photo credit: silas216

Palermo, the capital of Sicily, is the birthplace of the one of the most famous Italian Dessert recipes – the fabulous cannoli.  Way back when, wealthy people would make a gift of cannoli to their friends at the time of their annual carnival.  Cannoli is actually the plural of cannolo.  You don’t hear much about connolo because it is difficult to eat just one.  Our Italian bakery even makes the cute little finger-sized ones called cannulicchi.

Cannoli shells for this Italian dessert are made in the shape of a tube and are then filled with some sort of filling.  Tradtionally, it will be ricotta or marscapone mixed with bits of chocolate or bits of fruit.  Often, a Marischino cherry or chopped pistachio nuts will be placed on each end and the cannoli will be dusted with powered sugar.

It is important to remember that the cannoli should be filled as close to serving time as possible – never more than an hour ahead – because they will get soggy.  One nice thing to remember is that the shells freeze exceptionally well, so you can just take out however many you need and leave the rest for another time.  The shells are made primarily of butter, sugar and flour.  They are wrapped around tubes and either fried or baked.  You can buy the shells already made or you can make your own.

Although the ricotta filling is the most popular, I actually prefer the pastry cream filling that is also available.  This is a little sweeter version of the Italian dessert recipes for cannoli that are so popular.  Maybe that’s why I prefer it.

Bring 2 cups of milk to a boil with 1/4 cup of sugar.  Whisk 6 large egg yolks in a bowl with a pinch of salt and 1/4 cup of sugar.  Once the milk comes to a boil, whisk about a third of it into the eggs – whisking constantly.  We don’t want scrambled eggs.  Now slowly return this mixture back in to the milk in the pan over low heat.  Return the heat to medium and return to a boil, whisking constantly.  When it starts to thicken, cook for another minute and remove from heat.

Whisk in 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.  Transfer to a bowl and place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the filling.  Place in the frig for at least a few hours – or make it the day before.

Watch Greg make some wonderful cannoli for you here!

Thank you, oh wonderful Sicily for this most marvelous of all  Italian dessert recipes – Cannoli!  Mangia Bene!

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 pasta like little tubes or shells.  If you are old enough, you may remember Dean Martin singing about this soup in his wonderful song “That’s Amore”.  This Italian Pasta and Beans soup is now served all over the world – and not only in Italian restaurants.

For the stock, you can use either chicken or beef.  You should have some Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top of each serving.  I have a nice recipe that tastes wonderful on a blustery day.  It is made in the crock pot, so you can have it made before noon and it will be ready for dinner!

Brown two pounds of ground beef in a skillet and put it in the crock pot along with a chopped onion, 3 chopped carrots and 4 stalks of chopped celery.  Stir in two 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes with their juice, a 16 ounce can of red kidney beans – drained and a 16 ounce can of white kidney beans – drained.  Now sprinkle your seasonings over the top – 3 teaspoons oregano, 2 teaspoons pepper, 5 teaspoons parsley and a teaspoon of Tabasco sauce.

Pour a 20 ounce jar of good spaghetti sauce over all.  I recommend Paul Newman’s brand.  Now stir in 30 ounce of beef stock.

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 or 8 hours.  During the last hour, put in your favorite small Italian pasta.

Serve with Parmesan cheese on top and nice crusty Italian bread!

Watch Mama Rosa make her pasta fagioli here!

Mangia Bene!

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 they should have a name, but he didn’t know what to call them.  At that time, actress Ingrid Bergman – who was married at the time – was rumored to be having an affair with actor Roberto Rossolini.  They were both starring in the movie “Stromboli” – which was being filmed on the Isle of Stromboli.  Someone suggested calling the sandwich Stromboli and the rest is history!

I saw Emeril make his on tv and his is one of my favorite recipes.  Take 1/2 pound of hot Italian sausage out of the casing and crumble it into a skillet.  Cook until nicely browned and remove.  Drain off all but a tablespoon of fat from the pan and saute a cup of sliced bell peppers, a cup of sliced onion and 2 tablespoons of thinly sliced jalapenos until very soft.  Add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and a teaspoon of Italian spices.  Cook another minute and remove from heat to cool.

