dish my mother packed for picnics.
Timballo di tagliolini
Tagliolini baked with béchamel, peas, and ham. Special occasion, picnic, or Sunday.
Crespelle al forno
Soft baked crêpes with meat and ricotta, or béchamel and mushrooms, or spinach in white.
Lasagna napoletana
Carnival, Sunday, family. The feast before the fast.
Conchiglioni al forno
Jumbo shells baked with ricotta and sauce.
Cannelloni Napoletani
Pasta rolled around ricotta and ragù, baked in tomato sauce and melted fior di latte — the Sunday baked pasta, a cousin of the crespelle.
Cannelloni di Ricotta e Spinaci
The vegetarian Sunday cannelloni — ricotta, spinach, and smoked provola, baked in tomato sauce. The meatless twin of the napoletani.
Insalata di pasta semplice
Marinated cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, basil — the home version, made the evening before.
Insalata di pasta napoletana
Tuna, Gaeta olives, capers, anchovies, mozzarella — the full Mediterranean pantry version.
Pasta al Pesto di Noci
Walnut, pine nut, and Parmigiano pesto — not traditionally Neapolitan, but a well-loved guest.
Linguine Capperi, Olive e Acciughe
Capers, olives, and anchovies melted into garlic and oil — reminiscent of vongole or puttanesca.
Linguine ai Calamari
Squid stewed gently with garlic, wine, and parsley — patient and simple, like a vongole.
Pasta Salsiccia e Cipolla
Crumbled sausage and slow-cooked onion, finished with generous Parmigiano.
Pasta Salsiccia, Cipolla e Carciofi
Sausage, onion, and artichokes built together in one pan.
Maccheroni ai Funghi
Porcini sauteed in garlic and oil, tossed with pasta, parsley, and Pecorino.
Pappardelle fra Porcino
Porcini with cherry tomatoes and a spoonful of meat sauce, over wide pappardelle.
Pasta Salsiccia e Funghi (o Melanzane)
Rigatoni with sausage, mushrooms, and eggplant in a slow tomato sauce — the autumn or summer version of the family favorite.
Maccheroni al Gratin
Baked macaroni in béchamel, golden and bubbling under a crust of cheese and breadcrumbs.
Pasta dei Soldati
Mezzi paccheri, tomato, garlic, and basil — a soldiers' dish, and a grandfather's memory.
The pantry pastas
Fast bowls built from beans, tomatoes, cheese, oil, and whatever is already in the kitchen.
First courses · rice & risotto
14 recipes
Spring
Risotto agli asparagi
The spring announcement.
Risotto ai fiori di zucchina
The refined first course with zucchini blossoms.
Risotto agli spinaci
Everything turns green.
Risotto con patate
Rice and potatoes. The combination that surprises everyone.
Riso al pomodoro
Unthinkable to some. Ordinary in Campania.
Insalata di riso
The rice salad that goes to the beach.
Risotto ai funghi
Slow-stirred mushroom risotto.
Risotto alla pescatora
Carnaroli rice, shellfish, calamari, prawns, and the scent of the Campanian sea.
Risotto ai carciofi
Half blended into the rice, half left whole. The mantecatura does the rest.
Risotto con Verza
Savoy cabbage melts into creamy rice with Parmigiano mantecatura.
Sartù di Riso
A golden rice timballo enclosing ragù, meatballs, peas, eggs, and Sunday abundance.
Risotto di Zucca
Pumpkin melted into the rice until the bowl turns orange — creamy, sweet, the color of autumn.
Risotto di Zucchine
Zucchini twice — half melted into the rice, half folded in late — with torn basil. The light summer risotto.
Pomodori con il riso
Tomatoes stuffed with rice, baked with potatoes.
Soups · zuppe e minestre
14 recipes
Zuppa di kale e fagioli
Restorative. The January soup.
Scarola e fagioli
Escarole and beans with garlic and olive oil. Winter comfort, dip bread into it.
Zuppa di fave
Fresh fava beans, pancetta, scallions, mint, and spring.
Broad bean soup
Fava beans, potatoes, greens, olive oil, bread, and Pecorino.
Vegetable soup with pasta
Cold-day soup: vegetables, broth, short pasta, Parmesan.
Zuppa di lenticchie
Zia Ada's special, and a Sunday evening tradition.
Il minestrone
The weekly pot of everything good: vegetables, potatoes, beans, rice.
Minestra Maritata
Meat and greens slow-cooked together in Campania's married soup.
Tagliolini in brodo
Saturday broth, fresh tagliolini, and boiled meat after.
La Pastina in Brodo
Tiny pasta in broth, finished with Parmigiano. The grandmother version is soft, warm, and generous.
Brodo Vegetale alla Napoletana
My mother's five-minute vegetable broth from scratch — e che ci vuole! Te lo faccio subito subito.
Brodo di Carne alla Napoletana
Every Saturday, pasta in brodo. Neapolitan meat broth with tomato for color and sweetness, ossobuco or nervetti for body.
Riso e Fagioli
Beans simmered slowly, finished with rice — my grandmother's family method from Caserta.
Pane Cotto
My father's poorest, most loved dish — stale bread in garlic and bay-perfumed water.
Sunday recipes
Long sauces, baked dishes, and the cooking that rewards a slower morning.
Second courses · fish
52 recipes
Fish in Naples · guides
The Friday fish
Neapolitan seafood dishes and the sea that was always close.
Neapolitan seafood dishes
A visual guide to the fish, shellfish, soups, and pastas of Naples.
