One of the pleasanter dilemmas I face on a regular basis is what to do with leftover boiled beef. In all but the hottest months, making homemade broth is a Sunday evening ritual for me. With the advent of electric pressure cookers, it’s now more or less effortless, and homemade … Read More
Girello al limone (Eye Round in Lemon Sauce)
Girello al limone is an unusual dish from Edda Servi Machlin’s fascinating cookbook, The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews: Traditional Recipes and Menus and a Memoire of a Vanished Way of Life. This recipe was, for me, full of surprises. I was not quite sure what to expect from … Read More
Trippa alla fiorentina (Florentine Style Tripe)
It seems many of us have lost our taste for “variety meats” these days. It wasn’t that long ago—as I remember, well into my young adulthood—that you could find fresh veal and chicken liver, kidneys, tongue and yes, tripe in more or less any supermarket. Now you have to search … 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
Angelina’s Polpettone (Angelina’s Meatloaf)
Yes, Italians make meatloaf. They call it polpettone, or a ‘big meatball’, which is, in fact, what it is if you think about it. It’s made from essentially the same mixture of minced beef and pork (and optionally veal), lightened with bread and flavored with garlic, cheese and parsley that you would use to make … Read More
Peperoni ripieni di carne (Italian Meat Stuffed Peppers)
This iconic summer dish—and, as far as I’m concerned, it’s still summer—is one of many recipes for stuffed peppers in the Italian repertoire. Tuna Stuffed Peppers are a Neapolitan classic, while other recipes call for a vegetarian eggplant or bread stuffing. But today I’d like to show you how to make Italian Meat … Read More
Olive ascolane (Ascoli Style Stuffed Olives)
Olive ascolane—with their soft and savory meat stuffing surrounded by a crisp, breaded crust—are a speciality of Ascoli Piceno in the region of Le Marche, but they have become a staple on the tables of pizzerias in Rome, where I lived for so many years, and elsewhere in Italy. They are perfect for … Read More
Grigliata mista di carne (Mixed Grilled Meats)
If you want to make a big impression at your next cookout, try a grigliata mista di carne , a platter of mixed grilled meats including fresh and cured cuts of beef, veal, pork, lamb and chicken or other poultry. Italians love to grill just like other folks, but the Italian approach to grilling is … Read More