Roll half a pound of gourmet bread dough or pizza dough into  a large rectangle.  Spread half of your cooled sausage mixture all over – leaving a one inch border.  Top this with 1/4 pound of sliced ham, 1/8 pound of thinly sliced pepperoni, 1/4 cup sliced black olives, a cup of grated provolone cheese and a cup of grated mozzarella cheese.

Beat an egg with a tablespoon of water and “paint” the border of your rectangle with the mixture.  Starting with the long side, roll the entire thing up into a cylinder, pinching the bottom and sides to seal.  Place this on an oiled baking sheet and let rise for about 20 minutes.

Brush the top with egg wash and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  It should be nice and golden brown and starting to crisp up.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle on half a cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese.  Return to the oven for 5 more minutes.  Take it out of the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes to let the filling set.  Slice on the diagonal into nice big pieces and enjoy your gourmet bread creation – Italian stromboli!  Italian food and wine lover rejoice!

See the lady from Pillsbury make her version here!

Mangia Bene!

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 find it served most often as an appetizer.  It is usually served at room temperature with small bread rounds or crackers, although some prefer to serve it chilled.  Either way, the exotic taste and smell of this combination of ingredients makes it very popular.

Almost all recipes for this gourmet salad include celery.  The celery gives the dish a nice crunch, so be sure not to overcook it.  Capers are essential to a good caponata.  Rinse them if you don’t like too much salt.

A while back I ran across a nice caponata recipe from the Governor of Maine – Governor John Baldacci.  Aside from a little chopping, it is really quite easy to make.  Cut 2 pounds of eggplant into 1 inch cubes.  Sprinkle with a tablespoon of salt and set aside to drain in a colander while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.  You’ll need 2 cups of coarsely chopped celery, a cup of chopped carrots, 3/4 cup of chopped onion, and 6 chopped green olives.  You’ll also want to mash up 3 cups of canned tomatoes.

In a large skillet, saute your celery, carrots and onion in some olive oil for about 15 minutes.  Add your drained eggplant and saute for 10 minutes.  Place all of this in a pot and add your tomatoes along with 1/3 cup of wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, your green olives, 2 tablespoons of capers and 4 or 5 anchovies packed in oil.  Don’t worry if you don’t care for anchovies.  They will dissolve and add a marvelous flavor to the dish.  Let all of this simmer for about 15 minutes.  Adjust the salt and pepper to your liking.

You will want to chill this for a while to let the flavors marry and your gourmet salad – Sicilian Caponata – is ready to serve.

Watch Steph make a gorgeous caponata in two minutes!  Click here!

Mangia Bene!

photo credit: Maggie Hoffman

Cioppino with Italian rustic bread is a meal fit for a king!  I remember the first time I had it.  We were literally sitting in the Pacific Ocean off of San Luis Obispo, California.  We had to drive our car out onto the pier and park.  The meal was one of the best I’ve ever had – especially with their homemade crusty San Francisco sourdough bread.

Gourmet Italian Cioppino is a fish soup made with spices, tomatoes and red wine.  It is believed that the dish was created in San Francisco in the 1930′s – most likely by Northern Italian immigrants from Genoa.  Since crab is so prevalent in that area, it is usually found in traditional Italian cioppino recipes.  Back in Genoa, they would use whatever fish was nice and fresh that day.  The name comes from a Genovese word for fish stew – ciuppin.

If you want to entertain with Italian Cioppino, saute a choped onion with 3 cloves of minced garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil.  Stir in 28 ounces of canned tomatoes, 15 ounces of tomato sauce, a cup of dry red wine, a cup of water. 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 2 bay leaves and 2 teaspoons of Italian herbs.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 40 minutes.

While this is going on, clean your fish.  You’ll want a dozen clams, a dozen mussels, 1 1/2 pounds of firm white fish cut into chunks, a pound of shrimp and a pound of crab – cut in pieces.

Place all of the fish in a large kettle with the clams and mussels on top.  Pour the sauce over everything.  Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.  You are not ready to please your guests with Italian Cioppino!  Don’t forget the crusty sourdough bread! 

Watch the head chef from Red Lobster make a Lobster Cioppino here! Yum!  Notice Chef LaDuke refers to this as a Portuguese dish.  I’m not sure where he got that idea, as none of the research supports that – but it sure looks delicious, doesn’t it?

Mangia Bene!

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 on it that was held over the fire to bake.  How glad they would have been to have a pizzelle machine where you can make one in under a minute.  Today’s machines usually have two different designs for the front and back – usually a floral pattern for the top and a waffle pattern for the bottom.