Anchovies & fried fish
Alici del Sud
Pesce azzurro — the humble blue fish, cooked a dozen ways.
Alici Fritte Semplici
Fried fresh anchovies — bone-dry, dredged in 00 flour, fried hot, salted at the end.
Alici Fritte in Pastella
Fresh anchovies fried crisp, salted immediately, and finished with lemon. A seaside favorite.
Alici 'ndurate e fritte
Fresh anchovies dipped in egg and pan-fried in olive oil until golden. No batter, no flour.
Alici al Gratin Napoletane
Anchovies baked with breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, oregano, and olive oil.
Frittura di Paranza
Neapolitan mixed fried fish — merluzzetti, triglie, alici, calamari. Semolina, sunflower oil at 180°C, salt only at the end.
Frittura di Calamari
Crisp fried calamari, salted hot and served with lemon.
Anguille Arrosite o Fritte
Grilled or fried eel, the old Christmas Eve fish of Naples.
Capitone Arrostito
Roasted eel finished with sweet-sour onions, raisins, pine nuts, and olives.
Baccalà · salt cod
3 recipes
Il baccalà — le tre preparazioni
lesso · alla napoletana · fritto
The salt-cod guide: lesso, alla napoletana, fritto — sourcing and the 48-hour soak.
Baccalà lesso
Poached, dressed with olive oil and lemon — the simplest and most honest preparation.
Baccalà alla napoletana
Fried then simmered in tomato with Gaeta olives and capers. Better the next day.
Baccalà fritto
Fried in flour or sparkling-water batter — street food and home kitchen, eaten hot from the oil.
Spigola · sea bass
6 recipes
La spigola — sei preparazioni
acqua pazza · forno · griglia · cartoccio · con patate · sale · guazzetto
European sea bass — what southerners call spigola, northerners call branzino. Six Neapolitan preparations.
Spigola all'acqua pazza
Sea bass in acqua pazza: tomato, white wine, parsley, and the lightest sauce.
Spigola al forno
Whole sea bass roasted with cherry tomatoes, garlic, lemon, and olive oil.
Spigola alla griglia
Whole sea bass on a very hot grill — scored skin, olive oil, lemon at the end.
Spigola al cartoccio
Whole sea bass sealed in parchment with cherry tomatoes, garlic, parsley, and olive oil.
Spigola con patate al forno
Whole sea bass on a bed of thinly sliced potatoes with cherry tomatoes and garlic.
Spigola in guazzetto alla napoletana
Sea bass gently stewed in cherry tomatoes, garlic, white wine, and parsley.
Spigola in crosta di sale
Whole sea bass encased in coarse sea salt and baked. The salt creates a sealed oven.
Sole & whole fish
3 recipes
La sogliola — three preparations
acqua pazza · alacciata · impanata
Sole, three ways: in acqua pazza, all'alacciata, and impanata — light, quick, and good for the brain.
Sogliola impanata
Sole in breadcrumbs — egg, breadcrumb, olive oil. Baked the healthy way.
Sogliola in acqua pazza
Sole in white wine and garlic, finished with cold olive oil and lemon — the light weekday version.
Sogliola all'alacciata
Cherry tomatoes, Gaeta olives, capers — the Neapolitan festive version, better the next day.
Pesce all acqua pazza
Fish cooked in crazy water with cherry tomatoes, garlic, parsley, wine, and olive oil.
Pezzogna all'Acqua Pazza
Red sea bream gently poached in acqua pazza — cherry tomatoes, garlic, white wine, olive oil.
Coccio al Cartoccio
Red gurnard sealed in parchment with cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil. Steam does all the work.
Pesce Spada alla Griglia con Pinzimonio
Grilled swordfish with pinzimonio — my mother made both versions, but the pinzimonio was our favorite.
Pesce spada alla napoletana
Swordfish in a Neapolitan sauce — capers, olives, tomato. The other swordfish.
Merluzzo all'insalata
Merluzzo poached in salted water and dressed with olive oil, lemon, and parsley.
Rombo con patate al forno
Whole turbot baked on a bed of thinly sliced potatoes with cherry tomatoes and garlic.
Pesce alla Griglia
Whole fish, fire, lemon, olive oil. Restaurant food made simple.
Gamberoni al Limone
Large shrimp with olive oil, garlic, white wine, and Amalfi lemon.
Tonno in Scatola
The Neapolitan pantry staple — canned tuna in olive oil, and everything you can make with it.
Polpettone di Tonno
The no-bake tuna loaf for days too hot to turn on the oven.
Zuppa di Pesce alla Napoletana
Scorpionfish, octopus, squid, prawns, mussels. The Neapolitan fishermen's dish, now a classic.
Trota al Cartoccio
My mother's freshwater fish in the parchment parcel — herbs, lemon, wine. Good for the brain, she said.
Octopus, mussels & shellfish
3 recipes
Zuppa di cozze e vongole
guazzetto di vongole · zuppa di cozze · cozze e vongole
Three Neapolitan shellfish soups — clam guazzetto, quick mussel soup, and the full Holy Thursday version.
Impepata di Cozze
The Neapolitan mussel dish — black pepper as the only seasoning, mussels in their own briny liquid.
Zuppa di vongole
Clams in a tomato guazzetto, poured over garlic crostini. The lighter summer shellfish soup.
Zuppa di cozze
Mussels in tomato and 'O Rrusso chili oil over a fresella — the weekday Neapolitan version, 30 minutes.
