Notes about Recipes in this book

• Chicken drumsticks with peppers and paprika (Cosce di pollo con peperoni e paprika)

  • wester on January 24, 2017

    Dear Alldayeveryday, Eat Your Books is not a website with recipes on it, but a website that indexes recipes that are elsewhere - in books, or on websites. So if a recipe is not on the internet (as this one appears to be) you will still have to buy or borrow the book to get the full recipe.

  • nicolepellegrini on March 31, 2020

    I quite liked this. The peppers and onions had a great charred sweetness, and the wine made the chicken very tender.

  • smoppong on January 22, 2017

    Sunday favorite

  • Alldayeveryday on January 22, 2017

    How do I get recipe? I joined and added book, but still no recipe.

  • Alldayeveryday on January 23, 2017

    Can someone please give me the amounts of the ingredients needed for this recipe. It was on PBS Saturday. I joined this book site and I still can't get this recipe. Please help. Thank you.

• Veal scaloppine with Marsala and mushrooms (Scaloppine di vitello al Marsala con funghi)

  • vickster on April 10, 2016

    I made this with chicken breast, pounded thin. It is a delicious recipe!

• Chicken liver crostini (Crostini di fegatini di pollo)

  • vickster on February 14, 2017

    Really good, quickly made appetizer. I left out the capers because my husband generally doesn't like them. But since they are blended in, I may try next time.

• Meat sauce Bolognese (Sugo alla Bolognese)

  • vickster on December 12, 2017

    This is a delicious meat sauce for pasta. But I did make one significant change - instead of 1 lb. ground beef and 1 lb. ground pork, I added 1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage. We just don't like too much meat in our tomato sauce. It came out great, and may be my new go-to for pasta sauce!

• Marinara sauce (Marinara)

  • nicolepellegrini on October 30, 2018

    This was an...okay recipe for marinara, not my favorite. I'm not crazy about sauces where you add water to them (if anything I usually add a little tomato paste to my marinara to enhance the flavor.) Tasted better the next day after pureeing to make a smoother consistency, but I wouldn't reach for this recipe again.

• Tomato sauce (Salsa di pomodoro)

  • nicolepellegrini on February 23, 2019

    Definitely liked this sauce better than the marinara sauce in this cookbook. The vegetable base gives it a nice sweetness but there's also a spicy kick, too. I added 1 tablespoon of tomato paste to deepen the flavors, as I usually do with most any tomato sauce.

• Braised celery and mushrooms (Sedano e funghi brasati)

  • nicolepellegrini on December 15, 2018

    Decent for a winter vegetable side or warm salad—when fresh produce may be limited (or those nights when the fridge is sparse except for basic staples.) Definitely best with a variety of mushrooms or at least mixing some dried/soaked porcini mushrooms in with basic button mushrooms. Watch the salt content.

• Eggplant Parmigiana (Melanzane alla Parmigiana)

  • nicolepellegrini on February 25, 2019

    Made this to compare with Marcella's Eggplant Parmigiana, which is my standard. The main difference seemed to be slicing the eggplant thicker and coating it in egg before flouring for frying. I did like the delicacy the egg dip brought—I think less oil seeped into the eggplant, keeping the dish lighter. I still prefer a more thin-sliced eggplant, though. Mom says it was good but still prefers Marcella's. I might try doing a combination approach next time.

• Savoy cabbage and potatoes (Verza e patate)

  • nicolepellegrini on March 29, 2020

    Love this! The savoy cabbage sort of melt into the potatoes, making for a light and fluffy mashed potatoes. I served these with a baked corned beef for a twist on traditional corned beef and cabbage.

• Swiss chard and potatoes (Bietola e patate)

  • nicolepellegrini on January 15, 2017

    Pretty much the only way I make "mashed potatoes" any longer. It's a perfect way to "sneak" some dark greens into the diet and everyone I've made this for loves it. Sometimes, depending on the potatoes, I feel it needs a touch of milk to not be too dry. But it's an excellent side dish with roasted meats (and also works well with kale if you don't have swiss chard on hand.)

  • twoyolks on February 13, 2017

    This was quite good and quite filling despite not having many ingredients. The only knock on the recipe is that the flavor of garlic overwhelms the other flavors.

