Scallops happen to be one of my very favorite seafoods. But in the years I was living in Italy, I didn’t eat them very much. If fact, if memory serves, I don’t recall seeing them on menus or in the markets in Rome, where I lived.* Seafood is ubiquitous in … Read More
Mousse di tonno (Tunafish Mousse)
Today we have a super quick “non recipe” for you: mousse di tonno or Tunafish Mousse. It involves no cooking at all and, assuming you have a food processor, takes practically no time at all to whip up. And it’s perfectly delicious. To make mousse di tonno, you simply purée … Read More
Piccata di pollo (Chicken Piccata)
Scaloppine dishes are some of the most quintessential everyday secondi piatti in the Italian repertoire. Thin slices of meat are lightly floured then quickly sautéed in a skillet, which is deglazed with wine to form a quick and tasty sauce. Lightening fast but also super-tasty, with a touch of elegance, … Read More
Stracciatella alla romana
One usually associates Roman cookery with hearty and robustly flavored dishes and, by and large, the image holds true. But there are some exceptions, like today’s offering: stracciatella, a light and delicately flavored ‘egg drop soup’. Stracciatella is utterly simple and—if you have the broth at hand—very quick to make. Beaten … Read More
Gramigna con salsiccia
Gramigna is a delightful curlicue shaped pasta from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The word means Bermuda grass in Italian and I suppose the pasta does rather resemble it, if you make liberal use of your imagination. There are various ways to dress gramigna, but surely the best known is … Read More
Penne al baffo
Penne al baffo is one of those quick and easy pasta dishes that epitomize casual Italian cookery at its delicious best. Shallots and ham are quickly sautéed, tomato passata and cream are added and reduced into a lovely coral colored sauce. Your pasta, cooked to slightly less than al dente, … Read More
Pasta alla crema di peperoni (Pasta with Bell Pepper Cream Sauce)
The bell pepper may hail from the New World, but Italians have embraced it whole-heartedly. It appears in an extraordinary range of dishes, and you can find a good number of those recipes right here on this blog. But Pasta alla crema di peperoni, or Pasta with Bell Pepper Cream … Read More
Fagioli e tonno (White Bean and Tuna Salad)
Fagioli e tonno, or White Bean and Tuna Salad, is just about as quick and simple a dish as you can make. If you can open a can, you can make this salad. And it’s easy to double or treble the recipe if you’re expecting more dinner guests, or you … Read More