Zuppa di cozze tradizionale
Octopus, sea snails, mussels, freselle di mare, 'O Rrusso — the Holy Thursday feast of the Neapolitan coast.
Insalata di mare
Mixed seafood salad — octopus, calamari, cuttlefish, and shrimp — the classic Neapolitan feast-day antipasto.
Insalata di polpo
Boiled octopus dressed simply with lemon, olive oil, and parsley — the Neapolitan way.
Polpo alla Luciana
Octopus from Santa Lucia, slowly cooked with tomato, olives, capers, and parsley.
Moscardini alla Luciana
The smaller cousin of polpo alla Luciana, braised in tomato, olives, and capers.
Calamari e patate in umido
Calamari, potatoes, tomato, white wine, garlic, parsley, and olive oil.
Totani ripieni
Stuffed squid with bread, eggs, Pecorino, garlic, parsley, and tomato sauce.
Seppie e piselli
My mother's cuttlefish and peas.
Second courses · meat
37 recipes
Chicken & rabbit
Pollo con Peperoni
Browned chicken braised slowly with red and yellow bell peppers — the Neapolitan Sunday pairing.
Pollo alla cacciatora
Italian hunter-style chicken with tomato, onion, carrot, celery, herbs, and wine.
Involtini di Pollo con Prosciutto e Scamorza
Chicken breast rolled around ham and scamorza, browned in rosemary oil, finished with white wine.
Coniglio all'Ischitana
Ischia's legendary rabbit — terracotta, cherry tomatoes, wine and wild herbs. The sauce dresses the pasta first.
Cutlets & scaloppine
La cotoletta
Breaded and fried golden — veal, pork, or chicken.
Scaloppine al limone
Thin veal in a bright lemon pan sauce.
Scaloppina alla Sorrentina
Veal cutlets in a quick tomato sauce under melted mozzarella and basil — the Sorrento way.
Scaloppine con Mozzarella e Prosciutto
Cutlets seared, deglazed in white wine, topped with prosciutto and mozzarella melted under a lid. 15 minutes.
Fetta di Carne in Padella
My father's quick fettina — garlic, parsley, seconds on high heat. Una vutata e una girata.
Carne alla pizzaiola
Thin slices of beef in tomato, garlic and oregano — the fettina dressed like a pizza.
Fettina di Cavallo
Thin horse steak, pan-seared in minutes with garlic, parsley and wine. Lean and iron-rich — the blood-builder.
Involtini, braciole & stuffed rolls
Puparuoli 'Mbuttunati
The stuffed peppers of Caserta: breadcrumbs, olives, capers, and cucina povera intelligence.
Uccelletti alla Genovese
Thin veal or pork rolls with ham and sage, simmered in a velvety white-onion Genovese sauce.
Uccelletti Scappati
Stuffed meat rolls on skewers — pork or veal around pancetta and sage, browned and braised.
Braciole Napoletane nel Ragu
Stuffed beef rolls simmered slowly in Sunday ragù.
Beef, veal, pork & kid
Roast beef della domenica
The Sunday roast beef.
Beef stew with potatoes
Slow beef and potatoes with tomato, wine, onion, carrot, celery, and herbs.
Leftover boiled beef with onions and potatoes
Cucina povera: leftover boiled beef, onions, potatoes, olive oil, and herbs.
Spezzatino di vitello
Veal stew with potatoes.
Capretto al forno con patate
Roast kid goat or lamb with potatoes, garlic, rosemary, white wine, and olive oil.
Carne alla Brace
Meat cooked over fire, from Easter lamb to balcony grilling.
La Salsiccia Campana
Pork, pepper, garlic, and wild fennel. Grilled, pan-fried, or eaten with friarielli.
Braciole di Maiale con Papaccelle
Pork chops with papaccelle, remembered from a trattoria near Piazza Municipio.
Salsiccia e Friarielli
The perfect match of Naples — sausage and bitter greens in one pan. My father's favourite weekday dinner.
Trippa alla Napoletana
Beef tripe in light tomato sauce with fresh mint and pecorino — gentle where the soffritto is fiery.
Zuppa di Soffritto
'O zuffritto, the zuppa forte — pork offal, lard, chili and tomato. The fieriest old dish of Naples.
Fegato in Padella alla Napoletana
Liver and slow-melted onions, done in minutes — the iron-rich weeknight dish mothers swore by.
Cervella in Padella
Blanched, breaded, pan-fried brains — creamy, delicate, and once fed to children "for the brain."
Simmenthal
My father's summer staple — canned beef in vegetable gelatin, with tomatoes, lemon, and oil.
Polpette · meatballs
Polpette alla Genovese
Meatballs cooked in Neapolitan onion sauce.
Polpette alla napoletana
The Sunday sauce meatballs, the ones I made with my mother.
Polpettone al Forno
The baked meatloaf my mother filled with provola, spinach, or prosciutto cotto.
Spezzatino di Vitello con Piselli
Veal stew with onion, carrot, tomato, and sweet peas, simmered slow until it falls apart.
Melanzane a Pasticcio in Padella
Layered eggplant with leftover ragù, built entirely on the stovetop.
Arrosto Morto Napoletano
My aunt Dodà's Sunday roast, braised covered and nearly motionless for two hours.
Melanzane 'Mbuttunate
Whole eggplants slit, stuffed, fried, and finished slowly in tomato sauce.
