Notes about Recipes in this book

• Chicken Vesuvio (Pollo alla Vesuvio)

  • Breadcrumbs on May 29, 2013

    p. 248 A delicious dish that is both humble and elegant. Good, hearty family fare that presents so beautifully that it also makes a great dish for entertaining. I prepared as set out in the book but just halved the sausages. Next time I’ll slice them as set out, I simply forgot this time. I would also increase the quantity of sausage as it was a major hit and left folks wanting more. The only change I’d make next time is to add the peas a mere 10 mins prior to removing the dish from the oven as they can overcook quickly, especially because they are defrosted per LB’s instructions. This is time-consuming but well worth the effort. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/903255#8099988

• Gnocchi with Gorgonzola and peas (Gnocchi con Gorgonzola e piselli)

  • slowfoodie on September 18, 2012

    This is what I make when I want my husband to know how much I love him as it's one of his favorites - mine too. It's a warm, comforting and tasty version of gnocchi. A glass of wine, a little antipasti and perhaps salad and crusty Italian bread and the evening's made. A roaring fire in Winter doesn't hurt either.

• Eggplant Parmigiana (Melanzane alla Parmigiana)

  • nicolepellegrini on August 30, 2019

    An excellent eggplant parm with a twist--a layer of garlicy spinach! I really enjoyed the twist that gave this recipe. I also liked that the eggplant is baked from start to finish instead of first frying, which made it much less oily and heavy. I cut the recipe slightly and made with only one layer of eggplant slices. S.O. gave it a big thumbs-up as well.

• Swiss chard and potatoes (Bietole con patate)

  • nicolepellegrini on April 22, 2015

    I made this with Tuscan Kale instead of Swiss Chard. Flavor was wonderful. A really unique and pungent twist on typical mashed potatoes with the added bonus of those dark greens cooked in together.

  • twoyolks on August 22, 2015

    The garlic flavor was a little overpowering. The Swiss chard was a nice addition to the potatoes.

  • ellencooks on February 22, 2021

    I made this subbing escarole. Really good! Cut down by quite a lot because cooking for one. But the combo was great!

• Stewed eggplant, peppers, olives, and celery (Caponata)

  • nicolepellegrini on July 24, 2021

    Not the best caponata I've made...was a bit too oily for me.

• Squid salad (Insalata di calamari)

  • nicolepellegrini on January 01, 2015

    Very nice, light salad which is great for party buffets as you can make it ahead of time.

• Pasta and beans (Pasta e fagioli)

  • nicolepellegrini on November 08, 2015

    Used this as a "base" recipe for pasta e fagioli but made some changes in technique to get what I wanted. 6 quarts of water seemed like WAY too much...I don't even know if I own a pot big enough for that, plus the pasta, beans, potatoes, etc. I also wanted more of a thick stew/pasta dish than loose soup. I cooked the beans separate in a crock pot to control their doneness better, cut up the potatoes into cubes and only cooked in 2.5 quarts water for 20 minutes before adding pasta and beans. Ingredients were the same as listed. End result was delicious.

• Spinach salad (Insalata di spinaci)

  • nicolepellegrini on May 25, 2019

    Made for a satisfying lunch salad thanks to the bacon. Next time I might add some sliced red onion, or something for a crunchy note.

• Radicchio, endive, and walnut salad (Insalata di radicchio, indivia Belga, e noci)

  • nicolepellegrini on July 02, 2018

    Tasty and very simple. All flavors I love—bitter, salty, a little sweet, and a touch of nuttiness from the walnuts. Easy to cut down on the ingredients because it makes a lot as written.

• Basic marinara (Sugo alla marinara)

  • nicolepellegrini on August 30, 2019

    A half-cup of slivered garlic?! I think not! At least not for my stomach. I cut that in about half and also added a tablespoon of tomato paste to intensify the flavor. Good enough (I used this for making the Eggplant Parm in this cookbook) but not necessarily one of the best marinaras I've made.

• Capellini with vegetables (Capellini alla primavera)

  • nicolepellegrini on May 25, 2019

    As much as I normally like Lidia's pasta recipes, this one was a bit of a miss for me. Came out quite bland and too much (thin) pasta for me to go with the vegetables. I think I would have liked it more with a different shape noodle, but overall I found it lacking in flavor. Could use some carrot and more onions than spring onions. All in all I wouldn't make it again and I've got a LOT left over. Maybe it'll be better as a pasta and vegetable frittata this weekend...

  • ellencooks on April 17, 2017

    I made this with asparagus, sugar snap peas, broccoli and scallions. Used more vegetables because I like more veg than pasta. Delicious!

• Seafood soup (Cioppino)

  • nicolepellegrini on March 12, 2015

    OK cioppino recipe, but not one that I'd necessarily rush to make again. I did use some fresh made fish stock instead of just water for the broth to try to amp it up a bit, and it was a good way to use up some monkfish, which I'm not always crazy about.

