From Italian Family Dining: Recipes, Menus, and Memories of Meals with a Great American Food Family (Rodale Books, 2005)This is one of our favorite dishes, and we eat it frequently during the winter. You can substitute any large, whitefish, like striped bass, for the cod. You can also substitute chunks of fish, like monkfish. Serves 4 2…
From Italian Family Dining: Recipes, Menus, and Memories of Meals with a Great American Food Family (Rodale Books, 2005) We serve this pasta every Christmas Eve, as part of the Cena della Vigilia feast. The recipe comes from Edward’s godfather, Tomasso, an Italian fellow who worked in the Pennsylvania coal mines. He never spoke English, and sent…
From The Da Fiore Cookbook: Recipes from Venice’s Best Restaurant by Damiano Martin (Harper Collins, 2003)When Mara and Maurizio return from Alba with the first white truffles of autumn, it means that these pillowy, bite-size bundles of pumpkin gnocchi will be on da Fiore’s menu. Slicked with sage butter and topped with just a few truffle slivers,…
From Biba’s Italy: Favorite Recipes from the Splendid Cities (Artisan, 2006) The Tuscan way of preparing delicious home-cooked meals is straightforward and uncomplicated, and proves that you don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen. This typical family fare can be made with rabbit, pheasant, or chicken, and is a staple of Florence’s trattorie, where the rabbit…
From Marcella Says…: Italian Cooking Wisdom from the Legendary Teacher’s Master Classes, with 120 of Her Irresistible New Recipes by Marcella Hazan (Harper Collins, 2004) At the hour that some of my neighbors in Florida are already halfway into their night’s sleep, many Italians are beginning to feel a gnawing emptiness that needs to be filled with…
From Prosciutto, Pancetta, Salame by Pamela Sheldon Johns (Ten Speed Press, 2005)Here is an elegant but simple dish that can accompany roasted or grilled meats. A sformato is a dish that is cooked in a mold, then unmolded to serve. Serves 4 8 slices prosciutto di Parma 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup diced onion 3/4…
From The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments (Ten Speed Press, 2007) On my first visit to Torino, I arrived in rabid pursuit of qianduja, a confection made from local hazelnuts ground with milk chocolate that is a specialty of the Piedmont region. I’d also never had gianduja gelato at the source. I did…
From The Silver Spoon (Phaidon Press Ltd, 2005) Serves 4 About 6 1/2 cups of Vegetable Stock 6 tablespoons butter 1 onion, chopped 7 ounces radicchio, cut into strips 2 cups risotto rice 5 tablespoons white wine 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, freshly grated salt Bring the stock to a boil. Meanwhile, melt half the butter in another pan,…
From Gelato!: Italian Ice Creams, Sorbetti, and Granite by Pamela Sheldon Johns (Ten Speed Press, 2008)One of the most popular flavors in gelaterie in Italy is crema, a simple frozen custard unenhanced by any flavoring. It has a rich yellow color due to the brightness of the yolks of Italian corn-fed chickens. Makes 1-1/2 quarts; serves…
From Cucina Napoletana: 100 Recipes from Italy’s Most Vibrant City (Interlink Books, 2008) This is very much a country dish. In areas where meat was scarce or expensive, legumes were often used to provide necessary protein in the diet – with the added benefit that they were filling and could be used over the winter months when…
