“Wedding soup” is a popular Italian-American dish made with escarole and tiny meatballs simmered in chicken broth and adorned with small pasta, typically of the tiny acini di pepe (or “peppercorn”) type. It is so popular, in fact, that it has been marketed as a canned soup by Progresso under the … Read More
Pasta e fagioli: The Authentic Recipe
Pasta e fagioli, or pasta and beans, which goes by the amusing nickname ‘pasta fazool‘ in Italian-American slang, is one of the most internationally famous dishes in the entire Italian repertoire. It is a victim of its own success, however, too often made badly—very badly—which is why I would never … Read More
Waterzooï de poulet (Chicken and Vegetables in Cream Sauce)
Recently, a Belgian colleague of mine (who is also a regular reader of this blog) was kind enough to give me a copy of her favorite Belgian cookbook written in English, entitled the Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook. Notwithstanding the hokey name, it really is a gem, with 250 … Read More
Vitello tonnato (Tunnied Veal)
If I had to mention one dish in the Italian repertoire that epitomizes elegant summer eating, this might well be it: vitello tonnato, also called vitel tonnè in dialect, which means’ tunnied veal’ or simply veal in tuna sauce. More often than not, though, it is called by its Italian name … Read More
Zuppa di pesce alla napoletana (Neapolitan Fish Stew)
Italy, being a rather slender peninsula, is a country where the sea is rarely too far away. And, of course, the products of the sea play a major role in its cuisine. And so it is not surprising that zuppa di pesce, or fish soup, is a dish that you … Read More
Brodo vegetale (Vegetable Broth)
With the increased interest in vegetarian and vegan diets in recent times, you will find more and more recipes calling for vegetable broth instead of, or as alternative to, the more traditional meat broths. Ingredients When I make vegetable broth, I always begin with the usual aromatic vegetables that go … Read More
Pasta a risotto (Pasta Cooked in the Manner of Risotto)
One of the guilty pleasures that I have never, up to now, revealed to a living soul is my penchant for late-night pasta snacks. But not just any pasta, but pasta a risotto, or pasta risottata: pastina of the kind usually used for soups, cooked like a risotto, in just enough … Read More
Fagiolini in umido (Green Beans in Tomato Sauce)
While Sundays dinners at Angelina’s house were once-a-week, belly-busting, meaty affairs, she practically lived on vegetables during the week. This was long before vegetarianism or veganism went mainstream and she would not have thought of herself as a ‘weekday vegetarian’ or anything of that sort. It was just the way … Read More
