• jfleissn on December 25, 2020

  I have yet to make a recipe from this book that wasn’t wonderful. They are simple, beautiful, and tasty.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Melted provolone with tomatoes and oregano

  • Breadcrumbs on April 01, 2015

    p. 27 – I made a dish inspired by MS’s recipe. All the same ingredients, just a different cooking method. Since the cooktop was full I decided to roast this dish instead of frying it. I roasted the tomatoes until they had started to caramelize then added the cheese directly on top and finished in the oven until the cheese had melted. The drizzle of vinegar to finish serves to brighten the dish and cut through the sweetness of the tomatoes and the richness of the cheese. Lovely. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1009227?commentId=9501672#9501672

• Stuffed artichokes

  • veronicafrance on February 28, 2015

    The best bit of this was the stuffing -- excellent flavour. The artichokes were a bit overcooked, but I think that was because they were relatively small. With less cooking they'd probably have had more flavour. I always thought life was too short to stuff an artichoke, but actually this was quite quick to put together.

• Swiss chard and tomato soup with poached eggs

  • chriscooks on July 30, 2017

    p. 68. Easy and tasty. Easy to modify; I added some cooked bacon bits I had in the freezer (about 2 slices; Benton's, thus very intense & smoky flavor); left out the bread, egg, and cheese because the bacon was enough.

• Broccoli, garlic, and pasta soup

  • Lepa on July 22, 2016

    This is a great way to use up a lot of broccoli. It makes a delicious, satisfying soup. The whole family loved it!

  • twoyolks on October 16, 2017

    The soup tastes good and is a good use of broccoli. I just felt like it was missing something to really elevate it.

• Barley and leek soup

  • MollyPellecchia on November 08, 2021

    Very simple soup that’s very filling & tasty. Easy to double. I added a garlic with the leeks.

• Milanese winter squash soup

  • twoyolks on November 20, 2017

    This was pretty good but the flavor was a bit one-note of only the squash and the cheese. It really felt like it was missing something. While cooking the squash, almost all the water evaporated. I kept having to add more water while the pasta was cooking.

• Spring risotto with asparagus, peas, and Fontina

  • veronicafrance on May 14, 2015

    This was pretty good. I used broad beans fresh from the garden instead of peas, and because I'm on a diet I substituted curd cheese for the fontina. Yes, it would certainly have been better with fontina, but we still enjoyed it.

• Farro with Brussels sprouts, sage, and garlic

  • twoyolks on December 27, 2017

    This was a lot more flavorful than I expected. The farro was well cooked and tasty. The Brussels sprouts went well with the farro.

• Fettuccine with lemon cream

  • Lepa on February 24, 2018

    This is dead simple, requires little work and is delicious. Put this on your list of quick weeknight pantry suppers.

  • twoyolks on January 13, 2020

    Really simple. Really fast. Really good. I wish I had made more.

• Spaghetti with artichokes, peas, and eggs

  • TrishaCP on January 18, 2015

    As the author indicates, this is a great recipe for when you need to just pull something from the fridge or freezer to make dinner (in this case, frozen vegetables). The veggies were the real star- the egg in the title just adds creaminess to the sauce in the manner of a carbonara.

• "Angry" Sicilian pasta

  • tmjellicoe on June 04, 2022

    Easy, impressive recipe for spring/summer when my fresh herbs are in full swing. I like more heat and will increase the red pepper flakes as I found my Sicilian to be more “irritated” rather than “angry”.

• One-pot "dragged" penne

  • Tealismyname on January 12, 2025

    We found this really delicious and as I halved the Marinara Sauce (p171) from the book, I just kept it in the pan and started this. I am interested in adding the water cup by cup and think it should have been salted water. We ended up with a slightly too thick sauce but will add a dash of water at the end to loosen the sauce up next time. A really easy dinner!

• Penne with zucchini and herbs

  • Breadcrumbs on July 17, 2015

    p. 132 – A “clean out the crisper” dive yielded basil, dill and zucchini and that combination of ingredients landed me here via an EYB search. I had my doubts about the dill in this but the flavours blended nicely producing a bright, fresh-tasting sauce. The cheese rounds everything out and the dish would be lost without it IMHO. I served this with a grilled BC sockeye salmon. Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1019164?commentId=9644901#9644901

• Penne with butternut squash and bacon

  • twoyolks on March 09, 2017

    The butternut squash makes a nice sauce for pasta. After cooking, it's not particularly sweet; it's much more savory.

  • Tealismyname on January 25, 2025

    Good but somewhat forgettable. An easy weeknight dish.

• Rotelle with spicy cauliflower ragu

  • veronicafrance on February 27, 2015

    Edible, but I wouldn't make this again. I fancied trying something different, but it seems strange mashing the cauliflower into the sauce until it's unrecognisable. Also my chilli flakes were really hot, so even with a reduced quantity, I couldn't taste much else.

• Marinara sauce

  • Tealismyname on January 12, 2025

    Very simple and easy. I ended up keeping the garlic and just blending it because I'm lazy.