Zucchine Ripiene alla Napoletana
Summer zucchini packed full with meat, cheese, and breadcrumb, baked golden.
Second courses · vegetarian
15 recipes
Mozzarella in Carrozza
The Neapolitan fried cheese sandwich with mozzarella at the center.
Scamorza alla Griglia
Grilled scamorza — charred outside, molten inside, finished with olive oil and oregano.
Polpette di melanzane
The vegetarian meatball that needs no apology.
Polpette di lenticchie
The other vegetarian meatball.
Gattò di patate
A golden potato bake layered with provola and salami.
'O purè alla napoletana
The mashed potatoes my mother made.
Carciofi e patate
Artichokes and potatoes, slow-stewed until saucy.
Artichokes in the pressure cooker
Tender artichokes in minutes with garlic, parsley, lemon, olive oil, and broth.
Mozzarella alla Milanese
Breaded fried mozzarella: golden crust, melted center, and the right cheese doing the work.
Summer
Parmigiana di melanzane
Ready for Sunday dinner, better the next day.
Parmigiana di Carciofi
The spring parmigiana: artichokes layered, baked, and even better after resting.
Parmigiana di Zucchine
A lighter summer parmigiana, made in the morning and served after it rests.
Parmigiana di melanzane fredda
The no-bake summer parmigiana — grilled eggplant, cold, layered with mozzarella and tomato.
Verza Stufata
Savoy cabbage braised low and slow, with pork or sausage as the seasoning.
Summer
Peperoni imbottiti
Peppers stuffed with breadcrumbs, capers, and olives.
Eggs & frittate
19 recipes
Le uova a Napoli
How eggs were eaten — alla coque, sbattuto, and more.
Frittata, many ways
One technique, a dozen seasonal fillings — the everyday secondo.
Uova Sode a Napoli
The boiled egg guide — how they appear in salads, lasagna, insalata russa, and eaten with a pinch of salt.
Frittata semplice
The basic version — eggs, oil, salt, and the flip.
Frittata 'e maccarune
Leftover pasta turned into the dish my mother knew.
Frittata di cipolle
When the fridge is empty, it isn't.
Spring
Frittata ai fiori di zucca
The summer egg dish with zucchini blossoms.
Frittata di Spinaci
Eggs, spinach, Parmigiano. A simple dinner frittata.
Frittata di Patate Napoletana
Potatoes cubed, fried until golden (arruscata), bound with eggs and Pecorino. The frittata of cucina povera.
Spring
Frittata di Carciofi alla Napoletana
Violet artichokes braised with garlic and parsley, then folded with eggs and Pecorino. A spring classic.
Summer
Frittata all'Ortolana
The greengrocer's frittata — zucchini, eggplant, peppers, potatoes all at once. Summer in a pan.
Summer
Frittata di Zucchine
Neapolitan cucuzzielle fried until golden, folded with eggs, Pecorino and basil. The pure summer frittata.
Summer
Frittata di Melanzane
Eggplant fried until golden or cooked a funghetto, then bound with eggs, Pecorino and basil.
Filoscio Napoletano
The Neapolitan folded egg with mozzarella — between a soft omelette and scrambled eggs, molten inside.
Rotolo di Frittata Farcito
A thin frittata rolled around ham and provola, chilled and served cold in slices. Make-ahead antipasto.
Uova alla Coque
Soft-boiled eggs with toasted bread soldiers, from childhood to our kitchen now.
'Ova 'mpriatorio
Eggs poached in thick tomato sauce, with bread for the yolk.
Uova al Tegamino con Mozzarella
Skillet eggs with day-old mozzarella — five minutes, one pan, soft yolks in a white lake of cheese.
’O Rtaglio — Uova al Tegamino con Prosciutto
Fried eggs over crispy prosciutto trimmings. My father's favourite — named for the deli ritagli.
Sides & antipasti
72 recipes
Charcuterie & cold plates
Prosciutto e Mozzarella
Prosciutto crudo and fresh mozzarella, served at the right temperature with olive oil.
La Cultura dei Salumi
Salame Napoli, pancetta, capocollo, and the cured-meat pantry behind many recipes.
Le Olive in Campania
Olive verdi, Gaeta olives, and why a bowl of olives belongs on the Mediterranean table.
Antipasti & fried bites
Mozzarella di bufala
Still warm from the caseificio — the Campanian original.
Insalata Caprese
Tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, olive oil. The dish everyone knows and nobody quite makes the same way.
Bruschetta napoletana
Warm bread, raw garlic, your best olive oil, tomatoes.
La fresella
Wait for the tomatoes. Summer food for when nobody wants to cook.
Caponata napoletana
A cold Neapolitan bread salad with tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovies, and basil.
I Tramezzini
Crustless party triangles, from childhood tables to aperitivo.
Pasta Cresciuta
Neapolitan leavened batter fried in spoonfuls — antipasto, pizzette fritte, the cloud-soft fritter.
Arancini di riso
The treat that could not wait until dinner.
Crocchè di patate
Naples street food, my mother's kitchen.
Fiori di zucca
The golden flower of the Italian summer.
Pizzette o frittelle con i fiorilli
Fried zucchini blossoms — the street food of summer.
Fave e Pecorino
Fresh fava beans, Pecorino, olive oil, and spring.
Cozze gratinate
Mussels on the half shell, garlicky breadcrumbs, grilled until golden. The holiday antipasto.
Holiday
Cocktail di gamberetti
The pink-sauce shrimp cocktail that meant Christmas Eve or New Year had begun.
