Gourmet Italian

photo credit: zoyachubby I serve this simple Italian stew with polenta and it always gets thumbs up around our house.  I think it is named Italian stew because it contains fennel seed and rosemary.  I think the best Italian sausages are the ones that use fennel.  Fennel is native to southern Europe, so it is [...]

photo credit: haldean When I ran across a recipe for Chocolate Italian Honey Cheesecake years ago, I knew that I had to try this one!  After all, it has one of those marvelous Toblerone chocolate bars in the recipe.  You know the ones – they come in triangular wrapping and the packaging has a picture [...]

photo credit: LHOON Chicagoans are proud of their gourmet steak sandwich which they call Italian beef.  Did you know that this sandwich does not – and never did – exist in Italy? There are many different stories about the origin of this gourmet Italian sandwich, but it is believed to have started in the 1930′s.  [...]

photo credit: badlyricpolice There are many traditional Italian cookies, but it is believed that the lovely pizzelles are the oldest.  The name comes from the Italian word pizze for round and flat.  Pizzelles are thin, waffle-type cookies made with a special pizzelle machine.  Long ago, a family would have an iron with their family crest [...]

photo credit: stu_spivack Chocolate Italian Souffle Cakes are surprisingly easy to make, yet they always impress dinner guests who can’t imagine making them themselves.  You must be sure to use a good quality chocolate, as that is the star of the Italian dessert. The very best chocolate I ever tasted was a bar of chocolate [...]

Zucchini is one of the most favored Spring vegetables in Italy and there are many dishes Italian chefs create with them.  In some cuisines, the zucchini is considered a bit bland, so lots of seasonings and cheeses are usually added to “kick it up” a bit.  Italians, however, love the very delicate taste and they [...]

photo credit: specialkrb Cooking gourmet with a simple “spaghetti ajo e ojo” is a simple, but wonderful treat!  AJO is garlic and OJO is oil.  You will sometimes see this dish called “aglio e oilio” – which means the same thing. This is actually one of the quickest, easiest and tastiest gourmet Italian dishes you [...]