Every year in the Abruzzo region of Italy, pizzelles are a big part of the “Feast Day of San Domenico” – also known as the “Festival of the snakes”.  The story goes that back around 700 B.C. the area was so infested with snakes that the people banded together and rid the area of the snakes.  When the task was completed they all ate pizzelles at their celebration.

Traditional Italian pizzelles are sometimes referred to as wedding cookies, since the bride and groom would pass them out to the guests at their wedding.  Although this tradition still exists in some areas, you will most often see pizzelles at Easter and Christmas time.

Traditional Italian pizzelles are not overly sweet.  There are many varied recipes, but the anise ones seem to be most favored.  Here is a recipe that will give you lovely pizzelles.  Beat 3 eggs with 3/4 cup fo sugar.  Add 1/2 cup of melted, cooled butter and a tablespoon of vanilla or anise extract.  Sift in 1 3/4 cups of flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder.

That’s all there is to it.  Just place a heaping tablespoon full in the middle of your hot pizzelle machine, close the lid, and in under a minute you will have a gorgeous pizzelle.  I sometimes make chocolate ones that my friends just love.

These are very pretty wrapped in colored plastic wrap with a festive bow – makes a terrific gift!  Maybe you would like to try these traditional Italian cookies this holiday season!   Watch Dede make these on CBS!  Click here! Mangia Bene!

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 – although it is quite a thick soup indeed.  Some cooks even make it thick enough to eat with a fork!

This classic simple Italian dish originated in Venice, where it is surely the favored of all the many, many rice dishes that Venetians prepare.  In the days of the Republic of Venice, a feast was held each April to honor Saint Mark.  Risi e Bisi was always the first dish served and it surely used the wonderful fresh young peas that were available in late April.

Have you ever tasted peas that had just been picked off the vine?  Simply marvelous.  If you must, you can use frozen peas for this dish, but if you are lucky to find some fresh ones, the simple Italian risi e bisi will be outstanding.

Put half a stick of butter in a stockpot and saute a few tablespoons of chopped onion in the butter over medium heat until they are pale gold.  You could also saute in some finely minced pancetta or diced rosciutto if you like.  Now it is time to add the peas.  If you are using fresh, you will want about two pounds unshelled weight or 10 ounces of frozen peas.  Add 1 teaspoon of salt along with the peas and saute for 2 minutes.  Add 3 1/4 cups of the best meat broth you can make or find and bring to a boil.  Add 1 cup of raw Arborio rice and 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley.  Stir, cover and cook at a low, slow boil for 15 minutes until the rice is tender but firm.  Stir from time to time to avoid sticking and correct the seasonings as you go along.  Just prior to serving your gourmet Italian risi e bisi, stir in half a cup of grated parmesan cheese and serve!

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 raw ginger roots.  Make sure you don’t end up with a pound or two of ginger!  You would have a hard time using that up!  These also go by the name “sunchokes”, so if you see a sign for those in your produce market, you have found what you are looking for.

Did you know that this vegetable has nothing to do with Jerusalem and it is not even an artichoke?  Both, however, are members of the daisy family and the flowers of the Jerusalem Artichoke plant look just like yellow daisies.  In Italian, the word “girasola” means “turning toward the sun” – which these flowers do.  It is believed that this word just eventually became “Jerusalem”.   They do have a marvelous flavor which some say is reminiscent of an artichoke.

This vegetable originated in North America but it was introduced to Europe in the early 1600′s.  In Europe they go by the name Topinambur, named by the French as it is their name for “tuber”.  They grow underground like a potato, but they are much more of a hassle to harvest, since the vines and roots get all intertwined.

For this fresh gourmet dish, you will need to peel and ua pound of Jerusalem artichokes and drop them into boiling, salted water.  Hold the smaller pieces back for a bit so that all is cooked consistently.  Cook until fork tender but still firm.  Drain and allow to cool.

Cut these into 12 inch slices and arrange in a buttered baking dish – overlapping the pieces slightly.  Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the top.  Dot with 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter and bake in the top part of your 400 degree oven until a golden crust forms on top.

Enjoy this fresh gourmet dish of Gratineed Jerusalem Artichokes – Topinambur gratinati.

