Pasta al Forno simply means baked pasta, and unlike a lot of Italian dishes, there is no single definitive recipe for it. Every region has its own version, every family has their own take, and almost any combination of pasta, sauce, and cheese can find its way into a baking dish. Some versions are elaborate:…
The trend in Italian restaurants today to be new and innovative has unfortunately forced some excellent traditional dishes such as Chicken Cacciatore off the menus. This is a shame, because if you ask me, great food should never go out of style. Chicken Cacciatore, which translates to “hunter’s chicken,” is a rustic Italian dish that…
The aroma of this dish takes me back to my days waiting tables at my Dad’s restaurant. Whenever I carried Chicken Scarpariello across the dining room, the lemon-garlic scent never failed to make me hungry. This is his recipe, the one I grew up with, and it’s all about that bright, garlicky pan sauce. This…
Although this vegetarian spinach lasagna varies slightly from the traditional version of this classic Italian dish, it is equally delicious and filling. A flavorful homemade tomato sauce enrobes three layers of pasta filled with a creamy, cheesy spinach mixture and topped with golden baked mozzarella for an irresistibly mouth-watering meal. Although authentic lasagna is made…
This past weekend my mom came up to spend the day and I wanted to make something special, so I reached into my old school bag of tricks and made Veal Sorrentino. It had been quite a while since I made this and I had forgotten what a great and unique veal dish it is….
Beef Braciole, stuffed beef rolls slowly simmered in tomato sauce, are Italian comfort food at it’s best. Beef Braciole is classic Italian comfort food and a great dish to make on a wintery Sunday afternoon. Stuffed beef rolls, simmered slowly in tomato sauce so the flavors from the stuffing infuse the sauce and the meat…
Chicken Parmigiana with breaded chicken cutlets, marinara sauce, parmigiano and melted mozzarella cheese is a classic Italian-American comfort food. I know on Labor Day weekend you are supposed to grill. But the forecast had been calling for rain on Sunday and I had just recently made a batch of Marinara Sauce. So, I thought what better way…
Just about every region of Italy has it’s own version of a Ragu, a slow cooked meat sauce, but perhaps the most famous is from the city of Bologna in Emilia-Romagna, Ragu alla Bolognese. Where in other areas, especially in Southern Italy, the Ragu typically starts with large cuts of meat which are cooked slowly…
Ossobuco is a classic Milanese dish that pairs perfectly with another specialty from the Lombardy region, saffron infused Risotto alla Milanese. The name Ossobuco literally translates to “bone with a hole” which is a reference to the marrow filled hole in the center of the veal shank. You might be tempted to skip the tying…
Biba Caggiano has written some of my favorite Italian cookbooks. Her book Biba’s Italy: Favorite Recipes from the Splendid Cities is one I keep coming back to, and this Cotoletta alla Bolognese is a perfect example of why. The technique of coating the veal cutlets with Parmigiano-Reggiano before breading adds a savory depth that I…
