When you mention Italian meat sauce, most people will immediately think of those monuments of Italian cooking, the ragù alla napoletana and the ragù alla bolognese. Those sauces that require hours of cooking and fairly elaborate preparation. These time-consuming ragù are, quite rightly, reserved for special occasions. Ragù alla napoletana is often … Read More
Milanese con insalata di pomodoro (Milanese Veal Chop with Tomato Salad)
I once knew a charming couple from Milan named Omer and Maria Grazia. My memory of them is a bit hazy by now—sadly, we lost contact and it’s been years since I’ve seen them—but two food-related memories still stick out in my mind. The first was the time I made … Read More
Scaloppine al marsala (Scalopini Marsala)
The scaloppina (in the plural, scaloppine) and its manifold variations may be the most common secondo in Italian cooking. To me, it is typical of that Italian knack for using a bland main ingredient as a foil for a flavorful sauce. Pasta is the example we all know and love, … Read More
Fagioli con le cotiche (Roman-Style Pork and Beans)
Tuscans are known for being the biggest bean-eaters in Italy, so much so that they are sometimes called mangiafagioli in Italian. But Romans are no slouches in the legume department, either. They love fava beans, of course, and they make a mean pasta e lenticchie, for example, even if the … Read More
Costolette di maiale ai funghi (Pork Chops with Mushrooms)
You could probably devote a small cookbook just to Italian veal chop recipes, but with the price of veal being what it is, I usually do what many Italians do and turn to pork. The taste of pork is different, of course, but most veal recipes translate quite well into … Read More
Slow Cooker Polenta with Sausage Ragù
Some of you will have read in a recent post that I finally broke down and bought a slow cooker, a kitchen device also known in the States—to those of you who are old enough—as a ‘Crock Pot’. The thought of owning one had never really occurred to me before. … Read More
Mushroom Barley Soup
What to do with a spare ham bone if, like me, you don’t care too much for split pea soup? Well, what about a mushroom barley soup? While barley soup is usually made with beef, it tastes just a delicious with pork and ham in particular. Ingredients For 4 servings … Read More
Verza e salsiccia (Italian Sausage and Cabbage)
Not sure about you, but the weather here has crossed the line from pleasantly crisp to downright cold at night. That’s as good an excuse as any for some good, stick to the ribs eating like sausage and cabbage. It may sound eastern European, but Italians, too, like their cabbage, … Read More