Want to watch Chef Katie make a risotto with Jerusalem artichokes?  Click here!

Mangia Bene!

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 sweet variety of fennel and that it is also known as Florence fennel.  My husband won’t eat fennel on a bet because he does not care for anything with an anise taste.  Finocchio, however, loses much of that taste when it is cooked and actually becomes sweeter!  So, I decided to try my hand at cooking gourmet with finocchio.

What I like to do first in this recipe is prepare the finocchio.  If you can’t find finnochio, just use a fennel bulb.  Cut away any bruised or wilted areas of the fennel and slice it thin.  You should have about two cups.  At this point I also chop up a large red bell pepper and half an onion.

In a hot pan, place 1/2 pound of hot Italian sausage from which you have removed the casings.  Brown this in the pan, chopping it up as it browns.  Remove the sausage and add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.  Add the onion and a large clove of garlic, minced.  Cook over medium low so the garlic doesn’t burn, but the onion is softening.  Add the red bell pepper and the fennel and cook over medium hear for about 5 minutes or until the pepper and fennel are softened.

Add 1/3 cup of dry white wine and 1/2 cup chicken broth.  Bring this to a boil, then drop down to a simmer.  Cover the pan and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, you should have 1/2 pound of rigatoni cooking in boiled, salted water.

To your sauce, you now need to add 1/4 of heavy cream and boil until the sauce is thicken and reduced by about a third.  Stir in the sausage, 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced, and salt and pepper to taste.

Put your warm, cooked rigatoni in a large bowl and add the sauce.  Mix well.  Add some freshly grated parmesan cheese and toss again.  You have now tried YOUR hand at cooking gourmet with finocchio! 

Take a peek at Stephanie preparing fennel for soup!

Mangia Bene!

photo credit: tnarik

Want go gourmet with Pappardelle?  If you are not familiar with pappardelle – pronounced pa-par-DAY-lay – it is one of the broadest of the pasta noodles.  Think along the lines of a wide fettuccine or a narrow lasagna which sometimes comes with curly edges.  It is a cousin of tagliatelle, but a bit wider.  The dried version is often folded into nests, so you can watch for those if you are looking to buy some pappardelle.

What Italians love about the pappardelle noodles is that they are sturdy and won’t fall apart and at the same time are very absorbent so they soak in all the flavors of the sauce.  These noodles are not well suited to Gourmet Italian baked dishes because they are not wide enough for lasagna, yet are too wide for most baked noodle dishes.

In Tuscany, pappardelle was traditionally served when cooking hare or with a chicken liver sauce.  However,  since neither of those is usually on everyone’s “hit parade”, I thought I would give you a recipe that the Carrabba brothers shared some years back.

Put 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil in a pan and heat it over medium.  Remove the skin from 1/2 pound of Italian sausage and tear each link into six pieces and brown slightly in the hot oil.  Add 1/2 cup of finely chopped onion and a medium red bell pepper in 1/4 inch julienne cut.  Cook this until the onions start to take on a golden color.  Add 1/4 cup dry white wine and cook 3 minutes to let the wine evaporate.  Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic and cook for one minute.

Here I add two 14 ounce cans of the diced fire-roasted tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste – along with a few pinches of red pepper flakes if you want a little heat.  Bring sauce to a boil – then reduce to simmer until sauce has thickened.  Stir in 2 tablespoons of torn fresh basil leaves.

Now add your cooked and drained papardelle noodles and toss well with the sauce.  Now we are going to make this truly gourmet with the addition of 1/4 cup of freshly grated pecorino romano cheese and 4 ounces of crumbled goat cheese!  Stir this all into your dish and you have gone gourmet with pappardelle!

Watch Chef Aldo make a fabulous creamy mushroom pappardelle!

Mangia Bene!

photo credit: kre8tiv

My gourmet best meat sauce is one that comes from Bologna, Italy.  It is called Ragu, but it has no resemblance to the stuff in the jar at your supermarket.  Don’t confuse the terms Ragu and Ragout.  The latter is a term for a French stew.  Ragu is a meat sauce traditionally made in Bologna to be served over their favorite pasta of choice – tagliatelle.  The terms do have one thing in common, however,  They both stem from the verb ragouter - meaning to “excite the appetite.”   And my gourmet best Bolognese sauce will surely do that!

