In cooking as in life, simpler is oftentimes better. French cooking may have a reputation for complication, but, in reality, many classic homestyle dishes from “over the Alps” (d’oltralpe, as the Italians refer to things French) are quite simple. To me, there is nothing that quite captures the spirit of simple, … Read More
Peposo (Peppery Tuscan Beef Stew)
This Tuscan beef stew has a long history. The story goes that it was invented by the furnace workers (fornaciai) who baked the terracotta tiles for the Brunelleschi’s famous Duomo in Florence. They mixed roughly cut up beef shank, salt, lots of black pepper and red wine—Chianti, of course—in terracotta … Read More
Beef Carpaccio: The Original Recipe
Beef carpaccio—known to Italians simply as carpaccio—is one of the most famous of Italian antipasti. But the version most people are familiar with—thin beef slices macerated in olive oil and lemon, adorned with arugula and shavings of Parmesan cheese— is actually rather closer to another dish, carne cruda all’Albese, a Piedmontese dish. … Read More
Spiedini e arrosticini (Italian Kabobs)
Summer may be drawing to a close here in the Northern Hemisphere, but there’s still time to get in some more grilling. In fact, grilling is a lot more pleasant in the cooler temperatures of the late summer and early fall than at the height of the summer—standing over a … Read More
Braciole alla napoletana (Neapolitan Beef Rolls)
Braciole—beef slices rolled up with a savory garlic, parsley and cheese filling—is one of those dishes common to both Italian-American and ‘Old World’ Italian cooking—of the Neapolitan variety. Italian-Americans will often add them to the pot when making Sunday Sauce, but they are equally good on their own, simmered in … Read More
Hamburger alla panna (Hamburger with Cream Sauce)
Hamburger in cream sauce is an Italian dish? Yes! Not everyone associates hamburgers with Italian cooking, but Italians have a long tradition of using ground beef in imaginative ways, for meatballs (polpette) and meatloaf (polpettone), as well as as a basis for the classic ragù alla bolognese. So it should … Read More
Spezzatino di manzo (Italian Beef Stew)
It’s hard to believe, but in all the years that I’ve been writing this blog, somehow I’ve managed to avoid writing a post about Italian beef stew. I suppose that’s a tribute to the vast variety of Italian cooking or perhaps a reflection of the somewhat secondary role that beef … Read More
Pasta al forno (Baked Pasta)
Is there anything more comforting than baked pasta? If there is, I haven’t come across it yet. And while some pasta al forno dishes in the Italian repertoire—especially the two ‘star’ lasagne dishes, the South’s lasagna di carnevale and the North’s lasagne alla bolognese—are elaborate affairs, there are everyday versions that … Read More
