Gourmet Italian

photo credit: jessicafm You won’t find a more authentic Italian food than the Italian pasta and bean soup called Pasta e Fagioli or Pasta Fagioli.  This is an ancient peasant dish and some say you will find the best ever made in Tuscany.  It always includes lot of vegetables, beans  and herbs and some smallish [...]

photo credit: VirtualErn Beef braised with Italian red wine – Stracotto al Barolo – is one of my favorite comfort foods!  This Piemontese Pot Roast is cooked in Barolo red wine.  Barolo is sometimes referred to as the king of wines, for its rich flavor and wonderful aroma.  Barolo had admirers throughout Europe as early [...]

photo credit: gildas_f Italian food and wine lovers know the secret to a good stromboli is to have a good dough to start with.  The stromboli was actually given its name in a hoagie shop outside of Philadelphia in 1950.  The chef named Nat Romano was selling these lots of these baked sandwiches he thought [...]

photo credit: stevendepolo The Italian gourmet salad of Caponata is most associated with Sicily, although it is believed that the Arabs originally brought it to Italy.  The salad is a mixture of eggplant, anchovies, and vegetables that are cooked together in olive oil.  Although Caponata was once served as a main meal, these days we [...]

photo credit: The Marmot When I first ran across the simple Italian dish called Risi e Bisi, I just loved the name.  Sounds so much cuter than rice and peas.  I thought it was pretty much just a risotto with peas added, but I found I was incorrect.  This dish is actually considered a soup [...]

photo credit: Laurel Fan Fresh gourmet dishes made with Jerusalem Artichokes are a real treat.  You must make sure that your Jerusalem Artichokes are firm, not spongy.  Try to find the ones with the least “gnarls”, as these are a bit of a pain to peel.  Also – remember that Jerusalem Artichokes look just like [...]

photo credit: balise42 I was in the mood for cooking gourmet Italian a few years ago, and I ran across a recipe online for Rigatoni with Salsiccia and Finocchio.  Salsiccia I knew was sausage, but what the heck is Finocchio?  Pinocchio’s cousin?  Did Geppeto have another little guy? I soon learned that Finocchio is a [...]