Entree

Winter recipes from Italy: bread, chickpea and smoked cheese soup

25 April, 2020

Winter in Italy has got particularly cold of late and so here is a perfect Italian recipe to warm us up: soup with chickpeas, bread and scamorza, or smoked cheese. It’s a typical dish from the tiny Molise region and…

No chicken with pasta: what not to do with pasta

23 April, 2020

We looked at the golden rules as to how to cook the perfect pasta, and today we examine what you’re not “supposed” to do with pasta. This is one for the purists, and although I’m one to experiment with pasta…

Italian first courses: rice with peas and chickpeas

22 April, 2020

As we’ll soon be bringing you an Italian recipe of mascarpone and maraschino, we thought we’d go with healthy Italian food today and try a risotto with peas and chickpeas. This is a simple recipe but it takes some time…

Italian recipes: how to make pumpkin gnocchi with butter and ricotta

22 April, 2020

This is a truly delicious recipe for anyone who wants to try something different for their traditional Italian gnocchi. This is pumpkin gnocchi, which are wonderfully sweet, matched with butter and smoked ricotta. It’s a perfect Italian autumn recipe and…

Tasty pasta recipes: spinach and ricotta with beef and tomato

21 April, 2020

This yummy pasta recipe is made with meat, cream and tomato sauce, with some added ricotta. Ricotta is such a versatile milk product; it can be sweet or savoury and used in everything from ricotta cakes to salads and more.This…

Italian recipes: pasta with saffron and anchovy

21 April, 2020

Saffron is often used with risotto, but this time we’ll use this exquisite spice with pasta corta; an innovation that I’m sure you will love! Here are the ingredients: 200 g pasta (short variety); wild fennel; anchovies in oil; 1…

Introducing Italy's first pasta with chicken: easy pasta dish

20 April, 2020

We’ve seen many types of pasta in Italy and even discussed the fact that Italians will never put pasta with chicken. But here is the first case we’ve seen of the chicken-pasta combination and it comes direct from our friends…

Traditional Italian products: bresaola cured beef from the Valtellina

18 April, 2020

We’ve touched on Italian cold cuts and cured meats before, called “salumi”. For an idea of the pitfalls regarding the Italian language, see our post on “salumi, salame and salami“. Today, though, we take a general look at Italy’s salumi,…

Traditional Italian recipes for New Year's Eve: cotechino carpaccio

18 April, 2020

The most classic Italian recipe for New Year’s Eve in Italy is ‘cotechino‘ with ‘lenticchie’, or boiled pork sausage with lentils. The lentils are said to bring good fortune for the New Year, and the dish is usually prepared on…

Italian recipes: rigatoni pasta with artichoke and sausage

18 April, 2020

This Italian recipe for rigatoni pasta with sausage and artichokes is delicious and easy to prepare. Here’s what you need:350 g rigatoni; 120 g ricotta; ½ cup milk; 200 g artichokes; 2 sausages; 1 glass of white wine; 1 garlic…

Culatello : the finest ham in the world

17 April, 2020

Today we talk about Culatello of Zibello and the annual fair dedicated to this delicious product from Parma and nearby towns such as Zibello and Fidenza. It comes from the leg of an adult hog and it’s usually aged for…

Italian recipes: pasta with porcini and zucchini

17 April, 2020

Fed up with complicated recipes which never work out the way one wanted? If so try this quick and easy Italian recipe for pasta with porcini and zucchini; it won’t have you slaving in the kitchen for hours!Ingredients: 350 g…

How to make carbonara

14 April, 2020

Of all the famous sauces you can put on pasta in Italy, today we look at Carbonara. While the traditional recipe doesn’t involve cream, in Italy every mother, grandmother and house wife has her own recipe. Pasta alla carbonara is…

Italian summer recipes: cold pasta with tuna fish

12 April, 2020

With temperatures going up and heat waves on the way a quick and easy recipe for pasta fredda or cold pasta is what we need!Ingredients: 180 g spaghetti; canned tuna, lemon juice; chopped parsley; extra virgin olive oil; salt and…

Easy Italian recipes: Tomatoes and mozzarella au gratin

12 April, 2020

Today we have a tasty recipe easy and quick to prepare: tomatoes and mozzarella au gratin.Ingredients: 300 g tomatoes; 300 g mozzarella; 300 g brown bread; basil; 2 garlic cloves; butter; oil and pepper.Preparation: Preheat the oven to 180° c.…

Italian Christmas recipes: homemade seafood pasta

11 April, 2020

This Italian Christmas recipe is used as part of the initial Christmas toast at the beginning of the meal, and is an Italian seafood, Christmas pasta recipe.The ingredients for four people are: 400 grams of tagliatelle, 300 grams of turbot…

The Geometry of Pasta: new cookbook explains pasta shapes

9 April, 2020

The shape of pasta is not just a random thing that you can throw any sauce at. On the contrary, Italian cooking has known for centuries which are the best sauces to match to certain pasta shapes, and which shapes…

Traditional Italian products: red chicory for Christmas and winter recipes

8 April, 2020

If you were wondering what the red stuff was in your Italian Christmas dish, or New Year’s Eve recipe, you may find it was the red endive, or chicory, currently in season in Italy and used in various Italian recipes…

International Day of Italian cuisine: celebrating homemade pesto sauce

8 April, 2020

Today is the fourth annual International Day for Italian Cuisine and this year’s focus is the regional Italian cuisine dish of pesto from Liguria. Genoa is the home of Italy’s famous pesto sauce and this edition follows the previous celebration…

Boutique shopping in Rome: 500 types of pasta at Pastateca

8 April, 2020

It’s true that you can do just about anything with pasta, but I would never have said there were 500 types of pasta in the world. But if you’re shopping in Rome and exploring its boutique stores, you might find…

Italian recipes: pasta with pesto and octopus

7 April, 2020

Here’s another fantastic recipe that’s quick and great for summer eating, pasta with pesto and octopus.Ingredients: octopus, basil, pine nuts, garlic, extravirgin olive oil, pasta - best if it’s “trofie di Recco” from Liguria, but you should look for fresh…

Winter recipes from Italy: bread, chickpea and smoked cheese soup

No chicken with pasta: what not to do with pasta

Italian first courses: rice with peas and chickpeas

Italian recipes: how to make pumpkin gnocchi with butter and ricotta

Tasty pasta recipes: spinach and ricotta with beef and tomato

Italian recipes: pasta with saffron and anchovy

Introducing Italy's first pasta with chicken: easy pasta dish

Traditional Italian products: bresaola cured beef from the Valtellina

Traditional Italian recipes for New Year's Eve: cotechino carpaccio

Italian recipes: rigatoni pasta with artichoke and sausage

Culatello : the finest ham in the world

Italian recipes: pasta with porcini and zucchini

How to make carbonara

Italian summer recipes: cold pasta with tuna fish

Easy Italian recipes: Tomatoes and mozzarella au gratin

Italian Christmas recipes: homemade seafood pasta

The Geometry of Pasta: new cookbook explains pasta shapes

Traditional Italian products: red chicory for Christmas and winter recipes

International Day of Italian cuisine: celebrating homemade pesto sauce

Boutique shopping in Rome: 500 types of pasta at Pastateca

Italian recipes: pasta with pesto and octopus

Festival of Bread opens in Rome: celebrating bruschetta and the best Italian bread in Italy

Italian actresses: Asia Argento and Stefania Rocca in Abel Ferrara's "Go Go Tales"

Italian recipes: pasta with tuna sauce

Italian summer recipes: pasta with potatoes and pesto