My recipe may not be an exact Bolognese, as the original calls for barely a bit of tomato, but it has many of the characteristics that make this sauce special.   Gourmet Italian chefs know that you must cook the ground beef gently to maintain its delicate flavor.  So we don’t want to brown the beef – just cook until it loses its red color.  Since we are striving for a creamy consistency with this sauce, the meat will be cooked in milk before any tomatoes are added.

Heat 3 tablespoons each of olive oil and butter in a deep cast iron pot.  Saute 1/4 cup of chopped sweet onion for a few minutes over medium hear.  Add 2 tablespoons each of chopped celery and chopped carrot and cook gently for an additional 2 minutes.

Add 3/4 pound of lean ground beef and 2 teaspoons of salt.  Stir and cook only until the meat loses its red color.  Add one cup of dry white wine and turn the heat up a bit and cook until the wine has evaporated.  Turn the heat back down to medium and add 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and cook until the milk has evaporated.  Be sure to stir this as you go along.

Now add 2 cups of canned Roma tomatoes – rough chopped – with the juice.  When this starts to simmer, turn the heat way down so that you just see a bubble every once in a while.  Cook uncovered for at least four hours – the longer the better.  Be sure to stir every once in a while and adjust the salt to your taste.

This can now be your best gourmet Italian sauce – Bolognese Ragu!  

Watch Mirko make Ragu for you in his own kitchen! He just cracks me up!

Mangia Bene!

photo credit: @sahxic < twitter

There is a common misconception about this Italian Chicken dish – Pollo alla Marengo.  The story almost always appears when you read a recipe for Chicken Marengo.

There is a city in Italy, just south of the Piedmont region, called Marengo.  This is where Napoleon defeated the Austrians in the early summer of 1800.  Napoleon felt it was bad luck to eat before a battle, so the story goes that he was starving after defeating the Austrians.  He supposedly told his Chef, Dunan, to scrounge up whatever he could from the locals and make him a fabulous meal.  Dunan returned from his “scavenger hunt” with chicken, tomatoes, garlic, eggs and a few crayfish.  With that, he created Napoleon’s signature victory meal – Chicken Marengo.

The problem with this story about the creation of a wonderful Italian chicken dish, is that Dunan was not hired to be Napoleon’s chef until well after the battle and there is no mention in any books of this dish until around 1820.

No matter what the true story is behind this Italian chicken dish, it is a good one with many variations.  I find that very few of them actually incorporate the crayfish.  Here is a version that I like that uses boneless chicken breasts, which makes eating it a little less messy.

Sprinkle four boneless chicken breast pieces with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Brown these in a few tablespoons of good olive oil over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes on each side and remove to a plate and keep warm.

Now add a few tablespoons of butter to the pan and toss in one chopped, sweet onion and a cup of finely chopped celery.  Cook until tender and add 1/2 cup of good chicken stock and 1 cup of white wine.  Bring this to a boil and return chicken to pan.  Now add one 14-oz can of diced tomatoes.  I like the fire-roasted ones for a deeper flavor.  Add a cup of button mushrooms and cover the pan.  Reduce to a simmer and simmer about 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken to a serving platter and add 1/2 cup of pitted and chopped Kalamata olives.  Okay, I know those are Greek, but I like the saltiness they bring to the dish.  Also add a few springs of parsley and about 14 cup of fresh thyme leaves.  Cook this for an additional minutes and pour over the top of the chicken.  If you really want to be true to the original Italian chicken dish, you may add a fried egg to each plate as a garnish and tell the Marengo story!   This is marvelous served with polenta, mashed potatoes, or pasta with a nice green salad and some good artisan bread! 

Watch Chef Lucca make Chicken Marengo here!

Mangia Bene!

photo credit: evilhayama

When many of us think of Gourmet Italian food, we conjure up visions of pasta and pizza.  Did you know that polenta has played a HUGE role in the history of Italy and in its cuisine.  Polenta does not receive the recognition that it should.  This humble peasant dish provided sustenance for Italians who worked the fields in Northern Italy for centuries.  The Italians workers in the south had their fish and their pasta, but polenta was the traditional sustenance in the Northern regions such as Lombardy and Venetia.

