TopPicks Index
Top 10 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!
Top 10 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:
Top 10 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. Capture them for the winter! 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.
Top 10 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.
Top 10 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.
Top 10 Vegetarian Italian Recipes
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. Minestrone comes to mind, and there are many other meatless dishes that 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!
Top 10 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.
Top 10 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.
Top 10 Favorite Italian Summer Desserts
Desserts in summer should be light and refreshing. Cool, too, if possible, and there are many Italian options!
Top 9 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.
Top 10 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.
Top 9 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.
Top 10 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.
Top 10 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.
Top 10 Favorite Uses for 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.
Top 10 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.
Top 10 Favorite Italian 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.
Top 10 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.
Top 10 Favorite Summer Meat Recipes
Italian meat recipes are as seasonal as anything else in Italian cuisine: In summer 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!
Top 10 Favorite Winter Pasta Dishes
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.