• Tomato-Gorgonzola sauce

  • Tealismyname on March 15, 2025

    Given the amount of cheese, I was disappointed with how bland this was. We needed to cook the onions longer than advised.

• Walnut-parsley pesto

  • Frogcake on December 04, 2016

    Delicious! I tripled the recipe and froze a few small batches. I served this with seared halibut steaks drizzled with lemon oil. Of course, it's also an easy supper tossed in linguini and a bit of pasta water and parmagianno.

• Sweet pea frittata with scallions and ham

  • wester on September 22, 2024

    This was nice but I made some substitutions which didn't produce a well-balanced result. It may look like a clean-out-the-fridge recipe but I think it needs to be made quite exactly as described to show its full potential.

• Lemon-roasted broccoli

  • Breadcrumbs on April 01, 2015

    p. 215 – Yummy! I’ve tossed broccoli with lemon zest and oil previously but never thought to use lemon juice. The addition of juice ensures all pieces of broccoli have some lovely lemon flavour. I’ll roast it this way from now on. This was a hit. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1009227?commentId=9501672#9501672

  • Frogcake on December 04, 2016

    Loved this very simple preparation of broccoli! Will make again.

• Roasted Brussels sprouts with walnuts

  • veronicafrance on December 25, 2016

    These were OK I suppose, but brown/black sprouts really don't look attractive. I wouldn't bother doing this again.

• Baked Brussels sprouts with butter and Parmesan

  • twoyolks on February 10, 2021

    I think the Brussels sprouts would do better in a single layer and possibly at slightly higher heat. Otherwise, they were pretty good.

• Roasted cauliflower with spicy bread crumbs

  • TrishaCP on June 01, 2016

    This was an easy, well-received, and tasty side dish.

  • apattin on November 29, 2019

    Very good. I would serve it warm, as there is a considerable amount of oil on the florets which, to my taste, likes to be warm. It stood its own against the other starchy Thanksgiving dishes. I used a bit less garlic.

• Roasted cauliflower with raisins and capers

  • Lepa on July 22, 2016

    This is incredible. When I made this for friends, they both rushed out and bought the book. Love the flavors here!

• Lemon potatoes

  • Breadcrumbs on July 27, 2015

    p. 243 – This dish held immediate appeal. We love Greek lemony potatoes and were keen to try the author’s Italian version. Unfortunately this one let us down. The dish was simply too lemony and tart for us. I think the lemon should be sliced 1/8” at most vs ¼”. Interestingly they are much thinner in the book’s photo. The dish has potential but as is, I wouldn’t recommend. I may riff on this by adding Parmeasan cheese and reducing the lemon and finishing with a little lemon evoo. Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1019986?commentId=9658728#9658728

• Potato and mushroom gratin

  • Breadcrumbs on July 20, 2015

    p. 244 – It’s such a treat to be spoiled for choice at the Farmer’s markets and when I realized the funghi guy had returned to our market I was unable to resist the temptation to load up on a variety of mushrooms. This dish appealed in its simplicity and because I had some heavy cream in the fridge that needed using up. I used the thin setting on my mandoline so my potatoes weren’t as thick as MS instructed & this dish was ready after 30 mins in the oven. I’d definitely go with the thinner potatoes again. I cooked the mushrooms earlier in the day so this really did seem to come together in no time. I think it would make a great company dish for that reason. I added a little grated mozzarella between layers in add’n to the Parmesan. This was rich but not too heavy & I’ll definitely make it again. Actually this book has a lot of really delicious looking recipes; I’ll have to take a closer look at it. Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1019558?commentId=9648409#9648409

• Peach, tomato, and burrata salad

  • veronicafrance on June 02, 2026

    Hardly a recipe really, just combine the ingredients with fleur de sel and olive oil. I used nectarines rather than peaches, and added an apricot because there was one in the fruit bowl. It was good. Actually the tomato was the least interesting element. I’d have been happy with just apricots and nectarines.

• Arugula, fig, and pecorino salad with honey

  • Frogcake on December 04, 2016

    Another really simple and delicious recipe! I used less honey, probably closer to one tablespoon. As it is drizzled on the greens and figs, it's worth using a very good quality flowery honey.

• Chickpea, tomato, and cucumber salad

  • wester on September 22, 2024

    Good everyday food which feels like it could be great with a little tweaking. Also, great for parties: vegan, glutenfree and filling.

• Pear and almond tart

  • jfleissn on December 25, 2020

    This is an absolutely divine dessert, and very easy to make. The dough is much easier to work with than typical pastry dough because of the eggs.

  • twoyolks on October 31, 2022

    The pears for my tart did not cook all the way through so they were weirdly raw.

• Raspberry-poached pears

  • veronicafrance on January 03, 2016

    Wow, the combination of raspberry syrup and pears is superb, even though my raspberries weren't great flavour-wise. I'd never have thought of it without this recipe. Definitely worth doing it again.

• Saveur

  ...in her inspiring new cookbook (she’s written or co-written 19 now) [Michele] teaches us how to evoke the true flavors of Italy with fresh fruits and vegetables.

  Full review