Notes about Recipes in this book

• Basil and almond pesto (Pesto con le mandorle)

  • michalow on September 24, 2019

    I used different herbs for this pesto (parsley and mint). Perhaps because these flavors are subtle compared to basil, the amount of garlic called for in the recipe was way too strong. I used half and it was still really intense, although it had mellowed into something nicer by the second day.

  • Yildiz100 on September 21, 2022

    Cut garlic to two cloves and use a bit more oil if necessary for blending.

• Smoked mozzarella marinated in herbs and olive oil (Mozzarella affumicata alle erbe)

  • Yildiz100 on July 19, 2015

    This was good, but only in very small portions. It was very rich. I enjoyed it but doubt it will go into the regular rotation. Thre are other ways I prefer eating smoked cheese.

• Ricotta salad (Ricotta all'insalata)

  • Wlow on November 27, 2019

    Delicate

• Lady in white (Dama bianca)

  • pistachiopeas on June 16, 2015

    Refreshing. Reduce the oil.

  • Wlow on November 27, 2019

    Summery

• Pears, Parmesan, and celery (Pere, Parmigiano, e sedano)

  • tui on May 29, 2013

    I made this with new season's doyenne de comice pears and fresh walnuts which I shelled myself. I added watercress because I had some. Delicious!

  • Yildiz100 on November 25, 2015

    I love this salad. I can't even imagine how good it must have been with fresh walnuts!

• Antipasto of spicy carrots (Antipasto di carote piccanti)

  • Yildiz100 on November 26, 2024

    So sour! Vinegar should be diluted a bit as the carrots absorb it well.

• Herb fritters (Erbe in pastella)

  • ellencooks on August 16, 2018

    I forgot to separate the eggs and these were still excellent. I made them with basil, parsley and sage.

• Golden flower artichokes (Carciofini fritti)

  • ellencooks on March 18, 2021

    These taste good and I've made them several times but I've never been able to get a flower shape!

• Spring radish salad (Insalatina de rapanelli primaverile)

  • Gio on May 17, 2015

    http://mariquita.com/recipes/radish.html

• Beet and radicchio salad (Insalata de barbabietole e radicchio)

  • Nancith on June 02, 2021

    Loved this combo of bitter radicchio & sweet baby beets! The simple addition of balsamic & red wine vinegars + olive oil makes this sing, & the walnuts add a lovely crunchy earthiness.

• Smashed salad (Insalata shattuta)

  • Yildiz100 on April 06, 2024

    Wilting the salad definitely makes the fennel tastier. (Thinky slice instead of cube) Made half salad with tarragon and half without. Liked it better without. A bit heavy on the dressing. Reduce a bit next time.

• Broccoli and tomato salad (Insalata de broccoli e pomodoro)

  • Yildiz100 on May 26, 2015

    This is a lovely little salad and an excellent combination of flavors. There is nothing surprising here, but since these are all ingredients that I tend to have on hand, I’ll definitely be making this again. This is perfect to pack for lunch at work.

  • westminstr on June 18, 2015

    This was a nice salad. O liked it and ate quite a bit!

  • Gio on May 12, 2016

    Pg. 88. We both enjoyed this salad. I suspect the recipe would also work with cauliflower as well. The broccoli was steamed till crisp-tender then the directions were followed. Great for Summer!

  • hillsboroks on August 26, 2019

    This is a fabulous August salad when all the garden tomatoes are at their peak. We loved the appearance, taste and texture plus it was a snap to put together. I had to substitute Kalamta olives but it they worked perfectly.

  • Maefleur on December 26, 2023

    Using what was available to me, I substituted Kalamata olives and grape tomatoes. Tasty salad, and made a beautiful addition to our Christmas table.

• Cucumber, beet, and roasted yellow pepper salad (Insalata tricolore)

  • Yildiz100 on June 05, 2015

    Yum! I really enjoyed this. Roasted red peppers compliment beets so well. The hint of smokiness is amazing with the earthy beets. I am not sure that the capers added much so I wouldn't go out of my way to add them in future. I will also try a version without the cucumbers. They provide some balancing crunch, but overall they seemed like they were just distracting from the good stuff.

