Risotto alla zucca, or pumpkin risotto, is one of the most popular autumn and winter risottos. Zucca is Italian for pumpkin, but Italian pumpkins are quite different from their American cousins: their taste is more intense and much sweeter, their texture finer, less fibrous. Most recipes aimed at the non-Italian cook recommend … Read More
Fregola e salsiccia (Fregola with Sausage)
A friend recently gave me a gift of fregola (also called fregula), a typical Sardinian pasta very similar to Israeli couscous. I had heard of fregola, but had never eaten it—nor did I know any recipes for preparing it, so I dove into my cookbooks and surfed the internet for more … Read More
Strozzapreti ai funghi (Strozzapreti with Mushrooms)
There are all sorts of mushroom sauces, some of which have made their appearance on this blog. The mushroom and tomato sauce, for example, that goes so well with dried pasta, or the mushroom cream sauce for gnocchi or even ox tongue. None of these are very hard to make, … Read More
Tagliatelle al tonno e panna (Tagliatelle with Tunafish and Cream)
Here’s a dish for iconoclasts: tagliatelle with tunafish simmered in butter, cream and parmesan cheese—a dish that violates one of the cardinal rules of Italian cooking: never mix fish and aged cheese. But this may be one of those exceptions that prove the rule, as the result is really very … Read More
Taglierini al sugo d’arrosto (Taglierini with Roast Drippings)
Here’s a neat idea for a really quick and savory pasta whenever you happen to be cooking a roast veal, chicken, beef or pork: Save the drippings and use them as a sauce for taglierini pasta—a sugo d’arrosto. It’s that simple. If your roasting pan is flameproof, you can even … Read More
Spaghetti alla puttanesca (“Streetwalker” Spaghetti)
Spaghetti alla puttanesca is another weeknight stand-by in our house. So quick and—for lack of a better word—lusty. Ingredients Makes 4-6 servings 500g (1 lb) spaghetti 2-3 cloves of garlic (or more to taste), peeled and slightly crushed 1-2 dried hot red peppers (peperoncino) Olive oil 250g (8 oz) canned … Read More
Zuppa di scarola e fagioli (Escarole and Bean Soup)
Here’s a quick and easy dish, typical of the Campania region of Italy, that is a cold weather weeknight staple at our house: escarole and bean soup. Ingredients 1 small head of escarole, cut into fine ribbons 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced 450g (15 oz) boiled or canned … Read More
Pasta e piselli (Pasta and Peas)
Here’s a when-you-really-don’t-feel-like-cooking dish. It’s a quick and easy combination of pasta and peas, but really satisfying. Pasta e piselli and pasta e lenticchie were my favorite everyday pastas Angelina would make when I was a kid. Here’s the way she made it: Ingredients 1 small onion, finely chopped A sprig or … Read More
