> Menus, Tips, Ingredients...> Favorite Recipes

Benvenuta Primavera!
Fresh spring vegetables -- as opposed to what's grown in a hothouse -- are by now flooding the markets, and it's time to put them to use. Making Pasta alla Primavera, for example: There's no one recipe because people's tastes and vegetable patches differ, but they all share the delightful freshness of Spring.

Fagioli:
"People say, and it's true, that beans are the meat of the poor man," wrote Artusi a bit more than a century ago. And indeed they were, but they are also much more: Versatile, tasty, and an excellent, healthy source of protein. In summer it's hard to beat a refreshingly cool plate of cranberry beans, seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and some finely sliced onion (add tuna to make a meal of t…

Favorite Lemony Recipes
Lemons are, after oranges, the most popular citrus fruit grown in Italy. While some gourmands frown at squeezing a lemon over fried foods, e.g. veal cutlets or fish -- they say it masks the flavor of the food -- I find a little freshly squeezed lemon to be quite refreshing, especially on a hot day. There are other things too, including Limoncello...

Favorite Italian Summer Vegetables
One of the nicest things about summer is the voluptuous bounty you'll find in a good vegetable market: Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini flowers... Wonderful, and wonderfully refreshing. Some of my favorite summer recipes:

Italian Grilled Meats
If you live in (or visit) the heart of an Italian city you might not realize the degree to which Italian cooking revolves around the grill. If you head out into the suburbs, however, come mealtime and especially on holidays or weekends you're certain to smell the rich aromas of grilling meats, rising up from backyard barbecues or -- if it's raining -- coming from the hearths people have in their kitchens or [i]tavernette.[/i] Some of my favorite Italian grilled meats and more.

Before Tomato? Tomatoless Italian Dishes
Roberto Benigni once did a movie in which he goes back in time and tries to stop Columbus from sailing, to keep his sister from getting engaged to the American who then dropped her. He fails, and this is good, because if he hadn't we'd be without potatoes, peppers, and... Tomatoes, which to many symbolize Italian cooking. Even now, however, there are many tomatoless Italian dishes. Here's a selection to help you choose if you either dislike or are allergic to tomatoes.

Favorite Italian Finger And Party Foods
Italy has a long tradition of finger foods, tasty morsels to grab on the go: Arancini, panelle, calzoni, frittelle, or any number of things. These finger foods also make great party foods, while the many spreads and toppings people put on crostini (toasted bread) also make great dips. Much to enjoy!

Favorite Fall Recipes
As September flows into October the days shorten, temperatures drop off, and all sorts of new foods come to the market, from apples to chestnuts to black leaf kale. Italian cooking reflects these changes, becoming richer and heartier as fall advances into winter.

Favorite Italian Summer Desserts
Desserts in summer should be light and refreshing. Cool, too, if possible, and there are many Italian options!

Storing Summer Continued -- Pickles and More
Set some of summer's abundance aside for winter: dry tomatoes, pickle onions, make giardiera for an italian antipasto platter, and more.

Storing Summer -- Favorite Jams And Other Delights
Summer is a time of richness and abundance: Strawberries, cherries, peaches, apricots, plums and more appear in voluptuous waves, and one of the saddest things about Fall is the way this richness fades. Doesn't have to be this way, however: It's easy to transform fruit into jams and jellies, which will remind you of the joys of summer every time you delve into one, and make great gifts besides.

Favorite Rushed Recipes
There are times when you have to cook on the run, and though pasta with melted butter and grated cheese, served with a salad assembled while the water was heating, is an option, one can do more in 20 minutes. Here are a few of the dishes I resort to when I really should be heading out the door, but want a bite first.

Favorite Winter Vegetables
Winter is the time for leafy greens -- arugola, salads, kale, and cabbages and their relatives, among others. Earthier that what one finds in summer, perhaps, but delicious and tremendously satisfying when properly prepared.

