Notes about Recipes in this book

• Bruschetta with mushrooms and Fontina (Bruschetta boscaiola)

  • Shannoncooks17 on December 26, 2022

    Delicious! So good! Worth making again!

• Bruschetta with roasted tomatoes and mozzarella (Bruschetta con pomodori arrostiti e mozzarella)

  • southerncooker on February 26, 2018

    I could eat this all the time. So good. I roasted the tomatoes one day since it takes 2 hours and reheated a little in the microwave the next day then continued with the recipe.

• Tuscan Mary (Bloody Mary with basil vodka)

  • Ezair92 on April 25, 2022

    It seemed a little strong so we put a little less horseradish on the second batch

• Cod and fennel soup (Zuppa di merluzzo e finocchio)

  • Zosia on June 04, 2018

    Quick cooking, flavourful soup. The sweetness of the fennel tempered the acidity of the tomatoes and the fish wasn't at all fishy. A hit with family.

  • cmartinfirvida on January 19, 2024

    Have made this twice now. It's a weeknight winner, comes together quickly, you can amp up the intensity by adding more garlic or red pepper flakes. It helps to use really fresh fennel (but frozen cod is really fine here!)

• Summer vegetable salad with cherry mozzarella and basil (Insalata estiva)

  • Shannoncooks17 on July 21, 2020

    Great salad for the summer. Made a couple times already this week!

• Fennel and apple slaw (Insalata di mele e finocchi)

  • Zosia on February 04, 2018

    Tart, crisp and refreshing, this salad was an excellent complement to a rich main dish. I used a mandoline to slice both the fennel and apples.

  • Ezair92 on April 25, 2022

    Very light and fresh slaw

• Chilled asparagus with tarragon vinaigrette and mimosa eggs (Insalata di asparagi e uova)

  • Ezair92 on April 25, 2022

    Made this for Easter and it was a huge hit. Definitely making this one again

• Asparagus and prosciutto tortino (Tortino di asparagi e prosciutto)

  • Ezair92 on April 25, 2022

    Yummy. Definitely worth making your own crust. Very light

• Spaghetti with shrimp and lemon sauce (Spaghetti con gambieri e limone)

  • Shannoncooks17 on March 28, 2020

    This was great! No changes to the recipe. Would make again!

  • Ezair92 on November 27, 2023

    This was very good. Light and quick. I did add some spinach cooking with garlic just to give me some green with it. This will be a repeat in my house

• Truffled cavatappi al forno (Pasta al formaggio tartufato)

  • Ezair92 on April 25, 2022

    This was okay. A little dry and I have had better Mac and cheese recipes.

• Sea bass with Sicilian cherry tomato sauce (Spigola alla Siciliana)

  • Zosia on January 16, 2018

    Incredibly flavourful thanks to the simple sauce. I used cod.

  • Ezair92 on February 01, 2021

    This is excellent. All of my guests really enjoyed it

• Salmon with salsa verde (Salmone con salsa verde)

  • Zosia on February 15, 2018

    This was very tasty but I prefer Diana Henry's variation of green sauce that uses a combination of herbs (and no anchovies) and has the consistency of a relish.

• Baked snapper with spinach filling (Fagottini di dentice e spinaci)

  • kateiscoooking on January 23, 2020

    This was just plain blah. The tomato paste needed to be cooked first. That sauce needed a bit of sugar or something to cut the tomato paste. The filling was pretty tasteless. Not something I’m going to make again.

• Swordfish with orange salad (Pesce spada con insalata di arancia)

  • kateiscoooking on January 23, 2020

    Although the recipe doesn’t call for it, I think the best avenue here is to salt the fish then about 10 minutes later put it in the marinade and leave it for an hour or so. I used sous vide and cooked it to 130 then browned it a bit in some butter. The texture was fabulous. The salad was nice but needed some oomph. Maybe some blue cheese? It just felt like it was somewhat lacking...

• Pork chops with black kale (Bistecchina di maiale col cavolo nero)

  • julesamomof2 on March 19, 2021

    This recipe doesn't look like much on the page but we loved it. As written it makes a complete meal with maybe a salad on the side. Really good pork chops made a difference too- I used my 12 '' cast iron pan.

  • Zosia on October 28, 2021

    Surprisingly flavourful for such simple seasoning and quick to make as well.

  • TrishaCP on December 10, 2022

    Easy and tasty dinner. It was quick too since my kale was already prepped.

  • Ezair92 on March 05, 2025

    This is excellent. I have never cooked Kale this way and I loved it. The sauce is easy and delicious

• Pan-roasted green beans (Fagiolini saltati col guanciale)

  • southerncooker on February 25, 2018

    I used pancetta in this and it was delicious. Didn't have any white wine so I used the option of water.

• Swiss chard with garbanzo beans (Bietole e ceci)

  • Zosia on September 22, 2018

    Loved the play of salty pancetta with sweet shallots that helped set this dish of Swiss chard apart from others I've made. The chick peas added texture and made it a more substantial side dish (I enjoyed leftovers as a light main) but it would still be good without them.

  • julesamomof2 on October 25, 2018

    This was a nice step up from simply steamed or sautéed Swiss chard. I used Applewood smoked bacon because that is what I had on hand and it worked great.

  • Ezair92 on April 25, 2022

    Made this for a dinner party and everyone loved it. I will definitely make this one again. Also good the next day

• Golden roasted potatoes (Patate arrosto)

  • Zosia on February 15, 2018

    These didn't turn out well for me. The potatoes weren't even starting to brown after 15 minutes in the oven so I raised the temperature to 400 for the final 15 minutes. That worked better but the potatoes weren't evenly browned and crisp. I've had more success with less mess using far less oil and a higher temperature from the start.

• Lola’s potato gratin (Patate gratinate)

  • Ezair92 on April 25, 2022

    Made it twice. First time it seemed very mild. Added more cheese on the second batch and we all preferred the second batch

• Farro with mushrooms and baby spinach (Farro con funghi e spinaci)

  • Zosia on March 12, 2022

    Comes together quickly and tastes great.

  • julesamomof2 on February 03, 2024

    Simple and delicious. Will make again.

• Chocolate hazelnut brownies (Brownies al cioccolato e nocciole)

  • Zosia on January 28, 2021

    Excellent brownies. Fudgy, very chewy (because of the nutella, I think) and chocolatey with good hazelnut flavour from the toasted nuts (rather than the nutella).