If I’m being honest, I’ve never been a big fan of zucchini. So when I saw this dish, Spaghetti alla Nerano, on Stanley Tucci‘s special, Searching for Italy, I wasn’t initially that interested.
But when he said, it was his favorite pasta of all time and that he made it at least once a week, I thought to myself I have to give this a try.
Continue reading “Stanley Tucci’s Favorite Zucchini Pasta- Spaghetti alla Nerano”
Sometimes you just want comfort food. Warm, filling and simple to prepare. This Tex Mex Chili Mac dish is a great one pot meal, which just happens to be vegetarian. Feel free to add meat if you want. Chicken thighs or beef are fine. It’s a very forgiving recipe.
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This is such an easy pasta to throw together and so rich and satisfying. Sometimes less is more and the basic ingredients can really sing when left to their own devices.
While this isn’t a recipe tied to one specific village or city, it reflects the rustic cooking traditions of central Italy, particularly around Rome.
Continue reading “Rigatoni with Tomato Sauce and Sausage”
Marcella Hazan is the chef that taught me how to cook authentic Italian. She was tough and demanded authentic ingredients and no short cuts, but the recipes are timeless and still work today as well as they did 30 years ago. If you want one cookbook on Italian cooking, you can’t go wrong with her classic, “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking”.
Continue reading “Pesto Genovese Inspired by Marcella Hazan”
This sauce is packed with flavor. The roasted peppers complement the Italian sausage well. I like to use a mix of peppers, but I find that green bell peppers are too bitter, so I omit them.
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These jumbo pasta shells are the kind of comfort food that I really enjoy cooking. It is the kind of food your Nonna would make on Sunday, and it is both comforting and very tasty.
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Regular readers will know my love for Italian food runs deep, especially for the true comfort dishes practiced and perfected in kitchens by generations of nonnas (Italian grandmothers).
Sunday is a special day when the family comes together for a big meal and while each family has their own traditions of which dishes are served. In the US, the tradition of the Sunday Sauce is essential.
Continue reading “Authentic Sunday Sauce: A Step by Step To Create A Family Tradition”
There are many versions of this classic sauce, Ragu Bolognese, which originated in Bologna.
Some use wine, some use milk, some use wine and milk and some only use a bit of tomato paste, but this is my tried and true version. It is epic, but it is definitely not fast food.
Continue reading “Classic Ragu Bolognese Sauce Recipe: Slow and Delicious”
This is classic Neapolitan cuisine. The traditional Pasta Genovese recipe is made with beef, but some Italian Americans make a sausage version. Almost impossible to find either version on a US restaurant menu. Simple food, that is incredible. It’s all about the onions. I was shocked by the amount of onions, but many recipes call for even more. Low and slow is what develops the sweet flavor.
Continue reading “Neapolitan Pasta Genovese-Italian Comfort Food:”
This was a speciality of Florence’s in Boston’s North End. Florence Romano Foti opened her restaurant in 1974. This was the dish I ordered evert time I went.
Continue reading “Pasta all’Amatriciana- North End Version”