Russian Salad, known in Russian as Салат Оливье or Salad Olivier, was once a common feature on festive tables all over the world. Russian salad Italian style is distinguished by the use of Italian-style mayonnaise made with fruity olive oil. This venerable dish seems to have gone out of fashion, perhaps … Read More
Barchette di radicchio (Manu’s Radicchio “Boats” Filled with Mascarpone, Gorgonzola and Glazed Walnuts)
It will only be a quick post this busy holiday weekend, dear readers, but I didn’t want to let too much time pass without making good on my promise to prepare at least one dish from fellow blogger Manuela Zangara’s holiday cookbook. My choice, her recipe for these pretty radicchio … Read More
Pallotte cacio e uova (Cheese and Egg Balls)
An iconic dish from the Abruzzo region in the cucina povera tradition, pallotte cacio e uova—cheese and egg balls—probably got its start as a way to use up leftover bits of cheese and stale bread. The mixture is then bound together with egg and formed into balls and, just like … Read More
Gattò di patate (Neapolitan Potato “Cake”)
Another example of the French Bourbon legacy in Neapolitan cooking, this gattò—from the French gateau—is a savory potato ‘cake’ made of mashed potatoes enriched with eggs, butter and grated cheese, a mixture you may remember from our recipe for crocchè di patate (Potato Croquettes). The filling for this cake is … Read More
Affettati misti (Italian Cured Meat Platter)
One of the most iconic ways to start a holiday or other important Italian meal is with an assortment of cured meats, called salumi in Italian, thinly sliced and arranged artistically (or not) on a serving platter. Each diner then helps themselves to the ones that appeal to them most. … Read More
Authentic Bruschetta: A Basic Recipe
Bruschetta is a dish of such astonishing simplicity that you might say it’s not even worth blogging about. After all, the basic recipe for authentic bruschetta is nothing more or less than grilled bread, rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with a sprinkling of salt. And besides, there are … Read More
Crocchette di patate (Potato Croquettes)
Crocchette di palate, or potato croquettes, are wonderfully versatile. They are probably most often served as an antipasto, but they can also do fine service as a lovely contorno, especially with fried meat or fish dish, or as part of a fritto misto, or as a first course instead of pasta, … Read More
Farinata genovese (Genovese Chickpea Flatbread)
One of the iconic dishes of Ligurian cuisine, just as typical of the region as pesto, the chickpea flatbread known as la farina genovese deserves to be better known. It has a wonderful, mildly nutty flavor that marries well with just about anything you want to serve it with, but it is perfectly delicious … Read More
