Summertime is fast approaching, the temperature is climbing, and my culinary imagination is starting to turn to dishes that quick but tasty and require minimal cooking. Here’s one of the ‘go to’ summer pasta dishes in our house: Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes. Ingredients Serves 4-6 500g (1 lb) spaghetti 500-750g … 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
Linguine con alici (Linguini with Anchovies)
Linguine con alici, or Linguini with Anchovies, is another quick and easy dish for those days when you don’t really feel like cooking but you want to eat something tasty. It’s a riff off of the classic ajo e ojo with anchovies. Ingredients Serves 4-6 persons 400g (16 oz) linguini … Read More
Caserecce e fagiolini (Pasta and Green Beans)
Weeknight dinners at our house much of the time revolve around pasta and vegetables. They are quick and easy, and the combinations are almost endless. For some reason, however, the combination of Pasta and Green Beans is not a particularly common one in Italian cooking, with the notable exception of … Read More
Fettuccine al salmone affumicato (Smoked Salmon Fettuccine)
I love smoked salmon. It is so incredibly versatile, delicious and good for you, too. And it adds a touch of elegance to any dish in which it appears. Who could ask for more? One of our favorite weeknight dinners at home is this simple Smoked Salmon Fettuccine. If you’re … Read More
Straccetti di manzo con la rughetta (Beef ‘Rags’ with Arugula)
One of the most iconic dishes of Roman cookery, straccetti con la rughetta, or ‘little rags’ of beef with arugula, is also one of the simplest of all to prepare. The technique is quite close to an Asian stir-fry and, like a stir-fry, it takes literally only seconds to prepare. … 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
Tubetti cacio e uova (Tubetti with Egg and Cheese)
Tubetti cacio e uova is a great spur-of-the-moment Neapolitan pasta dish for a quick weeknight dinner or perhaps a midnight snack: Ingredients For each serving of pasta: 100g (3-1/2 oz) of tubetti (aka ditali or ditalini) A heaping spoonful of butter or lard 1 egg 1 spoonful each of Parmesan and … Read More