• Cauliflower salad with lemon dressing (Insalata de cavolfiore all'agro)

  • hillsboroks on June 26, 2017

    Such a simple recipe but it has such lovely flavors. I had some fun with this recipe and used three different colored cauliflowers I found at the farmers market and then put the salad together on a large blue platter. The result was visually stunning and the perfect salad to serve guests.

• Russian salad (Insalata Russa)

  • Yildiz100 on September 03, 2019

    The mayo is a little thin to hold together the salad, but it is very nice. Makes delicious sandwiches.

  • ellencooks on March 18, 2021

    We loved this! I've made it many times, sometimes with fresh beans and sometimes with canned. Fresh is best, of course, but canned is ok.

• Raw vegetable and mozzarella salad (Insalata de verdura fresca e mozzarella)

  • pistachiopeas on June 16, 2015

    Very, very good.

  • hillsboroks on May 05, 2022

    This sounded so good but actually turned out rather boring. I won’t make it again.

• Bread salad Sienna style (La panzanella Senese)

  • Wlow on August 16, 2018

    9/12 great; 8/18 refreshing combination of fruity tomatoes, tart-sweet vinegar, celery and onions

• Warm cannellini bean and herb salad (Insalata tiepida de fagioli ed erbe)

  • michalow on March 01, 2020

    I used just rosemary and parsley for the herbs. Lovely and simple.

• Roman summer borlotti bean salad (Insalata de fagioli borlotti alla Romana)

  • Lepa on May 06, 2019

    I have been making this lovely, simple and refreshing salad for years. It's one of my kids' favorite bean dishes and a wonderful side for almost any pasta dish when you want to add some protein to your meal.

• White bean and radicchio salad (Insalata di fagioli e radicchio)

  • Lepa on September 12, 2018

    This is an old favorite from one of my favorite cook books. It is so unusual and bursting with flavor. If you like radicchio don't miss this one!

• Salad of giant white beans (Insalata di fagioli Spagna bianchetti)

  • pistachiopeas on May 25, 2015

    This was very good and reminded me of marinated giant white beans at deli salad bars. I would recommend making this in a flat platter and not a bowl, so that all the beans get to marinate in the olive oil.

• Summer holiday rice salad (Insalata di riso ferragosto)

  • pistachiopeas on June 16, 2015

    It's like a rainbow! One of my favorite dishes from this book.

  • westminstr on August 12, 2015

    I enjoyed this salad but it wasn't hearty enough to stand alone as a main dish. Would be a good side for a simple steak on the grill.

  • Yildiz100 on May 08, 2016

    I made this exactly as written and it was very good. I like it best as a side, so I don't think it really needs the mozzarella, which doesn't add much to it except protein. Arborio rice really is the perfect rice for a rice salad. It stays tender when cold. Next time I'll try adding marinated carrots or giardiniera.

  • TrishaCP on August 20, 2016

    Beautiful to look at with classic flavors that appeal to everyone. I agree with everyone else that this is a side dish and not a main.

• Bruschetta with avocado and green onions (Bruschetta con l'avocado)

  • pistachiopeas on June 16, 2015

    Excellent. Would be more elegant with the avocado sliced.

  • clcorbi on December 28, 2016

    I am home alone for dinner tonight and this made an excellent, fast dinner for one. I used a very small baguette so I ended up with five slices of bread rather than the two called for. I toasted them in a very hot skillet with some olive oil until almost blackened in some spots before rubbing with the garlic. I was so happy to have a whole plate of mini bruschetta all to myself because these were delicious! Sometimes simple recipes are the best and I think this one is a perfect example of that. I wouldn't hesitate to make this again as a simple, lovely appetizer for a dinner party.

• Grilled bread with raw mushroom salad (Bruschetta con funghi all'insalata)

  • pistachiopeas on June 16, 2015

    Nothing special, really!