Alici Marinate
Fresh anchovies cured with lemon and vinegar. No heat, just freshness and acid.
Peppers · peperoni
Peperoni arrostiti
Roasted or sauteed peppers, all the warmth of summer.
Friggitelli · Peperoni alla Napoletana
The cold green pepper plate that smelled like summer.
Peperoni Gratinati
Sweet peppers baked with breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, garlic, and parsley. Summer from the oven.
Peperoni Sott'Aceto
Sweet peppers preserved in vinegar, better after a day or two.
Peperonata alla napoletana
Bell peppers cooked with tomato, onion, garlic, basil, capers, and olives.
Eggplant, zucchini & squash
Melanzane Grigliate
Charred eggplant dressed warm with olive oil, garlic, and parsley.
Summer
Melanzane a funghetto
Fried eggplant, vine-ripened tomatoes, garlic, chili, basil. A Neapolitan classic.
Melanzane sott'olio
My mother's jars, and a summer that lasted all year.
Insalata di Melanzane alla Napoletana
Boiled, squeezed, marinated — the light summer alternative to grilled eggplant. Melanzane all’insalata.
Summer
Melanzane a Scarpone
Eggplant shells stuffed with the pulp cooked a funghetto — olives, capers, tomatoes, breadcrumbs. Eaten alone.
Summer
Ciambotta napoletana
Eggplant, peppers, zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes: each fried separately, then brought together.
Zucchine Grigliate
Grilled zucchini dressed warm with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and lemon.
Zucchine alla scapece
Fried zucchini, sharp vinegar-and-mint dressing, garlic. Needs bread.
Zucca Grigliata
The long squash of Naples — 'a cucozza — grilled hard and dressed like scapece. Better the next day.
Involtini di melanzane alla napoletana
Eggplant rolled around mozzarella, tomato, and basil, then baked and gratinéed — my mother's summer party dish.
Vegetables & greens
Scarola Affogata
Escarole cooked in its own moisture with garlic, anchovies, olives, capers, pine nuts, and raisins.
Scarola all'Agro
Braised escarole with olives, capers, pine nuts, raisins, and vinegar. Bitter-sweet balance.
Friarielli
Olive oil, garlic, chili. The green that was always at home.
Funghi arrostiti alla napoletana
Pleurotus mushrooms grilled on cast iron, marinated with olive oil, garlic, parsley, vinegar. Better the next day.
Funghi trifolati
Mushrooms sautéed with garlic, oil, and parsley.
Piselli con Pancetta
Peas with onion and pancetta, or the simpler family version without it. A quiet side dish.
Spring
Patate novelle al forno
Patanielli roasted until crisp outside and soft inside.
Patate in teglia
Thin potato rounds layered with fresh tomato, red onion, and oregano — the classic Neapolitan layered version.
Patate al forno alla napoletana
The rustic version — large potato cubes, red onion, crushed tomato, and a generous hand of oregano, roasted until the edges go dark.
Salads · insalate
Insalate napoletane
How Naples does salad — at the end of the meal.
Le Insalate Verdi
Lattuga, wild arugula, scarola riccia. The green salads of home and countryside.
Insalata di pomodori
The dish that is summer. Dip bread into the juice.
Lattuga e Cipollina
Lattuga cappuccina torn by hand, spring onions, olive oil, salt, lemon. The simplest Neapolitan salad.
Insalata di Finocchio
Fennel sliced very thin, dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Five minutes, no fuss.
Cavolfiore con Olive e Capperi
Cauliflower with cherry tomatoes, black olives, capers, and olive oil. Light, colorful, and very good the next day.
Cavolfiore all'Insalata
Tender cauliflower dressed with garlic, olive oil, and vinegar.
Insalata di Rinforzo
The Neapolitan Christmas salad: cauliflower, giardiniera, papaccelle, olives, capers, and vinegar.
Insalata di Fagioli e Cipolle alla Napoletana
Cannellini beans, red onion, olive oil, vinegar, and basil. My father's summer contorno.
Insalata di patate e fagiolini
Potatoes, green beans, olive oil, vinegar. Summer in Campania.
Fagiolini all'Insalata alla Napoletana
Green beans, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and the Neapolitan summer table.
Fagiolini al Pomodoro
Green beans stewed in tomato, garlic, and olive oil. Simple, slow, and very Neapolitan.
Friarielli all'Insalata
Broccoli rabe dressed simply with garlic, olive oil, and vinegar.
Spinaci all'Insalata
Blanched spinach dressed with garlic, olive oil, and a touch of vinegar.
Insalata di Carote
Carrot salad two ways — raw julienne with lemon, or boiled and marinated. The steady side beside the fish.
Winter
Insalata Russa alla Napoletana
Creamy cold starter with diced vegetables, tuna, and boiled eggs. The Neapolitan Christmas classic.
Summer
Insalatona di Tonno alla Napoletana
Tuna in olive oil, cherry tomatoes, Gaeta olives, arugula and red onion. The no-stove summer dinner.
Il Carciofo a Napoli
The artichoke in Neapolitan cooking — varieties, history, the spring season, and all the preparations.
Spring
Carciofi Stufati alla Napoletana
Violet artichokes braised with garlic, parsley and white wine. The spring contorno that my mother swore by.
Spring
Grilled artichokes on the coals
Artichokes cooked over fire with olive oil, garlic, lemon, parsley, and mint.
