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LA BELLA VITA

The Art of Italian Living

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Fiori di Zucca Ripieni
Baked Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Crostata di Frutta Estiva
Summer Fruit and Berry Tart

A Taste of Trentino-Alto Adige
Nonna’s Italian Apple Cake

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July 8, 2024 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Fiori di Zucca Ripieni
Baked Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

As much as I like admiring summer flowers in the garden, I love to eat them even more! Not all flowers are edible, but squash flowers—better known as zucchini blossoms—are the highly anticipated golden gifts of summer in Italy and on my Italian table. These delicately flavored flowers are as delectable as they are beautiful,…

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June 19, 2024 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Crostata di Frutta Estiva
Summer Fruit and Berry Tart

Summer is finally here and time for all the sweet, juicy stone fruits that we long for all year. Not to mention the berries! I can never get enough of apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and often find it hard to decide which one to eat or bake with next (too much choice…

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January 12, 2024 By Deborah Dal Fovo 1 Comment

A Taste of Trentino-Alto Adige
Nonna’s Italian Apple Cake

My Nonna’s Italian Apple Cake recipe was inspired by my Italian grandmother. Though I was only 5 years old when Nonna Luigia left this world, memories of her are vivid and the influence she had on me everlasting. A sweet, loving woman with a warm smile and twinkle in her eyes, Nonna wore a permanent apron…

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January 10, 2024 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

A Slice of the Dolomites
The Return to my Italian Roots

One of the greatest joys of my career has been organizing my Taste Trentino Culinary Tour in the Dolomites to the place of my Italian family roots in Trentino-Alto Adige. Words can’t convey the excitement of sharing this hidden gem in the majestic Dolomite mountains where my ancestors settled in the 1400s—it’s surreal! When I…

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June 7, 2023 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

The Best of Both Worlds
Rhubarb Berry Balsamic Crisp {GF}

rhubarb berry balsamic crisp (gf)

I’m a firm believer in enjoying the best of both worlds. Why choose one thing over another when you can have it all? As a multicultural, bilingual, dual citizen of both Italy and the U.S., I’ve lived by this mantra my entire adult life. Blending diverse cultures makes life more interesting…and definitely more delicious. Take…

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March 24, 2023 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Cookies for Breakfast
Italian Wholegrain Breakfast Cookies {GF}

Cookies for breakfast? Yes, please, or rather, si’ grazie! And that’s exactly what I eat in Italy, where a light breakfast of Italian croissant (called cornetto or brioche) or a few cookies dipped into frothy cappuccino or caffe’ latte is customary. No eggs and bacon for breakfast here, which are reserved for spaghetti alla carbonara…

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January 29, 2023 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Spiced Brown Butter
Gnocchi di Patate Dolci al Burro Nocciola Speziato

Sometimes, inspiration strikes just when you need it and that’s exactly how this recipe was born. It was a cold, grey winter day and I craved potato gnocchi for comfort. Only I didn’t have any russet potatoes on hand. What I did have, however, was a nice big Jewel sweet potato. Pear shaped with dark orange…

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September 7, 2021 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Busiate with Trapanese Pesto
Busiate al Pesto Trapanese

Nothing says summer like sun kissed tomatoes—ripe, juicy, and bursting with flavor. And, nothing says summer pasta like Busiate with Trapanese Pesto (Busiate al Pesto Trapanese) starring those peak-season, sun saturated tomatoes. Yes, tomatoes in pesto. It’s the “other” pesto—a sultry, seductive southern Italian version of the Genovese classic. This ethereal pasta dish comes from…

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July 22, 2021 By Deborah Dal Fovo 3 Comments

Apricot Almond Cake
Torta di Mandorle e Albicocche

apricot almond cake with crown of slivered almonds

Funny how what goes around comes around…even in cake making! This Apricot Almond Cake has its origins decades ago when I was living in the countryside of Tuscany and the fruit trees on our property had an unexpected bumper crop one year and I found myself with bushels of apricots to make use of. Some…

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June 17, 2021 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Apricots in Vanilla Syrup
Albicocche Sciroppate

Apricots in Vanilla Syrup

Carpe diem! That’s the Latin phrase meaning “seize the day” and it was exactly what I did when I spotted the first apricots of the year at my farmers’ market. While I always prepare jam with summer apricots, this fruit was so small and perfect that I decided to make my Apricots in Vanilla Syrup…

