One of the nicest parts of this, my favorite season, is the arrival of wonderful produce: mushrooms, endive, chestnuts, cabbage, radicchio… but for me no other vegetable is as typical of the season as hard squashes. They are sometimes called ‘winter squashes’ but they start appearing in the early autumn and … Read More
Vitello tonnato (Tunnied Veal)
If I had to mention one dish in the Italian repertoire that epitomizes elegant summer eating, this might well be it: vitello tonnato, also called vitel tonnè in dialect, which means’ tunnied veal’ or simply veal in tuna sauce. More often than not, though, it is called by its Italian name … Read More
Cotolette alla milanese (Milanese Veal Chops)
One of the pillars of Milanese cuisine, cotoletta alla milanese is nothing more than a breaded veal chop browned in butter. It’s so typical, in fact, of the cooking of Milan that if you just ask for ‘una milanese’ in a restaurant in Italy, this is what you’ll be served. Simple … Read More
Gnocchi al gorgonzola (Potato Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce)
It’s Thursday, and the Romans out there will know that Thursdays in Rome (and perhaps in the rest of Italy, I’m not entirely sure…) is gnocchi day: giovedi’ gnocchi as the saying goes. Today’s offering is gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce. Here’s how you make this incredibly rich and unctuous … Read More
How to Make Homemade Polenta
Homemade polenta is one of the most emblematic dishes of the northern Italian cuisines from the Veneto to Lombardia to Piemonte. It is also one of the oldest foods eaten in Italy, dating back at least to 990 BCE. In its original form, polenta—known to the ancient Romans as pulmentum—was … Read More
Pizzoccheri alla valtellinese (Buckwheat Pasta from the Italian Alps)
Nothing says ‘winter’ to me like pizzoccheri alla valtellinese, an Alpine buckwheat pasta dish oozing with melted cheese and winter vegetables, a typical dish of the Valtellina in the uppermost stretches of Lombardia, a fairly narrow valley region running northeast from the Lago di Como along the border with Switzerland. … Read More
Brasato al vino rosso (Beef Braised in Red Wine)
There’s nothing like a good pot roast on a cold winter’s day! Though it may come as a surprise to some, Italians also make pot roast, which is known variously as brasato or stracotto, but with a ‘continental’ twist: the favorite cooking medium for Italian pot roast is red wine. … Read More
Buseca alla milanese (Milanese-Style Tripe)
As we’ve mentioned before on this blog, Saturday is tripe day in Rome… sabato trippa, as the saying goes. The tripe served in our house is usually alla romana, but today I made something a bit different: buseca (which is Milanese dialect for tripe). While Roman-style tripe is quite assertive, … Read More