Pasta with Mushrooms, White Wine, and Cream...

Sep 19, 2010 by

I got into this simple dish when I was living in Turkey. I lived in an isolated home about 45 minutes from Isparta's city center, with windows so badly insulated that it sounded like I lived in a tea kettle whenever the wind blew--which was every day, all the time. I swear the house could have been in the 1939 production of Wuthering Heights. Anyway, one day I finally found out where to buy alcohol in my town--it's not easy once you're out of the tourist destinations. I had a chunk of parmesan from my last visit to Italy that Guido (my Italian boyfriend) had wrapped in foil and stuffed in my suitcase. Finally, I had a precious bag of gluten-free pasta that my best friend Melanie sent me for my birthday. All I...

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Surprisingly Fabulous Tuna Pasta (and Hand Gestures You Shouldn’t Make in Italy)...

Aug 27, 2010 by

I just have to come out and say it--this pasta may not look fabulous, and it may not sound fabulous, but it is surprisingly super duper fabulous...even though it's made with canned tuna. When Guido pulled out the canned tuna to try out this recipe one evening, I had my doubts. So did he, which is why when I came in to the kitchen to help cook, he jokingly referred to his dish as "la cena del cornuto." La corna In southern Italy one of the worst things you can call a man is a cornuto, and don't you dare think about making the sign of the horns (la corna) by extending your index and pinkie finger...unless you're looking for a fight. Calling a man a cornuto is the same as telling him he's...

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