• Bruschetta with matchstick pepper strips (Bruschetta con peperoni a fiammiferi)

  • Yildiz100 on September 30, 2018

    Subbed about a half tsp of anchovy paste for the chopped anchovies so rather than adding it after cooking, I added it during the last few minutes. I also reduced the capers by half (just personal taste.) This is a really delicious topping for crostini. Only complaint is that I think cooking took longer than the 15 minutes indicated.

• Grilled bread with rosemary-scented white bean puree (Bruschetta ai cannellini con rosmarino)

  • Breadcrumbs on March 13, 2011

    p. 137 - Recommended by Joan on Chowhound, says its a winner! Sounds scrumptious.

  • Breadcrumbs on April 14, 2013

    p. 137 As soon as I saw this I knew it would be a mr bc-friendly dish but I did underestimate just how much he’d love it. This came together in no time because I used jarred Italian cannellini beans (from Cataldi). The low and slow simmering of the garlic and rosemary infused the house with an intoxicating aroma and served to infuse the oil with deep, delicious flavours. I stirred in some of the salted bean water to loosen the puree. This produced an exceptional antipasti. Loved it atop the grilled bread. I drizzled some evoo and sprinkled some sea salt over the plated puree. Definitely worth repeating. Photo here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/896695#8018455

  • Yildiz100 on June 17, 2015

    I agree that this is delicious. I make this as a dinner for myself when the rest of the family has already eate.

  • clcorbi on February 24, 2017

    This was quite tasty! We stirred in a mixture of the bean water and chicken stock to loosen the puree. Served on grilled bread with a fried egg on top, this made a really nice, simple dinner.

  • Lepa on July 30, 2017

    This was very easy and good. I blitzed the spread into a puree with an immersion blender and ended up adding some water to make it creamier. My seven year old loved it and ate most of it.

• Grilled bread with sautéed mushrooms and herbs (Bruschetta ai funghi)

  • clcorbi on January 07, 2017

    Very good, and split between the two of us this made for a nice dinner. I substituted mushroom powder for the dried porcinis, and used ground thyme rather than fresh. I needed to add a splash of red wine vinegar to the sautéed mushrooms to perk them up.

• Bruschetta with warm ricotta and oregano (Bruschetta con ricotta calda all'origano)

  • Breadcrumbs on November 21, 2010

    p. 142 - Nov 2010. First use of this recipe and, the book which I recently acquired from Abe Books. I'll be taking a closer look at the book now as this recipe was unusual and absolutely delicious. This is one of those recipes where the sum of the ingredients far outshines any of its parts. So few, very simple ingredients come together to make something really tasty. We made the bruschetta's themselves in the oven and had brushed them w evoo so I omitted the initial drizzle of oo but then proceeded as directed. What really took this over the top, in my view, was the light sprinkling of oregano (I used Dean and Deluca Greek) and pink sea salt. Fabulous. 9.5

  • clcorbi on June 30, 2017

    These were all right but a bit bland for me. I think you need to season the ricotta really aggressively to make these shine, and I went a bit too light. If I tried these again, I'd probably also mix some salt into the ricotta as I warm it, rather than just sprinkling it all on top. I also think a fresh herb garnish might be nice on these as well.

• Zucchini and beet greens soup (Minestra verde)

  • DKennedy on July 13, 2015

    This is a very nice soup.

  • michalow on September 22, 2019

    Simple and lovely. Needs a squeeze of lemon before serving.

• Aromatic potato and arugula soup (Minestra aromatica)

  • Avocet on January 25, 2012

    Good, fairly light soup. It calls for meat broth. I used chicken stock and think beef broth would overwhelm the other flavors.

  • Lepa on May 06, 2019

    This is spicy and delicious. Very simple but really good.

• Summer white bean soup with tomato salad topping (Zuppa estivia de fagioli e salsa cruda)

  • Yildiz100 on June 01, 2015

    This was very simple to make and the tomato topping is a genius way to make a bean soup palatable in the summer. I didn't think it was particularly exciting though and I wouldn't go out of my way to make it again. However, I can see myself making it as an impromptu dinner since I usually have all the ingredients on hand.