  • Lepa on July 29, 2016

    My whole family loves this- it's a great side for fish. Easy and delicious.

• Zucchini with anchovies and capers (Zucchine in salsa di acciughe e capperi)

  • nicolepellegrini on August 13, 2018

    Nice summer side dish. Zucchini can be a bit boring (IMHO, at least) but add anchovies and capers to just about anything and it's going to taste better to me!

• Sweet and sour zucchini (Zucchine all'agrodolce)

  • nicolepellegrini on September 14, 2018

    Very nice. The browned zucchini then marinated in vinegar and sugar is a classic. Adding this to my party cooking arsenal.

• Lemon roasted chicken (Pollo arrosto al limone)

  • nicolepellegrini on November 06, 2020

    Tried this for a new way to make roast chicken, came out very good. The lemon flavor really was strong and the white wine kept the meat moist and slightly sweet.

• Swordfish in sweet and sour sauce (Pesce spada in agrodolce)

  • nicolepellegrini on September 08, 2021

    Tasty and a little different from the usual sweet and sour sauce for fish with the use of balsamic vinegar. Worked well with the meaty texture and flavor of swordfish.

• Pork tenderloin with balsamic onions (Filetto di maiale con cipolle all'aceto balsamico)

  • nicolepellegrini on July 24, 2021

    Very nice. The tenderloin cam out exceptionally moist and juicy and I loved the onions.

• Ziti with roasted eggplant and ricotta cheese (Ziti alla Norma)

  • nicolepellegrini on September 08, 2021

    This didn't quite work for me compared to other eggplant and tomato pasta sauces - the eggplant was too heavy, and with all the ricotta it was quite heavy.

• Capellini with vegetables (Capellini primavera)

  • nicolepellegrini on April 04, 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...

• Rigatoni with cauliflower, saffron, and golden raisins (Rigatoni con cavolfiori, zafferano e uvetta)

  • nicolepellegrini on August 11, 2018

    We liked this a lot. Nice balance of sweet, savory and salty flavors. Very filling and satisfying vegetarian pasta dish.

  • Lepa on July 04, 2018

    This was decent and easy to pull together. I felt like it could have benefited from some anchovy to boost the flavor.

• Mezzi rigatoni with fava beans and mint (Mezze maniche con fave e mentuccia)

  • nicolepellegrini on September 18, 2018

    Another great pasta dish from Lidia that hits all the right flavor notes. A little salty/smoky from the pancetta and cheese, a little spicy from the red pepper flakes, a little sweet from the mellow onions and mint. Easy and worth the little bit of time to peel the fresh fava beans, too.

• Linguine with walnuts and Swiss chard (Linguine con noci e bietole)

  • nicolepellegrini on April 03, 2020

    Excellent! I really love Lidia's pasta dishes and this one was no exception. The creamy ricotta balanced the Swiss chard perfectly, and the walnuts added a little textural crunch and extra body to the dish. Totally would make again.

• Skillet gratinate of mushrooms and chicken (Pollo con funghi gratinati in padella)

  • nicolepellegrini on March 06, 2021

    Very tasty, fast recipe to throw together (if you have tomato sauce ready to go). Nice way to prepare chicken breasts so that they don't dry out. Reminiscent of chicken parmesan but lighter. Would definitely make again, husband liked it and ate all of his despite saying he wasn't "that hungry".

• Chicken thighs with potatoes and olives (Cosce di pollo con patate ed olive)

  • nicolepellegrini on March 23, 2020

    Very good and simple.

• Vanilla orange ice cream (Gelato di vanilla ed arance)

  • twoyolks on April 14, 2016

    I really liked the mix of vanilla and orange flavor (like a creamsicle). However, the vanilla seemed to overwhelm the orange; the flavor intensities were just not matched. I almost think using just vanilla extract may work better. The other issue was that the ice cream had an unpleasant cooked flavor (possibly from the cornstarch).

• Olive oil mashed potatoes (Purè di patate all'olio)

  • twoyolks on December 21, 2017

    I thought these were very nice. They're quite simple and you really need to use a quality olive oil as that's the main flavoring for the potatoes.

