Recipes Index - page 2

Apricot or Cherry Strudel - Strucolo di Albicocche o Ciliege
Apricot or Cherry Strudel, Strucolo di Albicocche o Ciliege: A strucolo is a Friulian strudel; in some cases they're wrapped in cloth and boiled, but here it's baked. There are a great many fruit-based strudels (the classic Viennese Apple Strudel comes to mind), and you could use other fruit here instead of the two I've selected; simply keep the proportions constant and things will work.

A Dried Fruit Wreath -- Anello di Frutta Secca
A Dried Fruit Wreath, or Anello di Frutta Secca: The Holidays are an occasion for planning a special dessert or two. This tasty dried fruit ring brings strudel to mind, and will be quite beautiful if carefully made.

Cuore Fondente, or Melting Heart
Cuore Fondente: A rich chocolate pie that will be perfect (if you make it reducing the ingredients to those given here) for Valentine's day. Or you can make the full pie for more friends with libidinous tastes. If you make the romantic version, a small heart-shaped pan will greatly improve the presentation.

A Rustic Almond Torte - Torta Rustica di Mandorle
A Rustic Almond Torte, or Torta Rustica di Mandorle: Almonds appear more often than any other flavoring agent in the dessert recipes of old Italian cookbooks, and they play a huge roll in this tart, which one might also call an almond crostata. The recipe is from Versilia, on the Tuscan coast.

La Pizza Ricresciuta, a Roman Easter cake
La Pizza Ricresciuta is a "regrown pizza," meaning that its dough has risen anew after having been tamped down, and is the classic Roman Easter cake.

Potato Strudel -- Struculo di Patate
Potato Strudel, or Struculo di Patate: The potatoes are in the dough, not the filling -- a strucolo is a Friulian strudel, and in many cases the dough includes ingredients other than flour. The cooking methods are also variable, and in this case the strudel, which is filled with apples, nuts, and other good things, is boiled rather than baked. The recipe is from the city of Gorizia.

Yellow Squash Gubana -- Gubana alla Zucca Gialla
Yellow Squash Gubana, or Gubana alla Zucca Gialla: A gubana is a very traditional pastry from Friuli Venezia Giulia that somewhat resembles a strudel, and though they generally come with a minced apple filling and enough grappa to tipple a teetotaler, there are other variations on the theme. This one features Italian yellow squash, which is quite similar to butternut squash. You'll need:

Christmas Sfogliata - Sfogliata di Natale
Christmas Sfogliata, or Sfogliata di Natale: This is a dish from the town of Cerignola that the authors of Altamura Antichi Sapori liked enough to include in their book dedicated to the cooking of Altamura, a town in northwestern Puglia.

Chestnut Flour Migliaccio, Commonly Known as Castagnaccio
This is pellegrino Artusi's recipe for chestnut flour migliaccio, a flat firm chestnut cake that's peasant food at it's best, and a fixture on winter tables in central Italy.

Pasta Frolla - Shortbread
Pasta frolla is quite similar to shortbread, and is used primarily to make pies, cookies and crostate, though it does also get used in some savory dishes.

Chocolate Testarolo Rolls with Ricotta and Served a Honey-Raspberry Glaze
Chocolate Testarolo Rolls Stuffed with Ricotta and Served with a Honey-Raspberry Glaze, or Girelle di Testarolo al Cioccolato con Ricotta e Frutti di Bosco in Salsa di Lamponi e Miele: Though testaroli are generally savory, one can make them sweet too. This recipe would also work with chocolate crepes or Swedish pancakes.

Aironeverde's Pastiera Napoletana
One of the most spectacular Italian Easter pastries is the Pastiera Napoletana, a wheat berry and ricotta pie that gains grace and allure from orange water. "Nobody escapes its allure," wrote Caròla Francesconi in introducing it, "an allure due not so much to its goodness as to a subconscious love that's transmitted from generation to generation." Aironeverde is a regular visitor to the Italian food forum, and has kindly shared her recipe

Monica's Ridiculously Easy (And Tasty) Yogurt Pie
Monica Taddei's daughter Francesca goes to kindergarten with Clelia, and this yogurt pie was one of the treats she made for Francesca's birthday party. It didn't look like much -- quite simple, actually -- but it went very fast, and we all asked for the recipe. It's a perfect pie for any time of year and any season, and easy too.

Berry Fruit Meringue - Meringata di Frutti di Bosco
Meringues are quite easy to make, and work beautifully with cream and wild berries to make this tasty summer strawberry raspberry currant meringue pie.

Fig and Peach Cake -- Torta di Fichi e Pesche
Fig and Peach Cake, or Torta di Fichi e Pesche: This is a tasty Piemontese recipe that will be perfect in late summer, when figs and peaches are at their ripest.

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