Artichokes and eggs get along very nicely, don’t they? Artichokes are a classic filling for frittata and if you’ve ever tried it, you’ll know why. They’re delicious baked with egg or fried in egg batter. Or what about an egg, sunny side up, as a topping for braised artichokes? There … Read More
Calamari ripieni (Stuffed Calamari)
Everybody, it seems, loves fried calamari. But there are lots of other ways to enjoy this tasty mollusk. It’s delicious braised with peas in the Roman manner, for example, or with greens, after the Florentines. But I think calamari really comes into its own when it’s filled with a savory … Read More
Spezzatino di maiale con piselli (Pork Stew with Peas)
All of us—even us “foodies”—need some reliable and straightforward recipes in our lives for everyday cooking. This one for spezzatino di maiale con piselli, or Pork Stew with Peas, fits the bill rather nicely, I think. If you make your stew in a pressure cooker—and like many stews it’s ideal … Read More
Pollo in fricassea (Chicken Fricassée)
The Italian cooking term fricassea is a bit of a false friend for English or French speakers. Like a fricassée, it usually involves a two-step cooking process of a sauté followed by a braise. But for Italians the thing that makes a fricassea a fricassea—and not, say, a spezzatino—is the … Read More
Pollo in potacchio
Pollo in potacchio is braised chicken dish that hails from Le Marche, a region that sadly I never got to visit during my years in Italy. And truth be told, I know little of its cookery, other than olive ascolane from Ascoli, which we featured on the blog some time ago, … 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
Baccalà in guazzetto (Roman Style Salt Cod in Tomato Sauce)
Here is the “other” Roman way with salt cod: baccalà in guazzetto, simmered in tomato sauce. It may not be quite as famous as Rome’s iconic battered and fried salt cod filets called filetti di baccalà but it’s just delicious, although in a very different way. Simmering salt cod in tomato sauce—”in … Read More
Salsicce e fagioli (Sausage and Beans)
Pork and beans were meant for each other—think franks and beans from the States or cassoulet from France, to take just two examples. Italians enjoy the combination, too, of course, as in the festive Cotechino with Lentils, or the rustic fagioli con le cotiche, or in this simple, everyday dish … Read More