Notes about Recipes in this book

• Seared beef filet with olives, tomatoes, and arugula (Tagliata con olive)

  • Breadcrumbs on January 02, 2016

    p. 341 – I needed a beef element for my New Year’s Day menu and this recipe provided a great way to incorporate beef without being too heavy. The salty-sweet flavours of the salsa countered the richness of the beef and the peppery flavour of the greens rounded everything out. A great company dish since all elements can be made ahead, plating is quick and the dish looks attractive and colourful when plated. Photo here: http://www.chowhound.com/post/show-winter-2016-meals-1030300

• Shrimp with tomato and arugula (Gamberi al pomodoro e rucola)

  • Avocet on December 03, 2012

    Excellent. I stirred the arugula into the sauce right before serving and served it over polenta that had a little fontina cheese stirred into it. Used canned tomatoes and less olive oil than the recipe called for.

• Little ears with sausage and fennel (Orecchiette con salsicce e finocchio)

  • Avocet on November 01, 2020

    This was really great. It looks pretty simple, but the flavors all come together to make a great dish. I did make a few modifications. I browned the sausage first, took it out of the pan and then sauteed the fennel, onion and garlic before returning the sausage and adding the chicken stock and wine (I used white wine, didn't have red on hand). Used a bit more basil and a pinch of dried oregano. Threw in about a half cup chopped roasted red bell pepper. A little cream really did bring it all together. p. 188

• Chocolate mascarpone pudding (Budino di mascarpone con cioccolata)

  • Yildiz100 on August 01, 2021

    This didn't work for me. The egg mixture and marscapone had a nice texture when first combined, and I wish I had stopped there. When whisked together over the bain marie as per the recipe it thinned out, and didn't ever thicken again. Was also a bit too sweet for my taste.

• Baked sliced potatoes with tomato and oregano (Patate in tegame)

  • Yildiz100 on March 20, 2013

    Made March 20, 2013. Tasty, simple. Really needs a nice presentation and then becomes much more than the sum of its parts. Too bad my garlic turns blue! This would be nice in the summer as a side dish to fish for an outdoor dinner party. Used fewer tomatoes than called for (maybe 65%) and was good. Try with full amount, but may be soggy. Used quarted grape tomatoes. They were very tasty.

• Bruschetta topped with zucchini puree and sun-dried tomatoes

  • Yildiz100 on October 25, 2017

    This is easy, delicious, and full of veggies. It also tastes great at room temperature, so it is great to serve as part of a larger spread. The only negative is it is a bit oily. I didnt measure but I would guess I used 3 Tbs instead of a quarter cup of oil. Next time I will start with 2, though that might be tricky because of the long cook time.Also note that I did need to mash the zucchini with a potato masher at the end. They didnt really fall apart on their own, even thouh they were extremely soft. Also added some fresh basil to the final bruschetta.

  • Yildiz100 on January 18, 2018

    I made this a second time with larger zucchini and it turned out unpleasantly sweet. I assume it was the size of the zucchini that made the difference, so be sure to seek out small zucchinis for this. Also note that Greek vacuum packed, unseasoned sundried tomatoes were better with this than Italian oil packed, seasoned tomatoes.

• Grilled country bread with white bean puree (Bruschetta 'ncapriata)

  • Yildiz100 on January 19, 2013

    This was very good. Made pretty much as written. Used spinach and sauteed "my way." The bread we used was "balder" and 6 slices of it was not enough for the recipe. Could probably use 12 of that bread. Balder had too many holes for this recipe, next time just use a baguette.

• Pizza frittata (Frittata alla pizzaiola)

  • Yildiz100 on December 03, 2019

    Try to use a tomato that isn't too juicy (baby San Marzanos worked well) and pat the mozzarella as dry as you can before adding it to the frittata. Otherwise, the top will be a bit soggy. I was able to correct the issue by blotting.

• Fresh tuna and chickpea salad (Insalata di tonno fresco e ceci)

  • Yildiz100 on May 04, 2019

    Perfectly fine but not really an exciting way to serve tuna. I didn't think the chickpeas and other salad ingredients complemented the texture. Prefer tuna and white beans salad if I am craving something like this with Italian flavors.

• Fennel and tomato soup (Minestra di finocchio)

  • Yildiz100 on March 18, 2013

    Made March 18, 2013. Used two fennel bulbs instead of three, as the bulbs were fairly large. Used two 13 ounce containers of crushed tomatoes in place of 10-12 plum tomatoes. Unfortunately, I didn't find this any tastier than plain old tomato soup.

• Trout stuffed with prosciutto and sage (Trota al prosciutto e salvia)

  • hillsboroks on April 19, 2018

    We were looking for a new way to cook trout after a successful day at the lake and found this one. This recipe is a delight, easy to prepare and with a lovely flavor. The delicate flavor of the trout is highlighted and shines through the prosciutto and sage. The white wine ensures that the trout stays moist and luscious. This is a keeper recipe. I baked a 13.5 inch trout for 12 minutes and it was perfect!

• Risotto with cauliflower (Risotto al cavolfiore)

  • hillsboroks on February 03, 2018

    We really liked this risotto and it was a good way to use up an excess of cauliflower. But it wasn't the most exciting risotto I have ever made. Rather the flavor is rather delicate and subdued. The texture was very good and I made the full recipe for two of us so I have leftover risotto and am hopeful it will reheat well and maybe the flavors will have melded and be more assertive.

• Spaghetti alla carbonara

  • lisibit on February 03, 2013

    Delicious, and lighter than other recipes i've made (pasta water, cheese, wine and egg yolks make the sauce- no cream). Plus, the method is pretty curdle-proof. I'll occasionally substitute fusilli, or throw in a few handfuls of peas or other green vegetables.

• Pasta with artichoke and cream sauce (Conchiglie ai carciofi alla panna)

  • ellencooks on March 18, 2021

    Next time I will add more artichokes and use less pasta.

• Skewered chicken wrapped in prosciutto (Spiedini di pollo)

  • Lmastriaco on June 04, 2020

    Boneless chicken breasts cook quickly. Take out of oven as soon as they start to be a little brown

• Food52

  ...is a perennial, and it’s a book that people buy multiple copies of to give their kids.

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