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February 15, 2020 By Deborah Dal Fovo 2 Comments

PROOF IN THE PUDDING
MAGIC LEMON PUDDING {GLUTEN AND DAIRY FREE RECIPE}

magic lemon pudding on blue plate

Once in a blue moon, I come across a recipe that surprises me. This Magic Lemon Pudding is one of those. When my food writing mentor and friend, Tori Ritchie, posted a genius recipe for Lemon Meringue Pudding on her blog, I was intrigued. She found it in her mother’s recipe box and it was an…

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April 18, 2019 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

SAVORY EASTER TART
TORTA SALATA PASQUALE

savory-easter-tart

Easter is a time of new beginnings. Of transformation and rebirth. So, why not give a traditional dish new life with a modern update? That’s precisely what I was thinking when I did a riff on the classic Italian Easter pie, Torta Pasqualina, to create my Savory Easter Tart. Don’t get me wrong—I love Torta Pasqualina with…

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February 14, 2019 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

BITTERSWEET LOVE {SALAD}
Blood Orange, Arugula & Red Onion Salad

bittersweet love salad

For lovers around the world, Valentine’s Day is a giddy time to celebrate shared love with hearts and flowers, candy and candle-lit dinners. But what about those of us who are love-less? The ones who lost love, were betrayed in love, or for whom love never even bothered to show up. You know, the kind…

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January 21, 2019 By Deborah Dal Fovo 4 Comments

Ribollita
Tuscan Bread & Vegetable Soup

ribollita with spoon

Brrrr, it’s cold outside. The perfect time to make a big pot of Ribollita, the iconic Florentine soup that appears on every restaurant menu in Tuscany and beyond each winter. In fact, it’s so popular that the entire Tuscan region has adopted it as its own. Ribollita is the queen of la cucina povera Toscana—Tuscan peasant cooking—and…

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February 13, 2017 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Valentine’s Day Dinner:
Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

How do I love thee? Let me count the ravioli. Seriously, there’s no better way to say “I love you” than with a plate of handmade pasta lovingly crafted and offered as a token of your affection. After all, you put a little bit of yourself into every bite by kneading, rolling and shaping the…

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January 27, 2017 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Patience and persimmons
Persimmon and Pecan Bread

Persimmon and Pecan Bread - Hachiya persimmon pulp is the star ingredient in this irresistibly fragrant fruit and nut bread.

It’s often said that patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait. This is especially true when it comes to Hachiya persimmons, an obscure and misunderstood winter fruit known as kaki to the Japanese and cachi to Italians. These persimmons are often confused with the flatter Fuyu variety that is eaten firm…

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December 20, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 4 Comments

Sweet Italian Christmas:
Panettone Filled with Whipped Cream, Chocolate and Hazelnuts

Most Italians would agree with me when I say that it wouldn’t be Christmas without Panettone. This golden dome-shaped sweet bread studded with raisins, candied orange peel and citron, that traditionally makes its appearance for Christmas and New Year, is a must to celebrate the holidays in Italy. You see them everywhere from artisan bakery windows to specialty stores and supermarkets, wrapped in…

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November 5, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Tuscany in California: Schiacciata con l’uva
Tuscan Grape Focaccia

Grape Focaccia - Schiacciata con l'uva: A sweet wine harvest flatbread from Tuscany made with layers of bread dough filled and topped with wine harvest grapes and sugar. When baked, the grapes and sugar meld together to create a jammy center with crunchy seeds. Simply deliziosa!

When I lived in Tuscany, autumn’s arrival each year was heralded by a sudden flurry of activity in the countryside. The spell of summer’s lazy lull was broken by a revived energy as locals awakened from their sleepy trance eager to return to normal routine. One of the first signs of this risveglio was the annual wine harvest called la vendemmia. As if beckoned by the waving of a flag at the starting…

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October 16, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

An Ode to Pasta:
Straw and Hay Pasta with Truffles

An Ode to Pasta - Handmade egg and spinach pasta ribbons simply dressed with butter sauce and adorned with fragrant truffle shavings is the ultimate delicacy and ode to pasta.