Spring
Insalata di Carciofi alla Napoletana
Tender artichokes dressed warm with garlic, olive oil, parsley, and lemon.
Spring
Carciofi Indorati e Fritti
Violet artichoke wedges coated in egg and Pecorino, fried raw — golden and crispy. A spring celebration.
Spring
Carciofi alla Romana
Whole artichokes stuffed with garlic, parsley and mentuccia, braised upside-down. Dad's favourite.
Spring
Carciofi alla Giudia
Double-fried whole artichokes that open like bronze flowers. A Jewish Roman tradition from the 16th century.
Finocchi Arraganati
Baked fennel under breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, and cheese — my parents' favorite.
Funghi Ripieni alla Napoletana
Mushroom caps stuffed with their own stems, breadcrumbs, and cheese — a holiday side.
Melanzane a Cotolette
Breaded, fried eggplant cutlets — the cotoletta treatment applied to a vegetable.
Melanzane in Carrozza
Fried eggplant sandwiching mozzarella and basil — the eggplant answer to mozzarella in carrozza.
Crostata di Zucchine e Ricotta
A pasta brisée shell filled with sautéed zucchini and ricotta.
Crostata di Carciofi e Ricotta
The same shell, filled with braised artichokes and ricotta.
Sauces · sughi e salse
14 recipes
Cooked sauces · sughi
Sugo al pomodoro
The base tomato sauce, with onion and carrot.
Sciuè sciuè
Quick summer sauce of fresh cherry tomatoes.
Ragù napoletano
The Sunday smell that filled the building.
Il ragù di Peppe
Named after me. Cook it long.
Ragù alla Bolognese
Without pancetta, always with fresh tagliatelle.
Red sauce with sausage
A rich Neapolitan tomato sauce with sausage, garlic, basil, and a slow simmer.
Finto ragù
No meat, full of soul. Onion, tomato, oil, and time.
La Genovese napoletana
Hours of onion and beef — Naples' great onion ragù.
Besciamella
The béchamel behind arancini, conchiglioni, and more baked pasta on this blog.
Cold sauces, pesto & spreads · salse
Pinzimonio
Raw vegetables, good olive oil, salt — my mother's table starter.
Salsa Verde
The green caper-and-anchovy sauce for boiled meat and fish.
Pesto di Olive
Gaeta olives blended with oil, garlic, capers — a coarse paste for bruschetta and crostini.
Pesto di Basilico
The basic basil pesto, in a mortar or blender — for pasta, crostini, potatoes, and vegetables.
Pesto di Noci
The walnut pesto on its own — for pasta, crostini, gnocchi, and vegetables.
Pizza & bread
11 recipes
The pizzas of Naples
Margherita, Marinara, ripieno, salsiccia e friarielli, and the city that made pizza itself.
Pizza Margherita
Flour, water, yeast, salt, oil, time. Dough in the morning, dinner in the evening.
Pizzette fritte
The Christmas Eve snack, the party food, the thing you can't stop eating.
Easter
Pizza rustica
Ricotta, salami, provola — the savory celebration pie.
Easter
Tortano e casatiello
Naples' Easter ring — the same dough and filling, two names.
Pizza di scarola
Escarole pie with olives, capers, and pine nuts.
Pizza rossa in teglia
Sheet-pan pizza — tomato, sometimes mozzarella.
Calzone Napoletano
Chewy dough, hot filling, and the calzone near Caserta station.
La Parigina Napoletana
Pizza dough base, prosciutto and provola filling, crisp puff pastry on top. The rosticceria rectangle that ends up on every party tray.
Brioche Salata Napoletana
Babà rustico · Danubio salato — soft enriched dough filled with salami, provolone, and smoked scamorza. The Neapolitan celebration loaf.
Panzarotti di Spinaci e Scarola
Fried dough turnovers stuffed with spinach, escarole, and cheese — golden and steaming inside.
Street food
19 recipes
Street Food, the Soul of Naples
Five years among the vicoli — the smell, the people, the canon. Caserta had home cooking; Naples was the mecca.
Pizza a Portafoglio
The wallet pizza — fresh from the oven, folded in quarters, eaten in a few morsi walking. My college lunch.
Pizza Fritta e Montanara
The stuffed fried pizza (ricotta and cicoli) and the little montanara — two fried institutions.
'O Broro 'e Purpo
The legendary octopus broth — burning hot, peppery, with a tentacle in the cup. Once everywhere, now a rarity.
'O Pere e 'o Musso
The foot and the muzzle, served cold with lemon and sea salt — the oldest street food of Naples.
I panini di Napoli
Rosetta panini, cuzzetielli, and the bread-and-filling traditions of Naples.
Pizzette fritte
The Christmas Eve snack, the party food, the thing you can't stop eating.
Crocchè di patate
Naples street food, my mother's kitchen.
Pizzette o frittelle con i fiorilli
Fried zucchini blossoms — the street food of summer.
Sfogliatella riccia o frolla
The Neapolitan pastry-shop masterpiece: riccia, frolla, and why one is never enough.
Babà Napoletano
A soft yeast cake soaked in rum syrup. Born elsewhere, perfected in Naples.
La Parigina Napoletana
Naples' double-crust street food — pizza dough, ham and caciocavallo, crisp puff pastry on top. (The name means 'for the queen,' not 'from Paris.')
Sfogliata Napoletana Salata
The fastest rustic pie — two sheets of puff pastry with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, olives and oregano.
