My favorite italian chefs

Between all the food related televisions shows I watch and my obsession with Pinterest, I'm on recipe overload!  So, rather than share awesome recipes, I thought I would share my favorite italian chefs with you instead.

My #1 favorite italian chef is David Ruggerio.  His PBS cooking show from back in the day, Little Italy, remains my favorite cooking show ever.  He briefly went on to the Food Network, however, he ran into some personal problems that kept him in the headlines, but not in a positive light.  He disappeared from the Food Network and I haven't been able to find old episodes of Little Italy on PBS.  His recipes most closely resembled those of my nana, which is probably the reason he is my favorite.  I'm hoping he can overcome the obstacles and make a triumphant comeback.  Until then, he has a page on Facebook . . . and I found a video on You Tube . . .






Nick Stelleno spent the first 17 years of his life in Palermo, Sicily.  He enjoyed a successful Wall Street career after immigrating to the United States, but a culinary career kept calling him.  With no formal culinary education, he went from a dishwasher to one of the most popular chefs in the United States.

Click here for one of my favorite recipes from Nick Stelleno, which includes a video.  Check it out if you have never experienced Nick Stelleno, he is very entertaining!

Lidia Bastianich is an Emmy award-winning public television host, a best‐selling cookbook author, restaurateur, and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business.  I've enjoyed her television series for as long as I can remember.  What I love most about Lidia is the way she weaves stories of the old days in Italy, her travels, and her recent series features Italian-Americans and how they have brought the Italian culture to their communities . . . along with her delicious recipes and cooking tips.





What a busy lady!  Her zest for life and a passion for everything Italian is delightful and makes me so very proud to be an Italian-American.

There you have it, my top 3 favorite italian chefs . . . each of them has influenced my italian kitchen!

Baked Smoked Ham

Ever since I found this recipe on David Ruggerio's PBS cooking show "Little Italy" (at least 15 years ago), it has been MY recipe for baked ham. I had tried various recipes, but this is "the one", even though it can get very messy putting the brown sugar on a very hot ham and ending up with burning hands. It is worth it!!

David Ruggerio remains my absolute favorite television chef even though he has not been on television since his unfortunate legal problems . . . not for me to judge! I do miss his sparkling wittypersonality, awesome recipes and "back in the day" stories that parallel my background and reminded me of my childhood . . . well, yeah, he's a sicilian italian. Come back David, your biggest fan misses you!

Here is the recipe for the most awesome baked ham ever . . .

1 large smoked ham, about 12 to 18 pounds
whole cloves
3 cups pineapple juice
I pound dark brown sugar
One 16-ounce bottle dark corn syrup

Preheat the oven to 325° F

Place the ham in a shallow pan. Score the fat and cover it with cloves. Pour the pineapple juice over the ham and bake for 12 minutes per pound.

After baking 1 1/2 hours, remove the ham from the oven and carefully (watch out . . . it is very hot) pat the brown sugar on top, completely covering the top of the ham. Gently pour the corn syrup over the ham, being careful not to disturb the sugar covering. Continue baking, basting every 15 minutes.

Remove the ham from the oven and continue basting until it is cooled, leaving a beautiful glazed look.

I use the remaining syrup as a "gravy" for the ham . . . added cornstarch makes it thicker. I don't measure . . . take a little cornstarch at a time until you get the desired consistency.

A video clip from the series "Little Italy"