• Summer minestrone with rice (Minestrone estivo de riso)

  • michalow on August 06, 2018

    I was eager to eat this as soon as everything was cooked through, but it really is better after it's cooled and thickened a bit. I'm guessing this will be even better tomorrow as leftovers. I thought it needed a squeeze of citrus for brightness. Otherwise, nearly perfect.

• Yellow pepper soup (Zuppa di peperoni gialli)

  • Lepa on June 24, 2017

    I've been making this soup for years and it never disappoints. Don't be tempted to skip the croutons, as they transform this from a simple, comforting soup to something very special indeed. I often serve it with panzanell and it is the perfect summer meal.

• Lentil soup with red squash and fennel (Minestra de lenticchie con zucca e finocchi)

  • clcorbi on January 15, 2017

    My boyfriend said this soup "tastes like it's from Panera," which he meant as a compliment, and which I totally agree with. We really enjoyed it! I used butternut squash, added a handful of chopped celery in with the fennel, and used a pretty significant amount of red pepper flakes to give this soup a little heat. The most significant thing to point out is that, in my experience, the four cups of water called for in this recipe are not nearly enough. Maybe my fennel bulb was much larger than usual (although I don't think so), or maybe it was the extra handful of celery I threw in, but I had to add three extra cups of water to bring this soup to an acceptable soup-iness. It would have been like a paste otherwise. I blended a portion of the soup before serving which gave it a really lovely, velvety texture. I would definitely make this again as it was a delicious, comforting winter soup.

• Soup of dried fava beans with fresh fennel (Maccù)

  • Avocet on January 25, 2012

    Amazingly good. I used dried peeled favas, which don't have to be soaked. I get them at a Latin market. I needs some garlic. Saute the fennel and garlic briefly before adding them to the soup. The pasta is optional. I serve the soup with crusty bread and an orange and olive salad goes well with it.

  • Lepa on June 24, 2022

    When I first bought this book, years ago, this soup was in my regular rotation. I made it again this evening and my family wolfed it down. Like many recipes in this book, it is a simple but stunning dish. You have to add enough salt to bring out the flavors but it's incredible how rich and complex this soup tastes considering how low effort and simple it is. I always add the ditalini.

• Chick pea and escarole soup with grilled bread (Zuppa di ceci e scarola)

  • Avocet on January 25, 2012

    Very good. Better with chicken stock than just with water. I drain the chickpeas.

  • Lepa on February 28, 2017

    This was delicious. I made chickpeas from scratch, in the pressure cooker, and used the bean broth with a bit of bullion instead of water. I also pureed a cup of the tomatoes and onions that I skimmed off the top of the soup towards the end and poured it back in to make slightly thicker broth.

  • Yildiz100 on November 23, 2024

    In my area you can only get escarole in season (Novemberish) and the tomatoes are very sad then, so this was a bit pale and also tastes a bit too healthy on its own. . The garlic toasts could make any soup good though!

• Tiny pasta with ten herbs (Tripolini alle dieci erbe)

  • hillsboroks on September 03, 2019

    This is a summertime dish when you have all the fresh herbs available in your garden or at the market. The prep and cooking is fairly fast and simple and the flavor is incredibly fresh. I made this as a side dish to grilled herb lamb chops and we loved it.

• Summer mixed pasta (Pasta estiva)

  • Nancith on July 10, 2019

    Yummy! What a wonderful summer dinner! Probably was a little scant on tomatoes, & had to substitute dried marjoram for fresh, but still very nice dish. Long ago I had a similar recipe from the newspaper that used a lot more garlic & was fantastic, so if you love garlic, add more. The combo of fresh basil with touches of mint was a nice surprise. This went well with some white wine as suggested, & a side of lightly sautéed greens.

  • westminstr on May 16, 2020

    This was delicious! Used 3/4 pound pasta and largish chopped local greenhouse tomato. 1/4 c olive oil & 1/2 pound mozzarella. Everything else as written. Loved the mix of herbs and next time could use a bigger garlic clove and maybe an extra anchovy.

  • stepharama1 on July 27, 2022

    I substituted burrata for the mozzarella and it was sensational!

