Notes about Recipes in this book

• Grilled shrimp wrapped in prosciutto (Scampi al prosciutto di Parma)

  • nicolepellegrini on November 12, 2020

    This was tasty - if slightly salty, but that was probably my fault for over-seasoning when I didn't realize the prosciutto would add enough saltiness to the shrimp.

• Penne with onion, red bell peppers and tomatoes (Penne all peperonata)

  • Zosia on June 25, 2014

    This classic stewed vegetable dish made a delicious pasta sauce, especially with the (optional) balsamic vinegar added. A half recipe was enough to sauce a pound of dried pasta; I added some pasta cooking water (instead of more oil) to prevent it from being too dry.

• Macaroni with vodka sauce (Maccheroni con la vodka)

  • Zosia on February 08, 2017

    A delicious alternative to a rose sauce. I'm not sure we noticed the vodka but we did the pancetta. Well received by the family.

• Risotto with spring vegetables (Risotto primavera)

  • nicolepellegrini on May 11, 2020

    Recipe says to use whatever spring vegetables you have on hand. I stuck mostly with the suggested ones, though I didn't have asparagus so I used some cauliflower I needed to finish off. Very nice light, Spring flavor and easy to put together with all the vegetables cooking together with the rice (though that made a lot of risotto to keep stirring in my saute pan! Be sure to use a big enough one!)

• White fish in sweet and sour sauce (Pesce bianco in dolce forte)

  • nicolepellegrini on July 23, 2021

    Tasty, crispy and simple. I made using orange roughy fillets.

• Rabbit with wine and vegetables (Coniglio alla Reggiana)

  • nicolepellegrini on March 20, 2018

    Very nice! Be sure to add seasoning throughout as this is a very mild-flavored rabbit dish. Definitely well-paired with some cheesy polenta as the recipe recommends.

• Chicken hunter style (Pollo alla cacciatora)

  • nicolepellegrini on July 12, 2020

    This was fine - not the best cacciatora I've made, but it worked for using up some bacon and mushrooms. I think I prefer this dish with more of a variety of vegetables (peppers, etc.)

• Pork loin braised in milk (Arrosto di maiale al latte)

  • Zosia on May 05, 2015

    Simple and basic recipe with delicious results. I skipped the sauce and deglazed the pot with a little white wine so those lovely browned bits wouldn't go to waste.

• Little pork bundles (Involtini scappati)

  • Zosia on April 05, 2019

    I suspect this recipe was intended for pork loin rather than tenderloin. My slices were small and I had to cut the pancetta slices to fit them. The resulting bundles were also quite small and cooked in a fraction of the time given. The flavour was very good and I caught them before they were overcooked so they were moist as well. Having used a 700g tenderloin, I ended up with almost 20 small bundles so prep was a bit time consuming. I would make this again but with pork loin or even thinly sliced pork leg.

• Pork chops in onion sauce (Costolette di maiale alla cipolla)

  • chawkins on November 17, 2015

    Simple, easy and tasty with just pantry ingredients.

• Winter-style veal stew (Bocconcini di vitello all'invernale)

  • nicolepellegrini on January 30, 2020

    Tasty and relatively simple veal stew to throw together with mostly staple and pantry ingredients.

• Veal cutlets Bologna style (Cotolette alla Bolognese)

  • nicolepellegrini on November 06, 2020

    Outstanding. Definitely took me straight back to Bologna and the way I enjoyed veal cutlets there several years ago. I'd make it again in a heartbeat.

• Meat loaf Bologna style (Polpettone alla Bolognese)

  • nicolepellegrini on April 22, 2015

    Best meatloaf I've ever made. The cooking style is really much more like preparing an Italian meat "roast" (slow braising with wine and vegetables) than the typical American meat loaf, and I loved it. This is going to be my standard recipe from today forward.

• Fennel salad (Insalata di finocchi)

  • nicolepellegrini on January 25, 2019

    I like a little more vinegar to make it tangier.

• Cooked onion salad (Insalata di cipolle cotte)

  • nicolepellegrini on June 12, 2020

    Made an excellent side dish for some simply roasted halibut and I bet these will be great on sandwiches/salads for the next few days (recipe made a lot). Really brought out the sweetness of the onions and mellowed their flavor nicely.

• Mixed salad (Insalata mista)

  • nicolepellegrini on October 04, 2013

    Nice, basic and refreshing salad. Good combination of textures and it all comes down to balancing the salt, olive oil and vinegar based on your ingredients.

• Tomato and basil frittata (Frittata al pomodoro e basilico)

  • nicolepellegrini on October 13, 2019

    A tasty, classic frittata ... the onions give it a nice sweetness.