It’s a testament to the vastness of Italian cookery that, even after 14 years of blogging, I find that I’ve managed to miss an uber-popular dish like this staple of summer tables, fagiolini e patate or Green Bean and Potato Salad. Well, better late than never… If you haven’t tried … Read More
Polpette di bollito (Breaded Boiled Beef Balls)
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
Baccalà lesso (Boiled Salt Cod)
Lent—la Quaresima in Italian—is the roughly six week period on the Catholic calendar between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Traditionally a period of self-sacrifice and fasting, in the old days the faithful were expected to abstain from eating meat and rich foods, and live on simple vegetable, fish and grain dishes. A whole range … Read More
Il Gran Bollito Misto (Mixed Boiled Meat)
We usually think of boiled meat as a by-product of making broth, a humble if comforting dish for parsimonious souls. But in northern Italy, particularly in the Piemonte and Emilia-Romagna, they’ve transformed the dish into a regal spread. Traditionally, a true Gran Bollito Misto includes seven different cuts (tagli) of beef … Read More
Quick Note: Picchiapò
We’re an old fashioned household in many ways. In the cooler months, making broth is a Sunday afternoon ritual in our house. And from broth comes boiled meat, an old fashioned treat that most people these days have never tasted. If it sounds to you like hospital food, think again. Italian … Read More
Bollito di verdure (Italian Mixed Boiled Vegetables)
Grilled vegetables are fantastic, but almost equally popular for a light Italian summer meal are mixed boiled vegetables (or even better, steamed) allowed to cool and simply dressed with olive oil and seasoned with salt, or—for a richer taste—homemade mayonnaise. If boiled vegetables sound boring to you, then you need to think … Read More
Papas arrugadas con mojo rojo (Salt-boiled potatoes with red chile sauce)
I love potato salad in summer but, variety being the spice of life, I like to shake things up a bit now and again. One delicious option are papas arrugadas, or ‘wrinkled’ potatoes. I had them for the first time at a local tapas place run by celebrity chef José … Read More
Lesso di manzo rifatto (“Re-made” Boiled Beef)
Waste not, want not, they old saying goes. There are a myriad of old recipes in the Italian repertoire for making use of boiled beef leftover from beef broth, a brodo classico or a bollito misto. Of course, boiled beef can simply be gently reheated in its broth and served … Read More
