This recipe is a very tasty shrimp dish, the key to which is making sure that it stays moist and does not become dried out. If the bread crumb mixture feels too dry, you may have to add a little more oil, use your judgement. Serves 4 2 cups bread crumbs 1/4 cup olive oil…
Marinara derives from the Italian word for sailor, marinaro. Due to these origins I have seen many people say that marinara sauce must contain something from the sea, usually anchovies. Actually, this is not the case, the origins of marinara sauce are that it is the sauce that they made in Naples for the sailors…
From Biba’s Italy: Favorite Recipes from the Splendid Cities (Artisan, 2006) Umberto, the owner of the quaint Osteria del Caffè Italiano, is a man with a mission: he wants his customers to enjoy his food and to have a good time. The night my daughter Paola and I were there, he took over the duties of the…
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 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 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 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 A16: Food + Wine (Ten Speed Press, 2008) Eggplant vies with zucchini for the distinction of Campania’s most common summer vegetable, and its meaty texture is a natural for pasta. Toothsome penne tossed with chunky bits of eggplant, olives, and tomatoes is so hearty that I almost forget that this dish is vegetarian. Serves 4 as…
From Seafood alla Siciliana: Recipes and Stories from a Living Tradition (Lake Isle Press, 2009) Here’s another variation on the agrodolce theme, based loosely on a recipe from Charly, chef of Taormina’s Vicolo Stretto restaurant. With red onion crowning each tuna steak, it looks pretty and makes an especially nice warm-weather dish, served at room temperature–like…
