The Foods of Molise: What to Eat and Drink in Molise
Filed Under Destination Features, Food History, Travel Tips
When clients ask us where to go for an ultra-authentic cooking vacation in Italy, some place off the beaten path where they can experience authentic Italian life and flavors, one of our first answers is Molise! Molise, as we have noted elsewhere, is so little-traveled by tourist, and so unknown even by Italians from other reasons, that it is jokingly said "not to exist." But it does exist, and it… Read
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Recipe for Casunziei: Beet-Filled Ravioli from the Dolomites
Filed Under Destination Features, Food History, Recipes
One of the more unique recipes for ravioli that you will find are Casunziei ampezzani, named for the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo in Dolomites of the Veneto region. This half-moon pasta can be filled with a variety of seasonal produce, but is most often filled with a mix of beetroot and potato, making it very colorful. It is served dressed with a butter and poppy seeds, giving it a very… Read
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Top Five Foodie Finds on Our Northern Italy Culinary Tour
Filed Under Destination Features, Travel Tips, Wines & Spirits
Northern Italy is one of Europe's most gastronomically rich and interesting places, and it is the perfect destination for a foodie tour of Italy. Bordered as it is by France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and the Mediterranean Sea, you will find a wealth of gastronomic influences in a small geographical area. And that is not to mention the varied terrain. From the high peaks of the Alps to the fertile plains… Read
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Tours You Can Select on Our Rome Culinary Vacations
Filed Under Destination Features, Travel Tips, What's Up at TIK
Rome is perhaps my very favorite city in the world. We have long organized custom itineraries in Rome for our travelers, including hotels, foodie tours, cooking classes, cultural tours, and more. And now we offer two set culinary tours in Rome, one of 3 nights and one of 5 nights, which you can select as offered or customize to your heart's delights! Part of the charm of Rome are all… Read
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Types of Pizza in Italy and the US
Filed Under Food History
Happy National Pizza Day! Is pizza the most popular food on the planet? I haven't done any research on the subject, but I'm sure it has to be. You can find it pretty much anywhere, and it is always recognizable as pizza, no matter how varied it may seem from place to place. Some people are pizza purists, and they tend to like the pizza they grew up with. I'm… Read
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Recipe for Roman Carbonara
Filed Under Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes
Carbonara is one of the most famous of Roman pasta dishes, but also one of the most argued about. Even in Italy, there are passionate disagreements about the "true" recipe for carbonara. Should you use guanciale or pancetta? Should you use parmigiano or pecorino? Does it have onion? Whole egg or only the yolks? If you head out of Rome and the Lazio region, you'll find even more variety in… Read
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Mediterranean Food Tours: Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe from Greece
Filed Under Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes
Stuffed grape leaves are a staple throughout many eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. They are delicious and versatile, can be stuffed with meat or with rice (or other grains), can be served hot or room-temperature, with or without a sauce. There is little you can't do with this tasty treat! Learn more about Middle Eastern cuisine. I make stuffed grape leaves every year for my husband's birthday to celebrate… Read
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Recipe for Easy Thai Beef and Noodle Soup
Filed Under Kitchen Tips, Recipes
Winter time is soup time in our home. You might have noticed I have a soup recipe for pretty much every day of January and February! I particularly enjoy spicy soups like this spicy beef and noodle soup, as they seem even more hearty and warming! One thing I love about Asian soups is their combination of hot, savory ingredients with fresh herbs. I think it is a match made… Read
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5 Things to See in Tours France on a French Food and Wine Vacation
Filed Under Destination Features, Travel Tips
France has many cities that we love, each with its own unique character. And one of the most beautiful is Tours, located in the heart of the Loire Valley, nestled along the Loire River and the smaller Cher River. Tours is quintessentially French, with a beautiful, UNESCO World Heritage center that dates back to the Middle Ages, rolling vineyards and AOC denominations spreading out from it, and plenty of art,… Read
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Russian Tea Cake Recipe for National Cookie Day
Filed Under Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, Special Occasions
December 3 is National Cookie Day, so why not dedicate a blog to everyone's favorite sweet treat and a fabulous Russian tea cake cookie recipe? The word "cookie" originally comes from the Dutch word "koekje," meaning cake. Of course, much of the English-speaking world calls them "biscuits," but that just shows how influential Dutch immigrants were on the development of American English. Cookies were originally made as a way to… Read
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