Arancini di Riso
Fried rice croquettes stuffed with meat ragù, peas, and provola — the Sicilian classic fully absorbed into the Neapolitan rosticceria window.
Frittatina di Pasta
Bucatini, béchamel, peas, provola — battered and fried. The queen of the rosticceria window.
La Rosticceria Napoletana
The shop behind the glass — crocchè, parigine, calzoncini, frittatine, and the vassoio di rustici for the party.
Panino Napoletano
'O pagnuttiello — enriched dough rolled around Salame Napoli, provolone, and hard-boiled egg, baked golden.
Panuozzo
The double-baked pizza sandwich from Gragnano — charred, airy, stuffed with mortadella and burrata or sausage and friarielli.
Tarallo Napoletano
'Nzogna e pepe — a large braided ring of lard dough, black pepper, and toasted almonds. The iconic Naples street snack, with a cold beer.
Breakfast · colazione
13 recipes
Il caffè a Napoli
How Naples makes — and drinks — its coffee.
Caffè d'Orzo
Roasted barley brewed like espresso, frothed like a cappuccino, with no caffeine. Nonna Titti's morning ritual.
Cioccolata calda napoletana
Cocoa, cornstarch, dark chocolate — the thick, spoon-coating classical version from Naples.
Cioccolata calda americana
Maple syrup, honey, vanilla — the version that crossed an ocean and settled in Massachusetts.
Biscotti e latte
Biscuits dunked in warm milk — the everyday breakfast.
Pane, burro e marmellata
The Italian breakfast that needs no recipe.
Plumcake allo yogurt
The Italian breakfast cake measured in yogurt pots.
Cornetto Napoletano
The Neapolitan cornetto: softer, sweeter, and often filled with pastry cream.
Torta Caprese
Chocolate, almonds, no flour. The cake that was always there.
Torta di Noci di Sorrento
Moist, fragrant walnut cake from Sorrento. A refined Neapolitan dessert.
Torta di mele
The breakfast apple cake my father loved.
Crostata
The Italian grandmother's tart. Pasta frolla, jam, strawberries on top.
Presto Fatto
The marbled breakfast ciambellone — lemon and cocoa, made with oil so it stays soft for days.
Snacks · merende
9 recipes
Pane, olio, sale e limone
After-school bread with oil, salt, and lemon.
Il pane nel sugo
The Sunday ritual — bread dipped in the sauce.
La Nutella
On fresh bread, pan carrè, warm milk, or a spoon.
Merendine e Crackers
School snacks, afternoon merenda, and the packaged cakes of an Italian childhood.
Il Toast
Pan carrè, prosciutto cotto, Sottiletta, pressed hot.
I panini di Napoli
Rosetta panini, cuzzetielli, and the bread-and-filling traditions of Naples.
Il Formaggino
The little foil-wrapped cheese that was always in the refrigerator.
Il Pan Carrè
The square sliced bread for toast, tramezzini, and Nutella.
Tarallo Napoletano
'Nzogna e pepe — lard, black pepper, toasted almonds. The Neapolitan aperitivo snack, with a cold beer.
Desserts, fruit, cheese & wine
68 recipes
Fresh & dried fruit
I Frutti Iconici di Napoli
Crisommola, Melannurca, Percoca, Limone di Sorrento — four IGP fruits born from volcanic soil and Mediterranean climate.
Il piatto di frutta
The Neapolitan afternoon fruit plate — a refreshing daily ritual.
La Melannurca Campana
The Queen of Apples — Campania's small, crisp, aromatic heritage apple.
Winter
Arance con lo zucchero
Orange slices, sugar, and the syrup that makes itself.
Summer
Macedonia di frutta napoletana
Fresh fruit with lemon, sugar, and a little patience.
Winter
Pere al vino rosso
The winter dessert my father remembered from childhood.
Summer
Vino e percoche
The Neapolitan sangria: firm yellow peaches in wine.
Strawberries with lemon
My father's favorite dessert. Strawberries, lemon, a little sugar. It makes its own syrup.
Summer
Fichi in Campania
Fresh in August, dried in winter. Two seasons, one fruit.
Summer
Fico d'India
Prickly pears, hillsides, childhood stories, and how to peel one carefully.
Frutta Secca in Campania
Ciociole, hazelnuts, walnuts, chestnuts, figs: the holiday bowl that never left the table.
Autumn
Castagne al Forno
Roasted chestnuts: score the cross, roast hot, eat immediately.
Pinoli di Campania
Little treasures beneath the pines, cracked open and eaten on the spot.
Cheeses · formaggi
I formaggi di Campania
Provolone del Monaco, caciotta, and local cheeses.
Sweets · dolci
La pasticceria napoletana
The Sunday tray — sfogliatelle, babà, and more.
Sfogliatella riccia o frolla
The Neapolitan pastry-shop masterpiece: riccia, frolla, and why one is never enough.
Babà Napoletano
A soft yeast cake soaked in rum syrup. Born elsewhere, perfected in Naples.
Summer
Il Gelato Artigianale
Summer gelato, eaten fast, with the people you love.
Summer
Caffè Affogato
Freezer gelato, hot coffee poured on top — after lunch with my mother and sister.
Summer
I Gelati Confezionati
Cornetto, Fior di Fragola, Coppa del Nonno, and the beach bar.
Tiramisù
The cake that gives you strength. My favorite for a birthday.
Salame di cioccolato
The no-bake chocolate-and-biscuit dessert from 1980s birthday parties and merenda.