Favorite Winter Stews
When it gets cold out, and possibly wet -- what Italians call tempo da lupi, wolf weather, the best thing to do is break out the stew pot, prepare the requisite meat, herbs, and veggies, and set it all to simmering. The bubbling pot will warm your kitchen and perhaps even your house, the aromas will whet your appetite, and when it all gets to the table, it will being comfort and joy.

Vegetarian Italian
Italy doesn't have a vegetarian tradition per se. Quite the contrary; in the past much of the population couldn't afford to eat meat more than once a week, and as a result eating meat often was a status symbol of sorts. This doesn't mean there are no vegetarian recipes, however. Quite the contrary; many meatless soups and pasta dishes will work very well as the centerpiece of a vegetarian meal. Add to them tossed salad and a wine (white, probably), and you're in business!

Favorite Stuffed Pasta Recipes
Italians have been enjoying stuffed pasta for a long time -- In the Decamerone Boccaccio mentions a fabled land of well-being where cooks stand on a great mound of grated Parmigiano, making maccheroni and raviuoli they cook in capon broth, and everyone can take as much as they want... And ravioli are just the tip of an iceberg; there are also tortellini, pansotti, agnolotti, tordelli, cannelloni (manicotti in the US) and much more.

Dishes to Keep the Chill at Bay
As temperatures drop off in the fall, Italian cooking changes: The dishes become richer and heavier, to better stick to the ribs, and cooking times become much longer, because a slowly bubbling pot works wonders, spreading warmth and cheer throughout the home. Hearty soups, rich stews, and more. In short, comfort food.

What to do with Stale bread?
An Italian meal wouldn't be a meal without a loaf at table, and lots of people even use it to accompany pasta (and then wipe up the drippings with the crust, what's called fare la scarpetta). Because of this love of bread we had 5 bakeries within a 5-minute walk from our house in Florence, and now that we're out in the country we've got 3. Problem is, sometimes we buy too much and some goes stale. Or is this a problem? No, because there are many uses for stale bread.

Favorite Puddings and Spoon Desserts
Italians are enthusiastic roasters, happy to cook just about anything savory over the coals or in the oven if that's what they have. When it comes to desserts, however, at home people are much more likely to make a pudding than bake a cake. Tiramisu of course comes to mind, but there are many other treats as well, including zuppa inglese, panna cotta, and... gelato.

Favorite Cakes and Pies
Italy has hundreds of cakes, sweets, and other delights. Here's a selection of my favorites, some traditional and others quite newfangled. The one characteristic they share is that they don't require a spoon.

Favorite Springtime Recipes
Spring is a time of rebirth, and in the markets the cabbages and other leafy winter vegetables give way to peas, asparagus, and many other wonderfully refreshing things that are especially nice after the long winter chill.

Favorite Fish Recipes
Italy has thousands of miles of bays, inlets, reefs, and beaches with all kinds of fish to choose from. Some of my favorite recipes:

Favorite Summer Meat Recipes
Italian meat recipes are as seasonal as anything else in Italian cuisine: people grill more, because the grill is outside and doesn't heat the house, fry because it's a quick technique, and also serve chilled meats. Anything to beat the heat!

Favorite Winter Pasta Recipes
Italian foods are seasonal, light, refreshing foods in summer to counter the heat, and richer, more substantial foods during the winter to help us keep the chill at bay. Here's a selection of winter pasta recipes I especially like.

Picnic and Cookout Favorites
The success of a cookout hinges upon the grill. However, even the tastiest steak or grilled chicken surved up on a plate by itself will only go so far. And then you'll need a side dish. Some of my favorites:

Favorite Summer Pasta Dishes
Italian foods are seasonal, with rich foods during the winter to keep the chill at bay, and lighter, more refershing dishes in the summer to help us deal with the heat. Here are some summer pasta dishes I especially like.

Italian Thanksgiving Ideas
Italians don't celebrate Thanksgiving per se, perhaps because the growing season never stops: even in the midst of winter there's something to harvest, broccoli raab in the south, or kale and cabbage in the north. Of course Italians are happy to celebrate any holiday, and here are some ideas to add to a Thanksgiving meal.