When I returned home to California for a visit, my sister asked me to make Italian Style Lasagna. My sister is known for her very hefty and delicious “American” style lasagna that is full of different cheeses, sausage and ground beef and costs a fortune to make. So we had told her how simple lasagna in Italy is and she really wanted to try it. I don’t know if it will be a game changer for them but this is how they do it in Italy…
Ahhhh, the peak of the Summertime is late July, and nothing says Summer better than a homemade peach crisp slowly melting a dallop of vanilla ice cream that has been scooped on top. Peaches are one of my favorite fruits, from the fuzzy soft skin to the blush of red around the gnarled pit, I love this summer stone fruit!
As I stroll the meat isle at the grocery store in italy I am often baffled at the descriptions on the packages such as Macinata Scelta Bolvino Adulto, which simply is ground beef. But the age of the beast, the type of animal (pig, cow, chicken, etc…) Where it was raised as well as the cut are all important parts of the description. I often can’t find cuts that I am familiar with from America and so end up with less than the desired effect when cooking my standard recipes.
So I have finally mastered the Risotto and have been enjoying its creamy decadent wonder every week now. Amazing flavors like Pumpkin Risotto, Milanese Risotto, Mushroom Risotto, Radicchio Risotto and Shrimp Risotto. There is the rare occasion when all the risotto does not get eaten up and the bowl licked clean and you find yourself with leftover risotto in the fridge.
I’m starting to get into the grove of the Italian Kitchen! I have taken on a love of Risotto, so creamy and decadent in its simplicity. I haven’t had a guest yet that hasn’t reveled in its delights as a Primi Piatti (first course).
Whenever I have company that spends the night and I want to make a special breakfast that is not too labor intensive, I turn to Dutch Baby Pancakes. With summer coming to Italy we are starting to have more house guests, so I’ve been whipping them up lately! Dutch Babies are an American invention by Manca’s Cafe in Seattle.
Carbonara was a dish that alluded me before I moved to Italy. It flies contrary to the cooking style of Americans. We view all sauces as containing cream or tomato sauce but this is not true of Italian pasta. The sauce is usually very simple, so simple we can’t imagine it to be correct.
Living in Italy is all about eating, especially eating with friends and family, it’s deeply ingrained. So tonight we are invited to some friends house for dinner and I was asked to bring a dessert. I find that desserts in Italy are a little underwhelming. I mean of course there is the fantastic Tiramasu, the incredible Cannolis and the unforgettable Gelato! But cannolis were a little too much work and Gelato has to be gotten fresh from the Gelateria!
We live in Nettuno, a beach town one hour south of Rome. The only thing Italians love as much as sun tanning on the beach is sauntering up from their sun beds into the Borgo for a steaming plate of mussels and pasta.
I currently live in Italy and this recipe for Tiramisu has become my new “go to” recipe for making a dessert for company. It is prepared the day in advance, it’s easy and always a hit! Whenever we have guests arriving from the US we always make this dessert and it woos them everytime, but even my Italian friends love my recipe and rave about how authentic it is, high praise indeed!
