This is a mini-tribute to the Italian flag. I am living here, after all. So why not?

Red: pizza sauce I make from scratch. My kids love it... so much so that they prefer eating pizza IN. It is simply [and very, very conveniently] my basic tomato sauce, pushed through the smallest holes of a food mill (my basic sauce is pushed through large holes). I just add some tomato paste to ensure the consistency I need. (Pizza secrets: I typically use a combo of fresh mozzarella and either emmentaler, provolone or young pecorino cheese. They have amazing pepperoni here... what can I say?).

White: buffalo mozzarella. Here is the scoop: from butter to wine to balsamic and cheese, in Italy the where matters. And so does the labeling. The 'best' mozzarella comes from 1. water buffalo milk and 2. Campana. If mozzarella bears the trademark Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, you will most likely also see a DOC or DOP symbol. This essentially means it is quality controlled for processing and specific to a 'controlled region.' Under Italian Law, approximately 200 producers make up 'The Consortium for the Protection of the Buffalo Cheese of Campania;' they are responsible for the "protection, surveillance, promotion and marketing" of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana cheese. (Yes: mozzarella can be made from cow's milk as well---and in other regions. Just no status symbols). Read more here and here.

BTW, did some frolicking around Florence and found---to my utter disbelief---a mozzarella tasting bar. Yes, really.

Green: one guess? Pesto. I wrote a guest post, called 'just add pesto' over at Foodwhirl. Foodwhirl is s new site, full of great food and good ideas. It is worth some browsing, sniffing, ogling and recipe-imbibing. Go have a look-see!