  • rmardel on December 24, 2020

    These are excellent and worth making in and of themselves. But if you have someone who is sensitive to dairy coming to dinner give them this instead of potatoes with non-dairy substitutes. A good olive oil is a necessity.

• Broccoli soup (Minestra di broccoli)

  • twoyolks on December 21, 2016

    This soup was a bit bland. The broth had a slight vegetal flavor. I do think that some chile pepper would improve the soup a bit.

• Whole braised cauliflower (Cavolfiore brasato)

  • julesamomof2 on October 25, 2018

    This was one of those occasions where I felt the bacon didn't add much as it lost it crispness during the braising process. Probably won't repeat.

• Traditional recipe for Bolognese sauce with milk (Ragù alla Bolognese, ricetta antica con latte)

  • Tinala523 on January 16, 2023

    This is the Bolognese sauce I've been searching for, the real thing! Whole family loved it; the kids went back for more instead of dessert! Be sure to make the full recipe, you won't be sorry.

• Braised broccoli with oil and garlic (Broccoli all'aglio e olio)

  • jbny on February 21, 2016

    nice with asparagus

• Italian American meat sauce (Sugo di carne Italo-Americano)

  • vcieslak on January 25, 2023

    used 6 meaty pork ribs instead of pork necks. makes a lot of sauce! made the day before to blend flavors.

• Almond cake with chocolate chips (Torta di mandorle con gocce di cioccolata)

  • damazinah on December 26, 2020

    The flavor was good, but it was a bit dry, so I probably should've taken it out at 40 minutes instead of 45 minutes. Also, the batter was quite dense - more like cookie dough than cake batter. It's been a while since I baked something with nut flour, so I'm not sure if it should have been so dense.

• Eggs scrambled in tomato sauce (Uova strapazzate al pomodoro)

  • damazinah on June 25, 2016

    This is a really good (and easy!) eggs-for-supper dish. Definitely a keeper!

• Cucumber, potato, and green bean salad (Insalata di cetrioli, patate e fagioli verdi)

  • Lepa on May 23, 2016

    This really didn't sound promising but I tried it because I had all the ingredients on hand and was pleasantly surprised. It was a lovely accompaniment for the fish we had.

• Tomato and bread salad (Panzanella)

  • Lepa on June 24, 2017

    This is a very good version of a classic salad. I add cucumbers because my son loves them but otherwise stick to the recipe.

• Condiggion salad with tuna (Condiggion con il tonno)

  • Lepa on September 14, 2017

    My husband and I really enjoyed this. The tuna, olives and peppers were a nice addition. Our kids prefer a plain panzanella and the spicy anchovy vinaigrette was a bit much for them.

• Whipped salt cod spread (Baccalà mantecato)

  • Lepa on October 04, 2021

    This was pretty good. I made it for an amaro cocktail party and it was the perfect accompaniment for our spritzes!

• Farro and chickpea soup (Zuppa di ceci e farro)

  • Lepa on December 10, 2018

    This was very plain and the broth wasn't very good. It reminded me of dishwater. With lots of parmesan it was edible but definitely not a repeat.

• Broccoli rabe braised with olive oil and garlic (Cime di rapa all'aglio e olio)

  • Lepa on January 03, 2017

    I have been making this for years, to eat with polenta, and it never fails to satisfy me. This is my ultimate comfort dish!

• Rice and potato soup (Minestra di riso e patate)

  • Lepa on October 21, 2018

    This was rather disappointing. Right before it was done I tasted the broth and it had a watery, unpleasant taste so I decided to add a spoon of bullion, which helped. Once I put the parsley and cheese in the broth and the rice finished cooking, the soup thickened and was okay but I won't be making this again.

• Basic polenta (Polenta)

  • Lepa on January 03, 2017

    This is a good basic polenta recipe.

• Almond pine nut cookies (Amaretti con pinoli)

  • Lepa on January 02, 2016

    This is one of the best cookies I have ever put into my mouth. They are chewy and luscious and the combination of almond/orange/pine nut is incredible.

