A not-so-distant cousin of Provençale brandade de morue, baccalà mantecato is one of the signature dishes of Venetian cuisine and a staple of those wonderful hidden-away Venetian bacari, or wine bars. The name of the dish comes from the verb mantecare, which is a culinary term meaning to ‘beat’ or ‘whip’ … Read More
Part III: How to Cook Authentic Italian Food At Home
Well, now that you know all about the varieties of Italian cooking and how to tell real Italian cooking from the fake, you may want to take your knowledge to the next level: making authentic Italian food at home. The good news is, it is really very easy to do. … Read More
Part II: Learning to Recognize Real Italian Food
In Part I of this series, we explored the varieties of cooking styles that call themselves Italian, some rightly, some wrongly. As you will have realized from reading that post, there is a lot of fake Italian food out there, nowhere more so than right here on the internet. Since so … Read More
Part I: Varieties of Italian Cooking
I sometimes feel sorry for Italians. While they are not generally a nationalistic people—Mussolini cured most of them of that affliction—they can be downright chauvinistic when it comes to their food. That’s perfectly understandable as far as I’m concerned, as Italians have given the world one of its great cuisines. … Read More
Branzino al sale (Branzino Baked in Salt)
This will be a short post as I’ve come down with a nasty cold. No matter, since this is a short and simple recipe anyway, another example of the sublime simplicity of Italian cookery, branzino baked in salt. Yes, that’s what I said. Not to worry, the end result is not too … Read More
Slow Cooker Polenta with Sausage Ragù
Some of you will have read in a recent post that I finally broke down and bought a slow cooker, a kitchen device also known in the States—to those of you who are old enough—as a ‘Crock Pot’. The thought of owning one had never really occurred to me before. … Read More
How to Make a Frittata
One of the wonders of Italian cuisine is its incredible variety, and much of that variety comes from the mix-and-match nature of so many of its dishes. You take a staple base ingredient like rice or pasta, and you pair that with all sorts of flavoring ingredients and come up … Read More
Risotto alla milanese (Milanese-Style Risotto)
Risotto is one of the staples of northern Italian cooking, nowhere more so than in Lombardy. Risotto alla milanese is the dish that perhaps best typifies the cooking of Milan, the capital of Lombardy region and the economic and financial capital of Italy. This risotto follows the classic method for making … Read More
