Notes about Recipes in this book

• Crostini with spicy topping

  • Couture911 on September 19, 2010

    Loved this. Modified the recipe a little each time I made it to suit my tastes, but it was great from the first time I made it.

• Fried polenta with porcini mushrooms

  • stepharama1 on April 03, 2022

    Relatively quick with a wonderful mushroom flavor! I substituted fresh brown cremini mushrooms for the fresh chanterelle and shiitake mushrooms and the results were delicious.

• Barley soup

  • Laurendmck on April 25, 2010

    p 70

• Pennette with zucchini blossoms

  • Breadcrumbs on August 07, 2011

    Pennette con Fiori di Zucchine – p. 112 This was a wonderful, summery dish that came together fairly quickly after the zucchini flowers were cleaned, had their pistils removed and sliced lengthways into quarters. Instead of using zucchini, I sliced some summer squash which was in abundance at our farmer’s market this week. I also used bacon instead of pancetta since I thought the smoky flavour would be nice w the other ingredients. Since bacon tends to be fattier than pancetta, I also omitted the 1/4 cup of olive oil. I would say that the flavour of the zucchini flowers was lost in this dish. Not sure if the smokiness of the bacon contributed to this issue however since the other flavours were so pleasing, I didn’t feel the zucchini flowers added anything other than visual appeal so they weren’t really worth the effort that went in to preparing them. That said, this was a rich and delicious wine-friendly meal that I’ll happily make again. Excellent!

• Rigatoni with vegetables, tomato, and cream sauce

  • katiesue28 on May 09, 2023

    This was a good vegetarian sauce. Tastes like a lighter and tarter vodka sauce. Served with linguine noodles as that's what I had on hand and worked beautifully.

• Baked cannelloni with spinach and ricotta

  • twoyolks on April 23, 2020

    Somehow, despite all the components being quite good (the filling, the sauce, the mozzarella), this was a bit of a let down. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as the sum of its components. The instructions were also a bit unclear in places.

• Risotto with Swiss chard

  • JimCampbell on November 20, 2023

    We prepared this recipe last night. It is a classic and standard recipe for making risotto. The chard is added at the end. We added shredded store bought rotisserie chicken for a protein. No bad. It's fine. It's a classic risotto. We'd likely go lighter on the Parmesan so the more subtle flavors of the chard and chicken shine through.

• Risotto with mixed fresh mushrooms

  • denise_3o93kd on February 06, 2026

    Simple recipe, and quite delicious. Great for a weeknight meal or side dish. Recommend.

• Risotto with shrimp and scallops

  • Frogcake on January 29, 2017

    Delicious! I used frozen scallops and had more water to boil off. Also used premade fish broth. You really do have to keep stirring the risotto near the end to ensure it doesn't burn.

• Veal shanks with porcini mushrooms

  • vickster on April 08, 2013

    One of my favorite recipes and I make it often, quite frequently with turkey or chicken thighs instead of veal. Love the flavor of porcini mushrooms and the marsala wine.

  • vickster on January 30, 2018

    I have made this many times, usually not with veal shanks. This time I used St. Louis style pork ribs. I have also made with turkey legs. This is one of my favorite dishes. The flavors blend so well to make the sauce, and I like that it isn't tomato-heavy.

• Chicken hunter style

  • vickster on September 03, 2017

    Italian cuisine is my favorite and I have made this many times. My husband doesn't like rosemary, so I only put in a tiny bit and instead add an abundance of fresh sage and basil. I think the pancetta and Marsala really make this dish extra good. Usually I serve with pasta.

• Pan-roasted chicken with eggplant and zucchini

  • Laurendmck on August 23, 2012

    p. 70

  • Laurendmck on August 27, 2012

    This was delicious. Use a large Dutch oven. The recipe never mentioned when to put in the garlic, so I put it in with the eggplant.

• Rabbit with balsamic vinegar

  • DKennedy on July 28, 2013

    Excellent. The tomato sauce and marinade components could have been reduced further. Deboned leftovers make an outstanding ragu.

• Grilled swordfish with mint and balsamic vinegar

  • susankay on September 19, 2024

    Delicious recipe, and very easy to make.

• Carrots and small onions with Marsala wine and raisins

  • stockholm28 on November 29, 2013

    i make this every year for Thanksgiving. It is a delicious side dish.

• Mashed potatoes with Parmigiano

  • twoyolks on March 20, 2016

    The mashed potatoes are fine but nothing special. The parmigiano flavor isn't really present.