Toasted country bread topped with tomatoes has become so popular it is almost a cliché. But when it is made properly with good, chewy br...

Garlic gives this southern Italian–style quick-cooking sauce its characteristic flavor. Neapolitans lightly crush the cloves with the si...

This sauce is unusual because it does not begin with the usual onion or garlic cooked in olive oil or butter. Instead, the aromatics are...

Here is a basic all-purpose pasta dough that I use for fettuccine, lasagne, and ravioli. The dough can be assembled by hand, in a food p...

In the early 1910s Alfredo Di Lelio, whose family owned a trattoria in Rome, created this rich pasta dish of fresh fettuccine, butter, a...

This recipe was reportedly invented at Le Cirque Restaurant in New York. Though it has never been on the menu there, regular patrons kno...

Green lasagne noodles are layered with ham, mushrooms, tomatoes, and béchamel sauce. To make this meatless, just eliminate the ham.

This basic white sauce is usually combined with cheese and used on baked pasta or vegetables. The recipe can easily be halved.

Golden risotto flavored with saffron is the classic Milanese accompaniment to Osso Buco (see Veal Shanks, Milan Style). Adding marrow sco...

An old chicken, known as a fowl, gives broth a fuller, richer flavor than a younger bird. If you can’t find a fowl, try adding turkey wi...

Here is a basic broth made from different kinds of meat to use for soups, risotti, and stews. A good broth should be full of flavor but n...

One day, an old friend of my mother’s from Palermo in Sicily came to visit. We knew her as Zia Millie, though she was not really an aunt...

Wherever you find seafood in Italy, you will find cooks frying it in a crispy batter. This batter is made with eggs and yeast, which giv...

Scarpariello means “shoemaker’s style,” and there are many theories about how the name for this recipe came about. Some say little bits ...

I think I could write a whole book of chicken recipes called alla cacciatora. One explanation for the name is that chicken, until the la...

Thin slices of beef round are perfect for braciole—commonly pronounced brazholl—a flavorful, slow-cooked favorite. Look for large slices...

This recipe is my adaptation of a dish at Trattoria Gigina in Bologna. Though it is as homespun as any meatball recipe, the mortadella i...

In Milan, osso buco is a classic and beloved dish. Tender slices of braised veal shanks are served sprinkled with very finely chopped gar...

These artichokes are excellent in salads, with cold cuts, or as part of an antipasto assortment. The artichokes will last at least two w...

This is one of those dishes I never tire of. If you prefer not to fry the eggplant, try making this with grilled or baked slices.

No one is quite sure why this dessert is called “pick me up” in Italian, but it is assumed the name comes from the jolt of caffeine it p...

I like to think of this as an American-style Italian cheesecake. It is a large cake, though the flavor is delicate, with lemon zest and ...