Recipes Index - page 2

Grilled Pork Chops Lazio Style - Costarelle di Maiale alla Laziale
Costarelle can be either ribs or chops, depending upon where in Italy you happen to be. In Lazio they're boned pork chops, and are quite nice grilled.

Spicy Calabrian Pork Chop Recipe - Braciole di Maiale alla Calabrese
Calabrian-style Pork Chops, or Braciole di Maiale alla Calabrese: Italians often use fennel seeds to season pork chops. In Calabria they also add hot pepper to give the pork chops added kick.

Italian Grilled Pork Chop Recipe - Bistecca di Maiale alla Griglia
In the Tuscan grilled foods pantheon grilled pork chops are second only to the bistecca alla fiorentina. Assuming you plan to serve four people purchase four pork chops weighing about a half pound (200 g) each....

How to Roast a Whole Piglet - Maialino Arrosto
The best known Italian roast pig is porchetta: A boned whole pig very well seasoned and spit roasted for hours. It's classic festival food, and a standby at markets and fairs. But unless you're feeding a huge gathering, and have quite a bit of experience managing a fire pit, roasting it's not practical. A piglet is, on the other hand, if you're feeding a large group -- say 20-30 people.

Roast Suckling Pig Recipe - Maialino allo Spiedo
Roast Suckling Pig, or Maialino allo Spiedo: Every region of Italy has a recipe for roast suckling pig. This particular variation is done in front of the coals; it's Tuscan, and is perfect for a festive occasion. The recipe is hazy on the cooking time, because it will depend upon the fire, the fireplace, and the pig.

Sardinian Roast Piglet Recipe - Porceddu
Porceddu is, quite simply, a Sardinian roast sucking piglet, but the roasting technique is masterful enough that it is one of the finest ways to cook pork one could imagine. It does require experience with fire building, and also quite a bit of wood, as the coals must burn for several hours. But the results are well worth the effort.

Tuscan Pork Stew Recipe - Spezzatino di Maiale
Pork Stew, or Spezzatino di Maiale: This is a classic Italian recipe, in that it doesn't say how much pork to use, since the author assumes you will know. For four people figure about a pound and a half (650 g) of boned lean pork, cubed.

Sausage and Potatoes - Salsicce e Patate - Potatoes and Sausages
Sausage and potatoes would strike one as obvious, and the combination is, especially in mountainous areas where potatoes grow well and contribute heavily to the diet. Indeed, in the past this was often the only item on the menu in the Val D'Aosta's mountain inns.

Pork Spare Ribs - Rosticciana
It's hard to imagine a Tuscan arrosto misto (mixed roast meats, done over the coals) without pork spare ribs. The fire should be hot enough to cook them, but not so hot they burn at the outset. And they do require patience, but are well worth it.

Pork Leg in Orange Sauce -- Cosciotto all'Arancia
Pork Shoulder in Orange Sauce, or Cosciotto all'Arancia: This pork shoulder is an elegant pork dish that will work nicely on an important occasion, when you want to serve something tasty but rather unusual.

Roast Pork Shoulder Butt with Onions and Plums -- Coppa di Maiale Arrosto con Ci
Cooking with fruit will, of course, impart sweet overtones to a dish, and though this sort of thing is relatively rare in modern Italian cooking, it was quite common in the past. In short, a step back into the past and a tasty change of pace besides. The onions should ideally be borrettane, which are small and sweet. Any small sweet onion will work, however, and if need be you can make do with plain button onions.

Spare Ribs - Costicine di Maiale
Spare Ribs, or Costicine di Maiale: There are lots of ways to cook pork spare ribs. Many end up being rather fatty, and though tasty aren't particularly healthy. Here steam renders out much of the fat; I enjoyed this recipe at a dinner I had in the hinterland of Verona, and Ivana was kind enough to share it. There really aren't any quantities involved, so the amounts you use will be up to you.

Pork Stew -- Spezzatino di Maiale
Pork Stew: Quite obvious, very simple, and if it didn't exist we'd have to invent it.

Pork Rolls with Truffle Sauce -- Involtini di Lonza al Tartufo
Pork Rolls with Truffle Sauce, or Involtini di Lonza al Tartufo: Pork loin is both flavorful and versatile, and it can be quite festive. Here you'll want it cut into thin slices, and will want to wrap them around something that will add a happy touch. Decorated chopsticks, for example.

Pork Loins with Pistachio Nuts -- Filetti Di Maiale ai Pistacchi
Pork Loins with Pistachio Nuts, or Filetti Di Maiale ai Pistacchi: Pork loin is both economical and tender, though it does require some care because if it is overcooked it toughens up. Therefore, cook it only until it is white throughout. This recipe will work quite nicely in an elegant meal.

Roast Pork & Pork-Roasted Duck: Porchetta & Anatra in Porchetta
Roast Pork & Pork-Roasted Duck: Porchetta is a roast pig, an ideal picnic food and also quite good as part of a festive, though not tremendously elegant, meal. Larger pigs, roasted the same way, are sliced to stuff sandwiches in fairs. Anatra in porchetta is a duck roasted the same way.

Drunken Pork Chops -- Braciole di Maiale Ubriache
Drunken Pork Chops, or Braciole di Maiale Ubriache: This simple, very tender way to prepare pork chops with wine is from Emilia Romagna, and will be perfect when it's brisk out and cooking something will help warm the house.

Bolognan-Style Pork Chops -- Braciole di Maiale alla Bolognese
Bolognan-Style Pork Chops, Braciole di Maiale alla Bolognese: These pork chops with prosciutto and cheese are somewhat more involved than some other pork chops, but will be a delightful surprise at the table, and are well suited to company.

Grilled Pork Chops -- Braciole di Maiale
Grilled Pork Chops, or Braciole di Maiale: Some dishes are involved. Others, like these Calabrian pork chops, are extremely simple.

Braciole Calabresi
This is an old Calabrian braciola recipe that is quite tasty hot off the fire. It's also rather particular, in that it's made entirely with non-water-based ingredients that will keep quite well if protected from the air, say by a layer of oil. In fact, packing cooked meats in an oil that would solidify as it cooled to room temperature was a common form of preservation in pre-refrigerated Italy, and you'll likely find a jar of these tucked away in some pantries in Calabria even today.

Fried Sausage -- Sasizza Fritta
Frying up a sausage is one of those activities that one would think automatic -- simply put the links in the pan and light the burner. With a little more care, however, they'll be much more tasty and less likely to split. And they'll be lighter on the digestion too.

Pork Loin with Apples -- Filetto di Maiale alle Mele
Pork Loin with Apples, Filetto di Maiale alle Mele: Pork and apples are a universal combination. This recipe calls for a whole pork loin, and will take about an hour and a half to prepare.

Pork Involtini with Apples -- Involtini di Maiale alle Mele
Pork Involtini with Apples, or Involtini di Maiale alle Mele: Apples and pork are a universal combination, and make for wonderful rollups. This recipe will take about an hour to prepare.

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