This iconic pork and cabbage stew from Milan called cassoeula is as much a symbol of the city in its own rustic way as the more refined risotto alla milanese or a cotoletta. Cassoeula belongs to the same category of pork dishes as minestra del morti or the Soup of … Read More
Torta salata di zucca (Savory Pumpkin Pie)
Well, autumn is well and truly upon us. And there’s no vegetable that marks the new season quite like the pumpkin. Even here in the US, where food markets have almost entirely lost their sense of seasonality, you can still count on the appearance of pumpkins and other hard squashes … Read More
Spezzatino di maiale e zucca (Pork and Pumpkin Stew)
This week we have an especially appealing dish for these chilly autumn evenings: spezzatino di maiale e zucca, or Pork and Pumpkin Stew, featuring two seasonal ingredients playing a lovely duo of savory and sweet notes. Although the Italian word spezzatino is usually translated as “stew”, the technique here is … Read More
Spätzle di zucca (Winter Squash Spätzle)
Spätzle may be from southern Germany, but they also make these tiny dumplings in nearby Alsace, Switzerland and Austria. And in some parts of Italy, too, specifically the northeastern region known as Südtirol in German and Trentino-Alto Adige in Italian. The region was part of Austria until the First World … Read More
Brasato ai funghi (Italian Pot Roast with Mushrooms)
While I’m not a vegetarian, meat doesn’t play a very central role in my diet. Usually at least. There’s something about the late autumn and winter that brings out the inner carnivore. When the colder weather sets in, there’s nothing better than a good pot roast. We’ve featured brasato, the northern … Read More
Zuppa di orzo (Italian Barley Soup)
Italian cuisine is known for pasta, gnocchi, risotto and polenta. More recently many people have come to know farro. But did you know that Italians also enjoy barley? Here is a simple, basic Italian Barley Soup—zuppa di orzo— that is both healthy, appetizing and, if made in a pressure cooker, quickly … Read More
Salsicce e fagioli (Sausage and Beans)
Pork and beans were meant for each other—think franks and beans from the States or cassoulet from France, to take just two examples. Italians enjoy the combination, too, of course, as in the festive Cotechino with Lentils, or the rustic fagioli con le cotiche, or in this simple, everyday dish … Read More
Stinco di maiale al forno con patate (Oven-Roasted Pork Hock and Potatoes)
I am taking some poetic license with today’s recipe. You see, stinco di maiale is actually the shank of the animal. It is a fairly easy to find cut in Italy, sold in many supermarkets already skinned and trimmed and ready for the oven. Here is the US, I’ve never been able to … Read More
