A sformato (the word literally means ‘unmolded’) is something like a soufflé without the puff: the main ingredient is mixed with a very stiff béchamel sauce and eggs, then baked in a mold until set. But since the eggs are left whole rather than separated and the whites whipped, a sformato only … Read More
Scamorza alla piastra (Griddled Scamorza Cheese)
Scamorza is a cousin to the more familiar mozzarella. Like its famous relative, it’s a cheese made from stretched curd, formed into a ball but then tied with string and hung up to dry, giving it a more solid texture, as well as its typical ‘pear’ shape. And it’s generally made from … Read More
Fondue au fromage (Cheese Fondue)
When you want something filling and warming but don’t feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen, cheese fondue is your ticket. Fondue simply means ‘melted’ in French and, indeed, cheese fondue is basically melted cheese, flavored with just a hint of garlic and thinned out a bit with … Read More
Angelina’s Pizza Dolce (Italian Cheesecake)
For most of us, pizza means just one thing: a round disk of dough topped with tomato, mozzarella and other goodies and baked in a hot oven. But ‘pizza’ really just means pie, and can refer also to Italian cheesecake, typically made with ricotta and eggs, flavored with sugar and other … Read More
How to Make Homemade Tonnarelli
Tonnarelli is the Roman name for the pasta you may know by its more popular Abruzzese name, spaghetti alla chitarra. It is a fresh pasta that looks like square spaghetti. In Rome, this pasta is sold in any supermarket but elsewhere, you may find you have to make it yourself. Due to its … Read More
For a May Day Picnic: Fave e pecorino (Fava Beans and Pecorino)
Fave e pecorino —fava beans and pecorino— is not really a “dish” at all, you just set out the fava beans, in their pods, and a hunk of pecorino cheese. Each diner opens the pods for themselves and eats the raw fava beans they find inside with a bit of pecorino, washed … Read More
Risotto al radicchio e Saint-André (Risotto with Radicchio and Saint-André Cheese)
Risotto with Radicchio and Saint André Cheese is a dish that should prove that vegetarian dishes can be perfectly satisfying, even indulgent: a risotto made with vegetable broth, and flavored with a wonderful combination of bitter radicchio with the creamy savor of Saint-André cheese. Ingredients Serves 4-6 500g (1 lb) rice … Read More
Pizzoccheri alla valtellinese (Buckwheat Pasta from the Italian Alps)
Nothing says ‘winter’ to me like pizzoccheri alla valtellinese, an Alpine buckwheat pasta dish oozing with melted cheese and winter vegetables, a typical dish of the Valtellina in the uppermost stretches of Lombardia, a fairly narrow valley region running northeast from the Lago di Como along the border with Switzerland. … Read More