• Pasta island style (Pasta all'isola)

  • Yildiz100 on June 21, 2015

    Substituted fresh oregano for the dried oregano, and used grape tomatoes because that was all I had on hand. The hint of vinegar was a great addition and I loved the combination of oregano and cayenne. It almost tasted smokey. However, grape tomates weren't a great choice-the texture wasn't quite right. If I did this again, I'd use regular roma tomatoes and I'd peel them first for a texture that is more like a sauce and less like a salad.

  • Yildiz100 on July 03, 2018

    Second time around made with peeled large grocery store tomatoes. Definitely too watery. Should have drained them as she recommended. Also used dry oregano this time (as indicated in the recipe). Liked the fresh oregano better.

• Fettuccine with peas, green onions, and mint (Fettuccine con piselli, cipolla, e menta)

  • Gio on May 17, 2015

    http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19920624&slug=1498863

  • michalow on June 24, 2022

    Lovely alchemy of just a few ingredients. I used sliced snap peas and served topped with a poached egg. Will repeat.

• Pasta with green peppers and herbs (Pasta ai peperoni verdi ed erbe)

  • Nancith on January 10, 2018

    Sauteeing the green peppers made for a mellow & tasty dish! The little bit of butter added at the end was just enough to give this some richness. Be sure to use good olive oil. I subbed orzo for the ditalini.

• Fusilli with spicy tomato and roasted pepper sauce (Fusilli con pomodoro e peperoni arrostiti)

  • Yildiz100 on October 13, 2019

    I reduced the red pepper flakes to 1/4 tsp to serve to a spice adverse kid. Still has a mellow kick at this level. I followed the recipe pretty closely otherwise, however I did not run the tomatoes through a food mill. The final product is fresh and summery, and very pretty with the roasted pepper strips. I enjoyed it and will repeat.

• Penne with tomato and mozzarella sauce Sorrento style (Penne alla Sorrentina)

  • Gio on September 22, 2015

    Pg. 172. Really tasty finished dish. Easy, satisfying - quite filling in fact. Lovely flavor to the sauce. I halved the recipe but followed the recipe exactly with adjusted amounts. My husband added a shower of crushed red pepper flakes, but he likes a bit of spicy heat with macaroni.. Into our rotation it goes.

• Fresh pasta with tomato, eggplant, ricotta, and walnuts (Fettuccine al doppio gusto)

  • Tommelise on September 05, 2011

    The tomato and eggplant was good, but we did not like the ricotta walnut cream, and the mixture of the two things was a bit strange. We will not be making this dish again.

• Spaghettini with zucchini (Spaghettini con zucchine)

  • pistachiopeas on June 16, 2015

    Very plain and too oily.

  • TrishaCP on July 18, 2019

    I agree this was very plain and not worth repeating.

• Tagliolini with mushrooms and lemon (Tagliolini con funghi al limone)

  • Lepa on June 13, 2017

    This was simple and very good. I added a knob of butter and some parmesan at the end to pull it all together and it was delicious!

  • clcorbi on November 15, 2017

    A really simple, satisfying pasta recipe. We jazzed it up with red pepper flakes and, of course, a healthy dose of Parmesan. I also used fettucini noodles instead of tagliolini. I would make this again for a quick, comforting weeknight dinner.

• Tubetti with spring vegetable sauce (Tubetti con salsa primaverile)

  • Wlow on May 01, 2024

    Frozen plum tomatoes from a friend made this delicate pasta work well. No zucchini yet, added marinated artichoke hearts for zing, parsley and garlic chives in place of basil, green garlic stalk instead of cloves of storage garlic. Brown rice macaroni (Tinkyada), frozen petite peas, pecorino grated on top. T really liked as a change from tomato sauce.

• Penne with golden garlic (Penne all'agli dorato)

  • clcorbi on March 02, 2017

    Nothing extraordinary about this sauce, but it is simple and good. I omitted the bouillon cube, but if I ever get my hands on nice Italian ones rather than the chemical-y ones available at my supermarket, I'd give it a try. I imagine that'd add a nice umami boost.