• Panna cotta with fresh berries (Panna cotta al frutti di bosco)

  • Lepa on February 28, 2017

    This is easy to make and lovely to eat. The strawberries at the store were unappetizing so we just used raspberries and blackberries and that was perfect.

• Penne rigate in a vodka sauce (Penne rigate alla vodka)

  • Lepa on January 02, 2016

    This was suprisingly bland. It's the first Lidia recipe I've ever tried that I wouldn't make again. Our family prefers the Patricia Wells version.

• Bucatini with pancetta, tomato, and onion (Bucatini all'Amatriciana)

  • Lepa on December 20, 2018

    This did not live up to the Amatriciana I had in a Roman train station this summer, which was mind blowing and inspired me to find a recipe so I can recreate it at home. This was not that recipe. It was mediocre and probably won't be repeated.

• Lemon baked swordfish (Pesce spada al forno con limone)

  • GiselleMarie on March 20, 2020

    Don’t let the detailed instructions scare you away from making this. This dish is actually quite easy and it came out great! I had two thick, large swordfish steaks in my freezer, each of which I cut into three triangles. Lidia recommends baking the fish for about 12 minutes but mine took about 22 minutes. Like most Lidia recipes, this one had fantastic visual appeal.

  • GiselleMarie on March 20, 2020

    Don’t let the detailed instructions scare you away from making this. It’s really quite easy and it came out great! I had two thick, large swordfish steaks in my freezer and I cut each of them into three triangles. Although Lidia says to bake the fish for about 12 minutes, mine required 22 minutes of baking. Like most Lidia dishes, this one has great visual appeal.

• Chocolate zucchini cake (Torta al cioccolato e zucchine)

  • GiselleMarie on July 24, 2020

    Rich flavor and very chocolaty. The texture isn’t dry but it still has a tendency to be crumbly, though not in a bad way. For those who have an aversion to seeing “green things” in their food, the zucchini completely “disappears” in this. I frosted this with my favorite vanilla frosting: 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, 6 Tablespoons butter, 3 Tablespoons milk or cream, 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. This makes the perfect amount of frosting for a 13 X 9” cake. I want to stir in half a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips next time for an even more chocolatey treat.

• Basil, parsley, and walnut pesto (Pesto di basilico, prezzemolo e noci)

  • GiselleMarie on July 23, 2020

    This is almost as good as pesto made with pine nuts but much less expensive. Lidia calls for adding 1/2 cup olive oil to the herb-walnut mixture in the food processor, but it came out less “saucy” than I prefer. I’ll use at least 1/4 cup more oil next time.

• Scrambled eggs and asparagus (Frittata di asparagi e uova)

  • GiselleMarie on March 08, 2019

    Adding salt to the raw eggs makes them turn color a little but the flavor is excellent.

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

  • GiselleMarie on January 30, 2019

    I wanted to love this because of its short ingredient list and its easy preparation, and it was a good soup for warming up on a cold day or as something simple to complete a meal. I mistakenly thought the Parmagiano-Reggiano would make it taste rich, but it turned out rather plain. It wasn’t bad but I keep wondering what I can do to it to liven it up a little.

• Chicken Parmigiana light (Pollo alla Parmigiana)

  • sayeater on October 16, 2022

    Made this with eggplant rounds instead of chicken, otherwise followed recipe. Love the lightness of this with the fresh tomato on top and the flavorful fontina cheese melted over it. Such an upgrade from the heavy, buried in mozzarella and sauce versions I'm used to getting in restaurants. Plus it actually stays crispy!! Holy grail of parmigiana. Definitely a keeper.

• Steamed broccoli and egg salad (Insalata di broccoli al vapore con uova sode)

  • sayeater on October 16, 2022

    I don't usually use broccoli like this so it was a nice change of pace. I can't help but think the broccoli was a bit water-logged because despite being called steamed broccoli salad it was actually boiled then ice bath shocked. Next time I might try actually steaming then shocking. Despite this, I liked the simplicity of this salad. Broke out my best red wine vinegar and fresh harvest olive oil for this one!

• Eater

  ...a wide-ranging compendium on cooking Italian food at home. There's little new to the experienced cook, but it's nevertheless the sort of book that will inevitably be well-used and well-loved.

  Full review