To call polenta a cornmeal mush is an insult to an Italian.  This authentic Italian food was made with a sort of family ritual.  Way back then, a special unlined copper kettle called a paiolo was hung on a hook in the middle of the fireplace.  The hearths were usually large enough to accommodate a bench, and that is where the family would sit while the daily making of polenta took place.  The family members would keep warm by the fire and talk about their day while watching the cornmeal flow into the boiling water.  This authentic Italian food required lots and lots of constant stirring, so it was almost a celebratory event when it was finally done and was poured out steaming onto a wooden surface to cool.

Polenta can be eaten hot with butter and cheese, but once it cools it hardens and can be fried, broiled, sliced, or baked with other ingredients – much like a lasagna!

Cooking polenta the old-fashioned way is quite a chore.  It takes a long time just to get the very thin stream of cornmeal into the boiling water.  A while back the L.A. Times printed a recipe for polenta that can be made in the oven.  Although this is surely not authentic Italian food, it is lots easier and quite good.

Spray a 2 quart casserole with non-stick spray.  Now in your casserole,  mix 32 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth with a teaspoon of salt and a cup of yellow cornmeal and bake it for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove from the oven and add a cup of any type of cheese that you like, but be sure it is crumbled or shredded.  Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 5 minutes more.  Garnish with parsley and serve as a side dish or as a pasta substitute with your favorite sauce. Once this is refrgerated, it can be sliced and fried.

So next time you think of authentic Italian food, remember the peasant dish that sustained half of a country for centuries – the simple Italian polenta!

Watch an Asiago cheese version of polenta being made here!

Mangia Bene!

photo credit: stu_spivack

Zabaglione is a wonderful Italian dessert that is rich and custardy and has a taste of “spirits”.  There does not seem to be a consensus of opinion about the origin of this dish.  Some say Florence, some say Venice, but most agree it came about some time in the 1500′s.  The original version is actually thought to have been a drink, rather than something eaten with a spoon.  It was primarily wine that was thickened by with the addition of egg yolks.

Today it is a light custard that has at its base – egg yolks, sugar and some type of wine – Marsala, sweet sherry, or dessert wine or liquer.  The original recipes used honey as a sweetener because sugar was not readily available.  Large amounts of air are whipped into this Italian dessert delight, giving it the nice airiness that people love.  It is served hot immediately after cooking, although it can be refrigerated and served cold.

Italians LOVE Zabaglione and they even have Zabaglione flavored gelato.  Although this is considered primarily an Italian gourmet treat, it is also quite possible in parts of South America.  In fact there is a drink in Venezuela that tastes similar to Zabaglione called ponche de crema.  This is primarily served during Christmas season, much like egg nog in the United States and England.

In an Italian kitchen, you might even find a round bottom little copper pot that is supposed to be the best for making Zabaglione.  It is often made in a double boiler over barely simmering water, so as to avoid ending my with a scrambled egg mess.

This Italian dessert is traditionally served with some sort of side fruit, such as figs, berries, peaches, pears – although it is often served with a cookie or two on the side.

Italian Dessert:  Zabaglione

Starting with a double boiler, whisk four egg yolks with 1/3 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of whichever “spirit” you have decided to use.  Turn on the heat and whisk, whisk, whisk – until it thickens.  This can take 8 or 10 minutes, but the mixture will become frothy and light.  Turn off the heat and beat 1/2 cup of heavy cream with 1 tablespoon of sugar to the soft peak stage.  Fold the cream mixture into the egg mixture and serve immediately!

Would you like to see Gordon Ramsey make a marvelous Peach Zabaglione in under a minute?  It looks marvelous, although I think I would pass on adding the basil.  Want to see?  Click Here!

Watch Chef Angelo make his fabulous Zabaglione Custard with Strawberries here!

Mangia Bene!

photo by Dominick Hundhammer

Everyone has heard of Italy’s incomparable Gorgonzola cheese being used in cooking gourmet dinners.  This is primarily made with cow’s milk and it is a wondrous creamy, piquant cheese that originated around 879 in a little town outside of Milan named … You guessed it!  Gorgonzola!  Today Gorgonzola is a suburb of Milan.

Although the cheese dates back to the 9th century, it wasn’t until about 200 years later than that greenish/blue mold was introduced to the cheese making process quite by accident.  The green veins are actually penicillum glaucum.  Really, the mold in gorgonzola is more green than blue.  The London Stock Exchange is lined with green marble and they refer to it as “Gorgonzola Hall”.