• Halibut with tomato and spinach (Ippoglosso con pomodori e spinaci)

  • nicolepellegrini on April 22, 2017

    My S.O. loves this dish, I've made it twice now. Great to make when fresh spinach is in season. One thing I do differently is to fry the halibut in a separate pan, last, instead of frying it first and putting it aside to serve after cooking down the tomatoes and spinach. That way it stays hot and crispy even when served on the tomato-spinach base.

• Italian American meatloaf (Polpettone)

  • nicolepellegrini on February 22, 2019

    I made with pork and venison instead of pork and beef. I did like the flavor of this, and it was very moist and juicy. I did find it so moist that it was a bit too soft, though—like it needed a bit more binder. If I make again I would add at least one egg and probably a bit more bread.

  • sherrib on December 17, 2014

    I omitted the pork and the cheese and substituted water for the milk. This was a huge hit. Very flavorful and moist. Great technique to bulk up a meatloaf using veggies.

• Tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce (Tagliatelle alla Bolognese)

  • twoyolks on June 24, 2014

    This is a very strongly flavored Italian-American Bolognese that is only somewhat reminiscent of the Italian version.

• Rigatoni woodsman style (Rigatoni alla boscaiola)

  • twoyolks on March 31, 2020

    I enjoyed this but never really got beyond the "it was good enough" phase.

  • GiselleMarie on March 26, 2020

    When I first tasted this, I thought it was good but not fabulous. As my husband and I ate dinner, though, I found myself going back again and again for “just one more bite.” I don’t usually put half and half in pasta, but this was great, and I will definitely make it again!

• Chicken tetrazzini (Pollo alla Tetrazzini)

  • twoyolks on November 14, 2020

    This feels like it should be a casserole from the Midwest made with cream of mushroom soup. It's in no ways bad, just a bit boring.

  • ellencooks on February 27, 2017

    I made this with leftover breaded and fried chicken cutlets and leftover pasta. Used thin asparagus instead of broccoli and added the chopped asparagus to the mushrooms. Came out great!

• Roasted potato wedges (Fette di patate arroste)

  • twoyolks on April 11, 2017

    Nice, simple roast potato wedges with a nice herb dressing. I'd probably try to cook the potatoes a bit longer to get them more brown (or possibly a higher temperature). I'd definitely cook them on a non-stick liner so that they didn't stick in the future. It might also be nice to heat the herb-garlic oil to further infuse the flavors.

• Broccoli with garlic and anchovies (Brocoli con aglio e acciughe)

  • twoyolks on January 23, 2017

    A good, simple broccoli recipe. The anchovies are undetectable in the final result. The garlic flavor is prominent but not overpowering. The flavor was good but it felt like the broccoli was a little watery and the flavor wasn't concentrated.

• Spaghetti with garlic and oil (Spaghetti aglio e olio)

  • SaraKemp on September 04, 2012

    Cook 1 lb spag; keep 1/2 c. cooking water Cook till blond: 3 T olive oil; 3 cloves garlic thin sliced; 1 dried red chili pepper (remove pepper) Toss pasta with 1/2 c. cooking water and garlic mixture. S&P

• Ricotta cookies (Biscotti di ricotta)

  • Rachaelsb on April 24, 2018

    Light, different cookie with nice lemony tang.

• Pork chops capricciosa (Costolette di maiale alla capricciosa)

  • ellencooks on January 17, 2017

    This was really good but I overcrowded the pan so the potatoes didn't get as crispy as I'd have liked. My fault, not the recipe.

• Braised veal shank (Osso buco)

  • ellencooks on March 15, 2021

    We all liked this but it was not falling off the bone. Next time I would cook longer.

• Spaghetti with breaded shrimp (Spaghetti con gamberi impanati)

  • ellencooks on March 15, 2021

    We love this but I always add more vegetables.

• Radicchio, goat cheese, and raisin salad (Insalata di caprino e radicchio)

  • ellencooks on March 15, 2021

    I've made this twice. I'm not a fan of goat cheese so used cream cheese once and goat cheese the next time. The golden raisins and radicchio combo is great!

• Wedding soup (Zuppa maritata)

  • ellencooks on March 15, 2021

    I made a half recipe of this but a full recipe of the meatballs to freeze half for later. I used kale and spinach. We all loved this!

• Roman "egg drop" soup (Stracciatella alla Romana)

  • GiselleMarie on January 30, 2019

    This is a good soup for warming up on a cold day or as a quick dish to add to a meal, but I thought the cheese whisked with the eggs would give it a richer flavor. It was good but not great and I keep wondering what I can add to it to make it better.

• Smoked sardine salad (Insalata di sardine affumicate)

  • GiselleMarie on January 31, 2020

    This is one of our favorite dishes. If you like sardines, you will love this! I double or triple the recipe and serve it over rice. Lidia suggests serving it with toast points as an appetizer, but my husband isn’t a fan of bread so we eat this as a main dish. Tonight I plan to toss it with cooked pasta.

• Orange cookies (Biscotti all'arancia)

  • Goldmanjourides on April 03, 2017

    This is definitely a cookie, not a biscotti (by traditional American standards). Tastes like a delicious orange scone!