Mid-Summer Italian Bread Salad
Everything in this salad is fresh, except the bread! Prepare this salad by using a loaf of artisan bread or rosemary bread that is a touch stale. If your bread is too fresh, toast it until it is about half as dried and crunchy as a crouton.
Fresh Sardines Naples Style
Fresh sardines are fried to a crispy golden brown, and drizzled with a garlic and white wine vinaigrette then topped off with a sprinkling of fresh mint leaves. Serve this appetizer with a good white wine.
Ciabatta
Take five minutes today to make the starter, also called sponge, and tomorrow you can bake two loaves of this marvelous, slightly sour, rustic Italian bread that has a hearty crust.
Traditional Osso Buco
This recipe is a traditional but simple way of cooking Osso Buco (veal shanks). The white wine is a must in this dish.
Calamari
This is a delicious, very easy, quick but moderately expensive recipe. Everyone I've ever fixed it for absolutely loves it!
Mostaccioli Mosta
The black olives make this dish a little different from other red pasta dishes.
Lasagne Verdi al Forno
A recipe from my home in Emilia-Romagna, Italy; this lasagna made with spinach pasta cannot be beat. It's excellent if you want to impress some guests, or even yourself. It may be a bit time consuming, but it's well worth the TLC you put into it.
Italian Anisette Cookies
Old Italian recipe.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
No two spaghetti aglio e olio recipes are alike, but this one is pretty true to the classic method. The key is slowly toasting the garlic slices to a perfect golden-brown in the olive oil. If it's too light, you don't get the full flavor and if it's too dark it gets bitter. My advice? Do it perfectly.
Pan-Fried Asparagus
This garlic asparagus dish is a Northern Italian side dish. My family loves it! Even the kids!
Sausage, Peppers, Onions, and Potato Bake
This is an Italian comfort food classic! The smell of this cooking in my kitchen transports me back to playing on the street in front of my Papa and Gigi's house in Brooklyn. I make 2 trays of this for every family get-together, and it's gone in a flash!
Panna Cotta
A traditional, easy, and delicious Italian custard. I had a difficult time finding a good and easy recipe on the internet, so I made up my own recipe. It tastes just like the panna cotta served at Italian restaurants. Serve with warm hot fudge sauce and fresh raspberries on top. This keeps well for several days in the refrigerator.
