Francine Segan
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Francine Segan, food historian and expert on Italian cuisine, is a James Beard nominated author of six cookbooks, including PASTA MODERN: New & Inspired Recipes from Italy and DOLCI: Italy’s Sweets.
She gives a popular series, UNDISCOVERED ITALY, at the prestigious Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC and at NYC’s premiere cultural center the 92nd St Y. She is a frequent guest speaker at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University and numerous museums across the country such as the Virginia Fine Arts Museum and Lightner Museum.
She is a regular on the Food Network, PBS, Discovery and History Channels and writes for a number of publications including Saveur and Epicurius Magazines. She has been quoted as in hundreds of newspapers and magazines including the USA Today, The New York Times, Wall St Journal, Fine Cooking and Vogue magazines.
She is frequent food judge and has been on the judging panel for the Fancy Food Show, Baccardi Cocktail Competition, Barilla’s Pasta World Championship, Charcuterie Masters and the International Pesto Competition. She was honored by the mayor of Alba with the task of presenting NYC’s Mayor Bill De Blasio with 2014’s prized white truffle.
Articles by Francine Segan
Ah, Spring! Finally, after a long winter of foods grown far away or in greenhouses, farmer’s markets are open and rich with produce. In Italy ri…
Easter Monday is a national holiday in Italy with towns throughout the country holding special events. Two of the most unusual are an egg-cracking con…
International Women's Day, or Festa Della Donna in Italy, is seen as a kind of “BFF Day” honoring womanhood and female friendships (tho…
Inhale the aroma of Strega, the golden elixir made in Campagna, and you’ll be transported to the raucous spice bazaars of Istanbul. A…
Alchermes, a spicy-sweet liqueur with a lovely floral aroma and distinctive bright red color, was created in Tuscany and has been popular throughout I…
A Natale con i tuoi e a Pasqua con chi vuoi.
“Spend Christmas with your family, but Easter with whoever you want,” a popular expression througho…
A box of pasta can cost anywhere from $1 to $7 or more per pound. Since pasta is just flour plus water, what, if anything, makes expensive pasta worth…
Italians like to linger at the table, both during and after a meal. Dessert is leisurely and often served in three parts. First the sweet itself, whic…
Recipes by Francine Segan
This meat sauce specialty of the Sicilian province of Enna has an unusual ingredient: chocolate! Recipes for savory dishes with chocolate were…
Filled with the flavors of the area — anchovies from Cetara, black olives of Gaeta, raisins, pine nuts and tender escarole — this first course is a…
The ancient Romans ate figs — one of the oldest cultivated fruits — prepared fresh and dried and in both sweet and savory dishes. They believed that…
Italian pizza has many variations from region to region, but in Marche, Pesaro stands out for its local iteration’s particularly quirky toppings:…
You don’t need fancy pasta-making equipment to create this specialty shape from the small town of Bobbio in the Piacenza province of Emilia-Romagna…
Granita is a Sicilian invention. In the past, during the warm months, wealthy Sicilian families kept case neviere —snow houses or ice houses — as…
Spritzes date back to the 19th century in the Veneto region, when visitors to the area added a splash of sparkling water to lighten their wine drinks…
Dried codfish, baccalà — more intensely flavorful and with a firmer texture than fresh cod — pairs magnificently with pasta. This traditional dish…
Like cherry ice cream, but without the fuss of an ice cream maker. With this basic recipe, create countless variations by swapping out the cherries…
Calamari, small squid, are a traditional Italian summer dish. The classic way to prepare them is by dipping in batter and frying, then serving them…
Parrozzo, a typical dessert of Abruzzo, takes its name from a traditional domed bread — pane rozzo or “coarse bread” — made by local fishermen with…
This dish is a specialty of the tiny hill town of Scheggino in Umbria, known for its delicious freshwater trout. Trout, caramelized onions, and…
Pizza bianca con Nutella: It's like bread and chocolate, only better!
One day in Rome while doing research for my book Dolci: Italy’s Sweets, I…
Turbot, a popular fish in Italy, is white with flesh that’s meaty yet delicate and tender. Here, the filets are cooked on the stove in a pan with…
Pesto has been made in Italy since ancient Roman times, with variations in the types of herbs, nuts, cheeses and even spices. In ancient times, it…
Goat is among the most widely consumed red meats in the world, and it’s particularly popular in southern Italy. This dish is a specialty of the…
These buttery, not-too-sweet cookies have a hint of lemon and a lovely crispness. They are a traditional sweet of Burano, an island in the Venetian…
This intriguingly delicious main course from Tuscany is a unique pairing of mussels with a meat mixture stuffing. This is one of the many classic…
This cake from the Trentino-Alto Adige region is one of northern Italy’s most popular sweet treats. It’s made with fabulously earthy buckwheat flour…
Despite the word “sweet” in the name, this unusual and exceptionally flavorful specialty from the Teramo area of Abruzzo is a first course, not a…
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Francine Segan posted a question: I'd like to RENT a house in Tuscany_title