There's nothing quite like roasting over an open hearth, the meat on a spit that slowly turns in the glow of the coals. Alas, this requires a hearth, and most of us therefore make do with an oven. However, there is also an Italian stovetop technique for roasting that gives excellent results.
Savory dishes cooked with fruit were considerably more common in the past than they are now in Italy, but they do offer a welcome, and rather voluptuous change of pace. This recipe calls for Burbank plums, but you could use others as well.
Ossobuco, veal or beef shank, is an extraordinarily sensual meat, with a texture that verges on the libidinous. It does take a while to cook, but if you make this recipe, you won't have to watch it at all for most of the time. In short, a perfect dish for when you're busy doing other things!
This is an elegant winter roast from Piemonte, and will offer a very nice change of pace.
Piemonte is famed for its beef, and as a result there are a great many Piemontese recipes for roasted or braised beef; though brasato al Barolo is perhaps the best known, this is also quite nice.
Piemonte's Langhe are best known for their superb red wines, but the region also has some of the finest stands of hazelnut trees in the world. Though this recipe calls for beef, you could use other meats too, including rabbit.
Kumquats are a relatively new thing in Italy, and they work nicely with meats. Especially veal, whose sweetness nicely balances the tartness of kumquats in this tasty roast veal.
Roasting a veal shank is quite easy, and virtually foolproof; you'll be able to prepare a tasty meal people will line up to enjoy, and only need to check on its progress every now and then. The recipe was prepared for me by Guido Stucchi Prinetti, who got it from his Mom, Lorenza De'Medici
Roast Beef with Sliced Onions, or Arrosto Con Cipolle Filanti: This will be quite tasty, and elegant enough for company though you may not want to wait.
This isn't a roast in the traditional dry heat sense, but rather an arrosto morto, in other words a pot roast, and to be frank the recipe calls for more liquid than many do. However, it also calls for dried mushrooms, and they contribute considerably to thickening the sauce.
Roast Veal with Potatoes, Parmigiano and Truffles, Bologna Style: Bologna is often referred to as [i]La Grassa,[/i] (the rich), a reference to the cuisine, which is one of Italy's most elegant. And fun too; elsewhere in Emilia they make stuffed pasta and call them cappelletti, little hats. In Bologna, on the other hand, they add a twist as they shape the pasta, call them tortellini, and attribute them to a one-eyed artist who was inspired by a vision of Venus's navel. Enough said.
Ligurian Spit-Roasted Veal, or Vitello Allo Spiedo: A piece of meat done on a spit can be deceptive and surprising: all sorts of things can happen during the roasting. In Liguria, for example, it's basted with lemon juice.
Roast Beef with Pomegranate Sauce, or Roast Beef alla Melagrana: Roast beef takes very well to sauce, and the rich ruby of the sauce here will be quite festive.
Artusi gives a number of recipes for making an arrosto morto in his Scienza in Cucina e L’Arte di Mangiar Bene; most were alas sacrificed during the revision process to bring the manuscript of The Art of Eating Well down to a manageable size. This is especially well suited to extremely lean meats that will benefit from the insertion of lardoons, strips of lard that baste the meat from within.
Artusi gives a number of recipes for making an arrosto morto in his Scienza in Cucina e L’Arte di Mangiar Bene; most were alas sacrificed during the revision process to bring the manuscript of The Art of Eating Well down to a manageable size. This pot roast with rosemary and garlic is especially well suited to flavorful cuts of meat.
A classic, very simple technique for pot roasting, which is perfect for making roast beef on the stove.
Bue alla Moda and Bue Brasato, two tasty pot roasts.
Beef filet, roasted and served with zesty apples. Quite tasty!
A Calabrian recipe for roast veal with tomatoes and herbs.
An old, and elegant recipe for roast veal seasoned with a deft sweet touch, and served on a bed of beans.
About the Chianina breed and its introduction to the US -- general information, nicely done, with pretty photos.
A grilled flank steak with an interesting looking Gorgonzola sauce. Looks nice, though I've never encountered anything quite like it in Italy.
Erica de Mane's interpretation of Manducatis pork chops and peppers; they use red Italian frying peppers while she prefers bell peppers.
