If you’ve followed this blog long enough, you know I grew up in a rather large Italian-American family.  My grandparents lived two blocks from us and my great aunts and uncles lived within a five block radius.  All said, about fifty of us cuginos lived within a few miles of each other.  Christmas Eve was our night to all gather together, enjoy more than a few toasts and saluds, and feast on our...

The post An Italian Christmas Tradition – Calamari Tomato Sauce Recipe appeared first on The Wandering Gourmand.

The Gourmand household has been hashtag trending on eating seasonal.  Sure that’s easy to say in the middle of the summer when the tomatoes are plump, the peppers are ripe, and the peaches are juicy.  But with the recent addition of the Weeknight Fresh and Fast cookbook (you gotta buy this) to our library, we plan to keep the trend going year round.  You’d be surprised what the Farmers Market offers beyond...

The post Winner Winner Pesto Pasta Dinner + Recipe appeared first on The Wandering Gourmand.

Beer with Basil Pesto?  Who would have thunk?  I wouldn’t have, but Beer in my Belly sure thought it was a winning combination with this month’s first suggestion of Saison Renaud from Mystic Brewery.  So did KC Hop Talk with their nomination of Boulevard’s Tank 7, a farmhouse ale.  I was stymied.  I couldn’t believe the first two suggestions were beer!  I guess this further exemplifies the purpose of this challenge – to...

The post Pesto Pasta Pairing Challenge – The Vote appeared first on The Wandering Gourmand.

Congratulations to June’s Beer Versus Wine Challenge winner –HL from Wander and Wine!  Part of the honor includes coming up with July’s challenge.  Below is HL’s post and challenge food.  Participants have until next Tuesday, July 15 to turn in their suggestion before we take it to a vote.  Winner gets to present August’s challenge.  For more on the rules, click here. When I studied abroad in Rome, I fell in love with...

The post Beer Versus Wine – The Perfect Pesto Pasta Pairing appeared first on The Wandering Gourmand.

I’m going to write this post in true Boston manner and focus only on what it’s about with no fluff.  If you want to read about the history of Santarpio’s Pizza in East Boston or the rival with Regina’s for best pizza in town, go find it elsewhere on the web.  If you want to read about the pizza, then keep reading, baby! I wasn’t planning to eat pizza on my overnight...

The post Santarpio’s Pizza in East Boston – Truly the Best in Town appeared first on The Wandering Gourmand.

I was fortunate to grow up in a community that was predominantly Italian.  The influences were everywhere.  The Italian flag waved in most shops and restaurants.  Pizza parlors sat on almost every corner.  Five star restaurants served only Italian food (as they should).  Even the bars had better Italian food than I have found in the best Italian restaurants here in Charlotte.  Then there were the summer festivals.  Whether it was a...

The post Tastes from Home – Festival Cheese Puffs! appeared first on The Wandering Gourmand.