Crema al limone alla napoletana
Pale yellow lemon custard — fragrant with Amalfi lemon, my father's favorite Sunday dessert.
Crema al cioccolato alla napoletana
Rich dark chocolate custard on a pastry cream base — served cold, the version I preferred.
Profiteroles alla napoletana
Choux puffs in chocolate cream.
Zuppa Inglese
The Italian trifle: ladyfingers, Alchermes, vanilla custard, and childhood color.
Castagnaccio Napoletano
Dark chocolate, chestnut flour, cocoa, raisins — a rich baked dessert from the Neapolitan autumn.
Torta di Noci di Sorrento
Moist, fragrant walnut cake from Sorrento. A refined Neapolitan dessert.
Torta Ricotta e Pere
Creamy ricotta, sweet pears, lemon zest. My mother made this for breakfast and for guests.
Torta Caprese
Chocolate, almonds, no flour. The cake that was always there.
Torta di mele
The breakfast apple cake my father loved.
Crostata
The Italian grandmother's tart. Pasta frolla, jam, strawberries on top.
Delizia al Limone
The lemon dome of the Amalfi coast — sponge, lemon cream, white chocolate. My father’s Sunday favorite.
Profiteroles alla Crema di Limone
The lemon pyramid of our Sunday lunches — my mother’s recipe, recovered by text. My father’s true favorite.
Pan di Spagna
Eggs, sugar, and flour whipped and baked plain — the sponge behind most of the Sunday pastry tray.
Pan di Spagna nella Tradizione Napoletana
Every sponge cake in the Neapolitan pastry tray, side by side — a guide.
Zuppetta Napoletana
Strega-soaked pan di spagna between two crackling layers of puff pastry — il diplomatico.
Scazzetta del Cardinale
Salerno's domed sponge cake, glazed pink with chantilly and wild strawberries inside.
Teste di Moro
Rum-soaked sponge domes filled with chocolate cream, rolled in chocolate sprinkles.
Cassatina Napoletana
A small glazed sponge shell filled with sweetened ricotta and chocolate chips — not the Sicilian cassata.
Torta Mimosa
Sponge cake covered entirely in its own crumbled sponge, made to look like mimosa flowers.
Torta Polacca
Aversa's tall brioche cake, filled with crema pasticcera and sour cherries.
Cassata Napoletana
Ricotta, sponge, candied fruit, almond paste — my father's favorite, though it's really Sicilian.
Crostata di Fragole e Crema Pasticcera
Pasta frolla, vanilla pastry cream, fresh strawberries — my mother's birthday cake.
Crostata Amalfitana
Lemon crema pasticcera and amarene, baked into a lattice-topped shell.
Crostata della Babbaiola
Naples' other ricotta tart — ricotta folded into lemon pastry cream, not pastiera.
Deliziosa Napoletana
Hazelnut cream between two frolla disks, edge rolled in toasted hazelnuts.
Torta di Pan di Spagna con Chantilly e Fragole
Sponge, chantilly cream, and strawberries — one of my own favorites.
Le Creme della Pasticceria Napoletana
Pasticcera, diplomatica, chantilly, ricotta, mascarpone, ganache — every cream, and which cake uses which.
Holiday sweets · the guide
Holiday cakes and pastry
Christmas, Carnival, Easter, and summer sweets from the Italian tradition.
Christmas & Epiphany
Christmas
Torroni Natalizi
Soft, crunchy, chocolate, Strega. The torrone table from December to Epiphany.
Christmas
Neapolitan struffoli
Christmas honey balls with citrus, honey, candied fruit, and sprinkles.
Mostaccioli Napoletani
The Neapolitan Christmas biscuit: spiced, chocolate-covered, and fragrant with pisto.
Rococco Napoletani
Old Neapolitan almond cookies with a crisp, cracked meringue shell.
6 Jan
La Calza della Befana
January 6th, the stocking, sweets, dried fruit, and a little edible carbone.
Susamielli e Raffiuoli
Two Christmas elders of the Neapolitan tray — the S-shaped spice cookie and the white-glazed sponge oval.
Carnival & Lent
Carnival
Chiacchiere napoletane
Thin, blistered, dusted with powdered sugar. It wasn't Carnival if my mother didn't make them.
Quaresimali
Twice-baked almond biscotti for Lent, crunchy and scented with cinnamon.
Migliaccio alla Napoletana
Semolino, ricotta, orange blossom. The ancient Neapolitan Carnival dessert.
Sanguinaccio Dolce
The Carnival chocolate cream — once made with pig's blood, today dense spiced chocolate for dipping chiacchiere.
San Giuseppe · March 19
19 March
Zeppole di San Giuseppe
Choux pastry, custard cream, amarena cherry, and March 19th.
Zeppoline di Patate
My mother's potato fritters — for San Giuseppe, for summer beach evenings, for parties.
Easter · Pasqua
Easter
Pastiera Napoletana
The Neapolitan Easter tart with wheat, ricotta, eggs, citrus, and pastry.
Casatiello dolce
The sweet Easter bread of Naples, scented with citrus and finished with icing.
Easter
Uova di Pasqua in Campania
Chocolate Easter eggs, artisanal shells, and the present hidden inside.
Wines & drinks
I vini di Campania
From the damigiana to Falanghina and Aglianico.
I liquori di Campania
Limoncello, nocino, and after-dinner digestivi.
Limoncello e Crema di Limoncello
Two Amalfi Coast liqueurs: sharp limoncello and smooth crema di limoncello.