Why PASTAttack

Benvenuti nel mio blog!

Welcome to my blog!  

The purpose of this blog is to provide humanity with simple and easy Italian, and more broadly Mediterranean cooking recipes. I am writing this primarily for my children: to leave them a culinary memory from mom, grandparents and great-grandparents in Italy, which I hope will turn into blessings to their little stomachs and to generations to come.

I also hope that friends, and friends of friends will avail themselves of these recipes to discover the joy that comes from cooking and tasting fresh ingredients ( at a moderate cost).

Most of my recipes will be typical of the Campania Region, in Italy, and more in particular of the city of Salerno and the Amalfi Coast.

I would love to invite my Italian friends to be guest bloggers and share their favorite recipe(s) from their native areas.  (Just email me if you would like to do that).

So, here we go!

Buon Appetito!

Typical Italian Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Shop on the island  of Capri

Briefly about me:

I am Carmen, mom of three wonderful children and wife to a wonderful husband, all with a healthy appetite. I am originally from Salerno, Italy, and have lived in the Boston area for about twenty years.
Cooking is a passion that runs deeply in our family: my brothers and  two cousins  are chefs and pastry chefs, here in Boston and in Salerno. Their creations are higly sophisticated. Mine are simple and down to earth but in full respect of our Southern Italian culinary rules and traditions.
My father was my guru. From him I have learned most of what I know. When I was in middle-school, he used to write down simple recipes for me to cook upon my return from school, before he would come home from work. He started me on salads and slowly worked my way up into quick and, most of all, creative pastas, second courses, and side dishes. From him I have also learned how to prepare fantastic fish dishes. 
My mother and grandmother are the more traditional cooks in the family and they have taught me the more elaborate dishes, like ragù, meat, parmigiane di melanzane e zucchini and more.
Hope you will enjoy what we eat!