Notes about Recipes in this book

• Ziti with kale pesto and crispy bacon (Ziti con pesto di cavolo nero e pancetta croccante)

  • Zosia on September 13, 2020

    The smokey bacon was a good addition to what was otherwise a very green and earthy tasting dish (I used whole wheat pasta). I wanted to reduce the fat so I removed the crisped bacon from the pan and poured off all the rendered fat before continuing with the recipe and only added the bacon back in at the end so it retained its texture. Family ate it with no complaints.

• Shrimp spiedini with zucchini and tomato salsa (Spiedini di gamberoni con zucchine al pomodoro)

  • Zosia on July 12, 2019

    Fabulous! The shrimp was delicious on its own and the salsa was a bright and tangy complement. The celery was an unusual salsa ingredient for me and its contribution of flavour and crunch really stood out.

• Seared salmon paillards with arugula salad (Paillard di salmone scottato con insalata di rucola)

  • Zosia on September 07, 2019

    The flavours were good - the arugula salad dressed with a sharp, lemony dressing paired well with the rich salmon - and I loved the presentation. It was simple but elegant (once I got the hang of slicing the salmon).

• Salad of warm greens with bacon and mushrooms (Insalata tiepida con pancetta e funghi)

  • Zosia on April 07, 2020

    Classic and very flavourful. I had a 312g package of arugula/spinach mix which looked to be short of the 10 cups greens required. I poured off all of the rendered bacon fat and added it back to the pan as needed for the mushrooms, and then the dressing. A half batch of dressing was all that was needed for this amount of greens.

• Butternut squash soup (Zuppa di zucca)

  • Zosia on September 27, 2018

    This was a good, basic savoury butternut squash soup that tasted of the vegetable; the other ingredients merely enhanced its flavour. I used vegetable stock in place of water and omitted the bacon garnish.

• Lemon and oregano potatoes (Patate al limone e origano)

  • Zosia on July 12, 2019

    This recipe used the unusual method of cooking potatoes in water and lemon juice. I didn't know that only the cut surfaces of the potato picked up the lemon and made the mistake of not peeling them as directed so the lemon flavour was mild. Some family members don't like very acidic dressings so that worked out well in the end. I added just a little oil and the remaining ingredients directly to the potatoes and made extra dressing to serve on the side. Everyone enjoyed them.

• Risotto with mushrooms (Risotto ai funghi)

  • Tinala523 on January 01, 2022

    This was delicious, creamy, flavorful and mushrooms. I halved the recipe and still had a huge amount. Lidia never fails me!

• Upside-down rhubarb cake (Crostata invertita al rabarbaro)

  • lvaillancourt on February 28, 2023

    I made this recipe vegan by substituting flax eggs (1egg = 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 Tbsp water let sit for 5 minutes) for the eggs.

• Carrot and chickpea dip (Intingolo di carote e ceci)

  • ellencooks on March 15, 2021

    A half recipe makes plenty!

• Roasted olives with orange and rosemary (Olive al forno con agrumi e rosmarino)

  • ellencooks on March 05, 2018

    These were easy and fantastic! I left out the thyme and fennel powder and they were still delicious.

• Portobellos stuffed with quinoa and kale (Cappelle de funghi ripieni di quinoa e cavolo nero)

  • GiselleMarie on August 06, 2020

    This is only OK. My husband liked it better than I did. I used feta instead of goat cheese, which made it VERY salty. I probably won’t make this again.

• Mashed parsnips and scallions (Purea di pastinaca con scalogno verde)

  • GiselleMarie on January 19, 2021

    The parsnips give it a more watery texture than mashed potatoes but it’s good and very light.

• Monkfish meatballs in tomato sauce (Polpette di rana pescatrice in sugo di pomodoro)

  • GiselleMarie on January 15, 2021

    When I tasted a monkfish ball fresh out of the fryer per Lidia’s suggestion, it was too salty (and I like salt!) and lacking in fish flavor. After simmering in the tomato sauce, though, this is a great dish! My husband and I are looking forward to the leftovers. Next time, I’ll use only 1/2 teaspoon salt in the fish balls and 1 teaspoon in the sauce.

• Carrot and orange salad (Insalata di carote ed arance)

  • GiselleMarie on November 22, 2021

    This looks very pretty in the bowl and it dresses up the table. The flavors of the oranges, carrots, and olives go fairly well together but it’s not spectacular. Still, it’s a good side dish to make in the winter or, like tonight, when we’ve been away and don’t have our usual salad ingredients in the fridge.

