Notes about Recipes in this book

• Potato crisps with goat cheese and olives

  • kateiscoooking on June 01, 2018

    Great appetizer. Make sure you cook the potatoes enough to have them stay crispy. Even those who claim not to like goat cheese gobbled these up.

• Grappa-poached pears with speck

  • kateiscoooking on June 01, 2018

    We gave this a three out of five. It's good but not our favorite pear recipe. And, it's a good bit of work to put together...

  • kateiscoooking on June 30, 2018

    Very good but not fabulous. The grappa didn't add as much as I'd hoped.

• Spicy Calabrian shrimp

  • Zosia on June 19, 2019

    Delicious but ever so simple. I used Calabrian La Bomba sauce; it's thinner than chile paste so I omitted the olive oil and served it with bread to mop up the spicy juices.

  • PennyG on August 11, 2025

    This was delicious … and easy too! Definitely going into the rotation.

• Ham and ricotta pinwheels

  • kateiscoooking on June 30, 2018

    I'd absolutely make these again but I'd add a bit more oompf next time. They were very good but just didn't have enough zing.

• Tortellini in Parmigiano-Reggiano brodo

  • Zosia on April 22, 2018

    My freezer stash of Parmesan rinds was 50g short of the amount called for in the recipe but it was enough to produce an incredibly flavourful broth. I only had store-bought cheese-filled tortellini which were fine for a family lunch but this could easily be dinner party worthy with homemade.

• Grilled chicken and broccoli pesto panini

  • Zosia on May 02, 2018

    Delicious sandwich. The broccoli-walnut pesto was particularly good but the recipe does make much more than you need for the sandwiches.

• Sicilian tuna salad sandwich

  • Dthomasc on July 25, 2024

    Good picnic meal

• Smoked scamorza, spinach, and pancetta pizza

  • Zosia on April 21, 2018

    The need to use up the last of some baby spinach resulted in this delicious pizza. The smoked cheese and pancetta made it particularly flavourful. I used the recommended substitute of smoked mozzarella for smoked scamorza.

• Sausage and broccoli pizza

  • Zosia on April 21, 2020

    Topping ingredients and sauce were very complementary. I used only 300g sausage and extra broccoli as that is what I had.

• Mozzarella and strawberry bruschetta

  • Zosia on August 15, 2018

    The tomato-strawberry topping was tangy and a little sweet and absolutely delicious.

• Cacio e pepe with pancetta and arugula

  • Day1603 on March 05, 2021

    3 cups of grated cheese and 3 oz of pancetta...ended up too salty. Hard time getting sauce to properly come together.

• Lemon and pea Alfredo

  • Zosia on December 07, 2018

    Fresh and bright tasting pasta that took very little effort. I really liked the use of mascarpone instead of heavy cream; thinned out with some pasta cooking water, it coated the pasta perfectly. I had only about 2/3 the mascarpone so my version was a little lighter but it was still very good.

• Penne with corn and spicy sausage

  • Zosia on June 28, 2020

    We enjoyed this. The sweetness of the corn was a good foil for the spicy meat and chile paste (Bomba sauce). I replaced the mascarpone with cream and pasta cooking water so my version wasn't as rich but it was delicious.

• Crispy chicken thighs with peppers and capers

  • swiand on September 21, 2025

    I really liked this. The non-olive fans in the family didn't like it.

• Italian sheet-pan chicken with bread salad

  • Zosia on September 16, 2018

    Note that the chicken marinates 4-8 hours. I marinated mine for about 7 hours and I can't say the marinade actually flavoured the chicken at all. It did, however, flavour the drippings which were delicious, and since they were used on the bread salad, it was the best part of this dish. The chicken was nicely cooked and the skin did crisp so family was quite happy with this meal.

• Spicy turkey polpetone

  • Zosia on May 02, 2018

    Moist and very flavourful, though that would depend somewhat on the sausages you use since you rely quite a lot on their seasoning to flavour the meatloaf. I cooked off a teaspoon of the mixture to taste before shaping and ended up adding the optional red pepper flakes. Leftovers made excellent sandwiches.

• Herb-roasted pork tenderloin

  • Zosia on October 15, 2018

    Excellent flavour and the meat was very juicy and tender. I served it with only the gremolata. I'll try it with the dressing next time.

  • kashley1985 on October 07, 2024

    This was flavorful and yummy! I brined it in salt water for a little over an hour before cooking it. Because I brined it, I skipped the salt called for in the recipe.

• Flank steak with roasted grapes and mushrooms

  • swiand on January 14, 2026

    Great weeknight meal. Grapes surprising melded into the mushrooms and I wished they had a stronger flavor. Seemed to be more flavorful as the dish cooled.

• Lemon sole oreganata

  • Zosia on April 21, 2018

    This has a lot of potential and I would make again because, apart from how quick it was to make, the flavour was good and the fish was nicely cooked. The only issues were too much liquid (use less wine) and some soggy breadcrumbs (add them close to the end of baking).

  • Roxy014 on March 12, 2019

    Instead of using the broiler to crisp the bread crumbs I toasted them in a small pan on the stovetop with a bit of olive oil and garlic. The dish came together quickly and easily. I'm glad to now have it in my back pocket for busy weeknights. Very delicious.

• Mushroom and asparagus farrotto

  • Zosia on June 06, 2018

    I suspect it's the butter and cheese added at the end that makes this creamy but since I was keeping this vegan, those ingredients were omitted with cheese offered at the table for those who wanted it. Still, the flavour was very good and I appreciated the cooking techniques used that produced caramelized mushrooms and barely cooked, fresh tasting asparagus.

• Italian carrot salad

  • Zosia on October 15, 2019

    The limoncello-soaked cranberries were delicious and a nice way to dress up this basic salad for Thanksgiving dinner.

• Charred broccoli rabe

  • Zosia on May 17, 2018

    Loved the smoky flavour and though it calls for a 2-step cooking method, both are conveniently done on the grill.

• Roasted Parmigiano-Reggiano potatoes

  • kateiscoooking on June 01, 2018

    VERY good and very easy. My hubby - who is not a huge potato fan - loved these. No wonder she says she makes them three times a week!

• Creamy polenta with spinach

  • Shannoncooks17 on August 20, 2019

    Yum! Made half the batch for dinner and it turned out wonderful.

• Chocolate cherry shortbread cookies

  • Devons on November 20, 2023

    I wanted to love these, but the combo of cocoa and cherries was oddly bitter. Did not make the cut for holiday treat trays this year.

• Kitchn

  If you’re hungry for fresh and light Italian fare, and are craving an escape to the coast, come back for this one.

  Full review