Many people think of minestrone as the kind of hearty fare best eaten in the cold weather months. Minestrone is wonderful in fall and winter, of course, but it can actually be enjoyed year-round, its component ingredients changing with the seasons, served hot in the winter, warm in the spring … Read More
How to make fresh egg pasta
Fresh egg pasta, variously known in Italian as pasta fresca or pasta fatta in casa or pasta all’uovo, is one of the pillars of Italian cookery. Given the poor quality of most store bought fresh pasta—not to mention the price—every would be Italian cook should really learn to make it … Read More
How to Roast a Pepper
A quick note today on the method for roasting peppers. And a very common—and very savory—antipasto: peperoni con alici, or Roasted Peppers with Anchovies. How to roast a pepper The lusty, smoky flavor of home-roasted peppers more than justifies the minimal effort required to make them. You begin by charring … Read More
Italian Food Culture: A primer
There is much more to Italian food culture than many people outside Italy realize. Mastering the art of Italian cooking is not just a matter of learning recipes. It requires coming to understand a whole approach to the preparation and eating of food. And one way to get a good … Read More
Ada Boni: Il Talismano della Felicità
Writing only about two decades after Artusi, another giant of Italian gastronomy, Ada Boni, produced an even more monumental work entitled Il Talismano della Felicità, literally the “Talisman of Happiness”. Unlike Artusi, who was basically a talented amateur, Ada Boni was a professional food writer. In 1915, she founded a … Read More
Pellegrino Artusi, La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene
This is an Italian cookbook like no other. Artusi–it is quite common to call this book by the author’s name rather than its title–is to Italian cooking what Escoffier’s Le Guide Culinaire is to the French: indispensable. The author, Pellegrino Artusi, was born in 1820 near Forli, in the region … Read More
Frittata di patate e cipolle (Flat Omelette with Potatoes and Onions)
Besides her fabulous pastas, Angelina would make wonderful Italian flat omelettes or frittate. I loved them. This was one, stuffed with potatoes and onions, she would make often. Made from the humblest of ingredients, it left you soooo satisfied… A frittata is rather easy to make, with one slight tricky … Read More
Risotto: The Basic Recipe
Risotto is Italy’s unique contribution to rice cookery. At its most basic, risotto is rice toasted in a flavor base of sautéed onion, then simmered in broth added ladleful by ladleful. When the rice is cooked, it is vigorously stirred with grated cheese (and sometimes butter) into a creamy and delicious mound. … Read More