• Pasta salad with tomato, mozzarella, and green beans (Insalata di cavatappi, mozzarella, pomodori, e fagiolini)

  • GiselleMarie on April 13, 2019

    This was fantastic! Making the pesto dressing was more trouble than I put into my regular pasta salad but it was well worth the effort. I served this warm immediately after putting it together, and it is the best pasta salad I’ve ever had!

• Summer tomato salad with anchovies and capers (Insalata estiva di pomodori, acciughe, e capperi)

  • GiselleMarie on September 11, 2019

    This is spectacular! The combination of briney capers and finely chopped anchovies add a delicious dimension to the other more traditional ingredients.

• Poached salmon salad (Insalata di salmone)

  • GiselleMarie on October 16, 2020

    I made a broccoli cheese soup and this poached salmon salad for dinner tonight. Both dishes were quite involved, requiring many steps and many dishes. Neither recipe was hard, just a little time consuming, and I shouldn’t have tried both for the first time on the same evening. I started cooking at 4:30 and we didn’t start eating until 7:30. At any rate, this salad was good. The dressing has a rather pronounced mustard flavor. I used prepared horseradish from a jar rather than fresh horseradish, and I hard boiled four eggs in order to cut two into quarters for garnish. I thought 1 1/2 cup sliced radishes seemed excessive, yet they really do add to the

  • GiselleMarie on October 16, 2020

    (continued) appearance of the dish. Next time I will substitute either red onions or scallions for some of the radishes. Either steamed potatoes or rice would make a good accompaniment to this dish.

• Swordfish Bagnara style (Pesca spada Bagnara)

  • GiselleMarie on November 19, 2022

    This is very easy to make and it tastes pretty good. My swordfish required twice the baking time called for in the recipe, 40 minutes rather than 20, but I think it might have been because my fish was still partially frozen when I started.

• Fig and hazelnut butter cookies (Biscotti con nocciole e marmellata di fichi)

  • GiselleMarie on December 26, 2022

    The directions say to partially bake the cookies, carve an indentation in the top of each one, fill the indentations with fig preserves and nuts, and return the cookies to the oven for more baking. This is a lot of trouble, similar to thumbprint cookies but not as good. Lidia also says to bake the cookies just until set but not brown. I found the browner cookies tasted better. These are good but I won’t make them again.

• Oven-braised pork chops with apples, onions, and dried cherries (Costolette di maiale con mele, cipolle, e ciliegie)

  • GiselleMarie on April 27, 2020

    This is good. A very large cast iron skillet would be perfect for this recipe. Rather than finish this dish in the oven, I think the pork will turn out more tender and flavorful if it simmers on the stove.

• Roasted pork shoulder with roasted vegetable sauce (Spalla di maiale arrosto al sugo di verdure)

  • GiselleMarie on April 04, 2022

    This was easy and relatively “hands off.” It took a while to prepare but only because the pork shoulder and vegetables spend two hours in the oven. The meat wasn’t particularly flavorful but the vegetables were very well done and had a meaty, salty taste. They really cooked down and seemed almost like a relish. My husband and I ate a bit of the vegetable with each forkful of pork, and the two flavors balanced nicely.

• Chicken breast and livers with Marsala (Petto e fetatini di pollo Marsala)

  • taste24 on June 11, 2020

    This is one of the best chicken marsala dishes I have ever made. So simple, yet so delicious. I did not use chicken livers or sage and swapped the mixed mushrooms for baby bellas.

• Skillet broccoli with creamy garlic sauce (Broccoli al tegame con crema d'aglio)

  • taste24 on July 10, 2020

    I am very perplexed by this recipe, as it sounded so good. I made the garlic cream sauce, and it did not provide any instruction to whisk/keep stirring as it simmers (though I did) and my milk still scalded a bit. The sauce also didn't have much flavor, despite 2 heads of garlic steeped in the sauce. I added garlic powder and dehydrated garlic to boost the flavor which helped a bit. The sauce was also very thin - had to keep cooking down after straining. For the broccoli, my pan drank up the 1/2 cup of water added to steam and cook the broccoli within 4-5 minutes (she said it should cook for 10) and I kept it on the burner and it was a burnt mess after 10 min. Should have added more water or taken it off the heat. Overall, the whole dish was a little bland and the burnt flavor took over anything resembling something good. I may try to make this again but add more garlic powder and salt to the sauce, and cook the broccoli with more water.

• Carrots and mushrooms in Marsala (Funghi e carote al Marsala)

  • taste24 on June 12, 2020

    This was decent. The sauce was very good, but it was different to have it served with carrots. Not sure if I'd make again.