Today, October 17, is National Pasta Day! To celebrate, I’m honored to partner with premier Italian cookware maker Lagostina for my first ever giveaway. I’m giving a Lagostina Martellata Hammered Copper Pastaiola, like the one you see in this post, to one of lucky readers/followers (a $249.99 retail value!!). Lagostina gave me one of these beautiful pots to make my recipe for pasta day…

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September 23, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 2 Comments

Sweet September:
Pork Tenderloin with Figs and Balsamic Sauce

A funny thing happened last week while I was thinking about writing this recipe post: my friend Dorothy invited me to an impromptu dinner at her house. I jumped in my car and headed down the hill before remembering her mention that the fig tree in her garden was particularly bountiful this year. So I turned around and went home to grab…

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August 30, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Savoring Summer
Baked Sunset Peaches with Amaretti Filling

Baked Sunset Peaches with Amaretti Filling - Yellow peach halves are filled with fragrant ground almonds, sugar and fruit pulp then baked until luscious and gloriously golden with ruby red rims.

When I was a little girl, I used to play a secret game at the dinner table. I would identify my favorite food on the plate and save a bit of it off to one side to enjoy last. I wanted the special taste to linger in my mouth—and in my mind—after the meal ended. When dinner was almost over,…

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August 27, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 5 Comments

Love & Pasta
Spaghetti all’Amatriciana

Spaghetti all'Amatriciana - This world reknowned dish hails from the town of Amatrice and was adopted by Rome as one of its signature dishes. It's made with cured pork jowl bacon, tomatoes, garlic and - of course - spaghetti or bucatini. Simply deliziosa!

Everyone knows the world famous Pasta all’Amatriciana. You’ve most likely eaten it at your favorite Italian restaurant or (if you were lucky) during a trip to Rome, the city that adopted it as its own. But you probably didn’t know that this pasta dish—one of Italy’s greatest—originated in the ancient, hillside town of Amatrice located in central Italy 140 kilometers from Rome….

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August 15, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 2 Comments

The Sweet Taste of Summer
Peperonata Crostini

Peperonata Crostini – Colorful, sweet and tangy Peperonata makes a vibrant and tasty topping for toasted bread as an irresistible appetizer.

When life gives you peppers, you make Peperonata. Then you make Peperonata Crostini to accompany a pre-dinner glass of wine to tease the taste buds and get the party started. That’s exactly what I did this summer in Italy. We invited last minute guests to dinner and I needed bite size appetizers to serve with the aperitivi. When my friend…

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June 24, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 4 Comments

You say tomato, I say “Pomodori al Riso”
Baked Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

Baked Rice Stuffed Tomatoes - Pomodori al Riso is a beloved Roman summer dish featuring intensely flavored tomatoes filled with garlic and herb scented rice then baked until wrinkly on a sea of golden potatoes. Simply deliziosi!

No sooner did I set foot in Italy last summer than the entertaining began. We just arrived in Tuscany and there was already a huge bash happening that night at the villa to celebrate Gianni’s niece’s 18th birthday. A gran gala complete with all the trimmings of an A-list affair had been in the planning…

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June 10, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 9 Comments

A Warm Welcome Home – My Return to Tuscany
Tuscan Farro and Bean Soup

Chef Deborah Dal Fovo at her kitchen door in Tuscany

It was almost midnight when the loud ping of my cell phone announced a message had arrived on WhatsApp. Must be from Italy, I thought, since all my friends here in California were probably asleep. I clicked open the phone, unprepared for the emotional surprise it held. “Gallena vi aspetta!” read the exclamation beneath a photo,…

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ABOUT ME:

Ciao, I'm Italian chef & cooking expert Deborah Dal Fovo and welcome to my delicious world! In this blog I share my art of creating the beautiful Italian lifestyle known as "la bella vita". Enjoy! Read More…

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  • Fiori di Zucca Ripieni
    Baked Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms
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    Summer Fruit and Berry Tart
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    Nonna’s Italian Apple Cake
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    The Return to my Italian Roots

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Fiori di Zucca Ripieni
Baked Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

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Summer Fruit and Berry Tart

A Taste of Trentino-Alto Adige
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A Slice of the Dolomites
The Return to my Italian Roots

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