When cooking gourmet Gorganzola sauce, you can try substituting domestic Gorgonzola or some other type of blue cheese, but you must try to find the best quality Gorgonzola that you can.  I found a site online that has been winning some very impressive top awards in international cheese competitions.  They are out of Denmark, Wisconsin and their specialty is creating Italian cheese within the United States. If you would like to learn more about them, click here.

In your heavy pan that will be big enough to hold all the pasta, put 4 ounces of gorgonzola, 1/3 cup of milk, 3 tablespoons of butter and 2 teaspoons of salt.  Turn the heat on to low and mash the gorgonzola with a wodden spoon and mixing everything together.  Cook for about a minute until it is nice and creamy.  Stir in 1/4 cup of heavy cream.  Add your fettuccini that has been cooked in boiled, salted water and toss with the sauce.  Then add 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and mix it into the pasta.  Serve directly from the pan since this must be served as soon as it the dish is finished.  I always serve have a little extra bowl of grated Parmesan cheese on the table, and of course some good rustic Italian bread!    You’ll be cooking gourmet gorgonzola cheese sauce again after you taste this, I’m sure.

Watch Chef Jay Washington make his delicious version for you right here!

Mangia Bene!

photo credit: dags1974

When creating pasta gourmet recipes, many people think “red sauce” or cream sauce!  Pasta alla Carbonara, however, has no tomatoes or cream.  Although it may look a little dry and “plain Jane”, one bite will tell you that this is sinfully wonderful stuff!

Carbonara comes from the word carbone, which means coal.  Some say that perhaps this was a dish made by coal miners, since the ingredients would spoil too rapidly, since they were often in the woods for weeks at a time.  Others say perhaps it is from the specks of black pepper that look like coal dust!  I also learned that there was some sort of secret society that was instrumental in the unification of Italy called the Carbonari – or “charcoalmen” – and perhaps this dish was a tribute to them.

This pasta gourmet dish was not known to the United States until after World War II when the soldiers returned home from Italy.  The dish really took off in the states in the 1970′s and is still found on many an Italian menu today.

Although their are many variations on this dish, they will all have eggs or egg yolks, pancetta or thick bacon, black pepper and either pecorino or parmesan cheese.  I prefer just using the yolks and always be sure they are at room temperature, because the only thing cooking them is the hot pasta, and I always add a pinch of red pepper flakes.   Most recipes call for spaghetti, but any pasta you like will work just fine!

I’ve tried many recipes for Carbonara, but I happen to like Tyler Florence’s version the best.  He is one of my favorite Food Network chefs and I love everything he makes.  You can see his version of Spaghetti alla Carbonara here.

If you want to see a cute young Italian guy make this in his kitchen with this cat, watch this video and he’ll take you through it step by step!

Rick Stein of the BBC teaches you how to make a fabulous Pecorino cheese version here!

If you are a Tom Cruise fan and you would like his recipe, click here for Tom’s Recipe.

I hope you will enjoy this fantastic pasta gourmet dish!

Mangia Bene!

A special rice called arborio is sauteed in olive oil or butter.  Then stock and sometimes wine are added and the rice is stirred until the liquid is absorbed.  Then more stock is added and stirred until that is absorbed.  The creaminess of this dish comes from the starch that comes out of the rice grains and acts as a thickener to the wonderful broth.  You should make your risotto just before serving, as it will become “gummy” upon standing.  Risotto should not be at all runny, nor should it be stiff. The rice should be just a bit firm to the bite, but never crunchy!  Always use a wooden spoon so it doesn’t smash the rice.  It is also very important to add HOT broth, so make this first and keep it on a low simmer.

Saute a small chopped onion and 2 cloves of garlic in 2 tablespoons of good olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Don’t let the garlic burn.  Add 1 cup of arborio rice and cook another 5 minutes to brown the rice, stirring often.

Now you will start adding your chicken stock.  You will need about 3 1/2 cups in all.  Carefully stir in your first cup of broth and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until the liquid is absorbed.  Add one more cup of broth – 1/2 cup at a time -until it is all absorbed.

Now stir in the rest of the broth and a cup of green peas.  Finally, stir in 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese and your Risotto is ready to be served!

I hope you will try your hand at this fresh Italian food recipe!

Watch Chef Sonia teach her daughter-in-law to make this dish right here!

Mangia Bene!