I really like the tiella, the iconic baked casserole dish of the Puglia region of Italy. You can assemble a tiella at your leisure, then pop them in the oven and serve them when you’re ready to eat. It’s cooking at its most relaxing. The tiella is named after the … Read More
Cozze al gratin (Mussels Gratin)
Seafood tends to be expensive, but, for some reason, mussels remain very affordable. Plus, they’re delicious and very quick to make. In our house, we love the classic sautè di cozze (steamed mussels sautéed with garlic and hot pepper) but for a change, you can take steamed mussels in different directions. In this … Read More
Torta di porri (Tuscan Leek Pie)
This recipe for torta di porri (Tuscan leek pie) comes from the Florentine chef and food historian Giuliano Bugialli. He is one of my favorite Italian cookbook authors. But he’s is relatively little known, particularly as compared with his near contemporary Marcella Hazan. Bugialli produced a number of wonderful cookbooks, … Read More
Cavolfiore al gratin (Cauliflower Gratin)
There’s something so comforting about creamy gratins. Who wouldn’t go for that bubbly, cheesy, warming goodness? Cauliflower Gratin is not exclusively Italian, of course—the Brits have their Cauliflower Cheese and the French their chou-fleur au gratin— but I think it is particularly nice made with Italian cheeses like Parmesan and … Read More
Turkey Tetrazzini
The Tetrazzini family of dishes is hard to classify. Despite being a kind of baked pasta dish with an Italian name, it is most definitely not Italian. In fact, it’s not really even Italian-American, if you define that term as meaning the cooking of the Italian diaspora in America. In … Read More
Gattò di patate (Neapolitan Potato “Cake”)
Another example of the French Bourbon legacy in Neapolitan cooking, this gattò—from the French gateau—is a savory potato ‘cake’ made of mashed potatoes enriched with eggs, butter and grated cheese, a mixture you may remember from our recipe for crocchè di patate (Potato Croquettes). The filling for this cake is … Read More
Gnocchi alla sorrentina (Potato Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella)
Potato gnocchi are pretty filling, the kind of food you may associate with the cooler weather. But, in fact, you can enjoy gnocchi all year ’round. They are delicious with pesto, for example, or with a simple tomato sauce. In fact, one of the classic Campanian summer dishes is gnocchi … Read More
Pizza rustica (Easter Cheese and Salumi Pie)
Pasquetta, or ‘Little Easter’, known in English as Easter Monday, is a holiday in Italy and much of Europe. Folks traditionally take to the roads to drive out to the countryside and enjoy a fresh air picnic. In Campania and elsewhere, one favorite item in the Pasquetta picnic basket is the … Read More
