an italian cook around the world
Peas and Pancetta is a classic Italian pairing: a tasty side dish or party appetizer. The sweetness of peas contrasts pleasantly against the rich taste of Italian Pancetta. In this case, I’ve added seared slices of mini bell peppers and fresh parsley: simple and delicious!
Sauteed artichokes with bacon is a quick and tasty appetizer! They are perfect combined with mint and pork meat, just remember to choose very tender artichokes!
It’s Halloween, let’s cook a great recipe with a creamy butternut squash sauce! I really care about this simple and savory pasta; Into this I combined my Italian soul with a bit of American taste. To serve the Butternut squash sauce, I choose Farfalle, a kind of pasta as popular in Italy almost as spaghetti. Crispy bacon flakes add flavor. Do not forget a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese to complete the dish!
A few days ago, two nice sisters were guests at the Columbus Italian supper club. The dinner was a success, and my two new friends gave me a basket of summer squash, grown in their garden. The next day, I create a recipe that would emphasize the genuine taste of these wonderful vegetables. I decided to cook stuffed summer squash with a soft and delicate cauliflower dip. To add a crispy note and flavorful, I mixed the dip bacon flakes, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and a sprinkle of black pepper. The result was surprising. A summer dish, tasty and rich in vitamins!
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Today place into the dish a lot of Italian tradition seasoned with a delicious red wine sauce!
The bucatini pasta is a traditional kind of spaghetti thicker than normal with a small hole into the center. A classic recipe with bucatini
is Amatriciana: tomato sauce and guanciale. Do you know what the guanciale is? It is a cured meat very famous in Italy but still little known and exported abroad, but recently it’s starting to appear on the delicatessen counters worldwide.
Today I suggest you a classic of Italian tradition: the “bucatini ubriachi” (drunken spaghetti). In this recipe, the wine will be poured almost all into the pan, so the quality of the wine must be very high! To finish the sauce, flavor it with diced guanciale (or pancetta if guanciale is not avaiable) and a generous sprinkling of ricotta salata and black pepper.
Casseroles are a perfect dish against cold winter days! Today we will prepare a casserole with Brussels sprouts, potatoes and bacon. To get a thick but creamy consistency, add an egg-bechamél sauce flavored with mustard seeds powder and lots of grated scamorza (or mozzarella) cheese.
The idea for this risotto came to me a few years ago when I was still living in Bologna. I wanted to combine the classic tradition of risotto with something different, using both meat and fish (which in Italy is not very common). The result was excellent: every time I prepare it, it is a success, both with Italians and friends from other countries. Crispy bacon goes well with the softness of the salmon and the sweetness of the pepper; saffron completes the whole and allows the risotto to become creamy.