  • Yildiz100 on September 28, 2023

    I agree with the previous reviewer, nothing extraordinary here but it is good enough. I was afraid that only lightly crushing the garlic would lead to a unpleasant texture but it was nice.

• Pasta with cauliflower and sun-dried tomato paste (Pasta al cavolfiore ed estratto)

  • TrishaCP on March 30, 2016

    This turned out far better than I was anticipating. Cauliflower is first cooked in boiling, salted water, and then braised with onions (cooked a bit before the cauliflower is added), sun-dried tomato paste (I only had half of what I needed, so added oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes to round it out), raisins (golden in my case), and pine-nuts until it becomes a "paste." Mine never quite reached "paste" consistency, but still made for a flavorful topping for the (recommended) bucatini pasta. If I could do anything differently, I would have thrown in some garlic, but otherwise this was very good indeed.

  • Yildiz100 on January 21, 2019

    Tasty, and I agree that garlic might be a nice addition.

  • michalow on February 25, 2023

    Agree with others that this cries out for some garlic.

• Fettuccine with Swiss chard and mushrooms (Fettuccini con bietole e funghi)

  • TrishaCP on May 03, 2016

    This is really all about the mushrooms and I had beautiful oyster mushrooms from the farmer's market that were really highlighted here. I couldn't resist adding a splash of white wine to the mushrooms, and I simplified by sautéing the chard with the mushrooms.

• Fresh pasta with spicy artichoke sauce (Pasta fresca con crema di carciofi)

  • Tommelise on September 20, 2011

    This recipe came out very nice, even if we used canned artichokes

• Pennette with pink cream sauce and zucchini (Pennette con salsa rosa e zucchine dorate)

  • Breadcrumbs on June 01, 2015

    p. 218 - This made for a lovely, light dinner. The author notes that the burnished zucchini provides a rich counterpoint to the light tomato cream sauce. I opted to use asparagus for this dish because it’s in season so I made sure I got a nice char on it in the pan before adding the tomatoes. This was a very balanced dish, the asparagus was bright but the caramelization worked well with the tang of my less-than-optimal greenhouse tomatoes. mr bc stirred some roast chicken into his and he loved it. I didn’t need to add salt as the parmesan brought an adequate amount of saltiness to the dish but the freshly ground pepper is a must! I’d recommend this one. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1015306?commentId=9586128#9586128

  • clcorbi on July 06, 2017

    Unfortunately I have a bad cold and really couldn't taste much of this dish, but I'll note that a) it looked AMAZING and b) my boyfriend loved it and couldn't stop mentioning how tasty it was. So take that as you will! I did make a couple of changes--I fried the zucchini in two batches and set the slices aside on a plate while I made the rest of the sauce. I thought this might preserve their crispness a bit. I also used dried basil because I was out of fresh, and compensated by garnishing with a bit of fresh mint at the end. Half of one of my tomatoes accidentally flew into the sink, so I compensated by adding a spoonful of tomato paste while I browned the garlic. I'd probably do that again anyway. Once the sauce had reduced a bit, I added back in the zucchini, pasta, and a dash of pasta water, all of which produced a lovely silky sauce. Yum. Will repeat when less sick.

  • michalow on August 04, 2018

    Delicious. I sliced my zucchini very thin, and it had pretty much dissolved into goo by the time it had browned in the oil. I'm not sure this is what was intended, but it made the final sauce satisfyingly thick and textured, and I will do it this way again. I used only a few tablespoons of cream, and served with a dollop of ricotta. So good.

• Asparagus with anchovy and lemon, wild style (Asparagi di campo con acciughe e limone)

  • westminstr on June 04, 2015

    So good! Lots of anchovy flavor and loved the zesty notes from the lemon juice and the bracing addition of parsley. Very easy to put together, and one of the best asparagus preps I have tried so far. I think I'll be making this at least once every asparagus season.

  • clcorbi on May 03, 2017

    Yum. This is a really easy, delicious asparagus prep. We served this with the crushed fingerlings with creme fraiche from AOC, and it made a delicious spring dinner.

• Potato and artichoke "cake" (Gattò di carciofi e patate)

  • Breadcrumbs on March 13, 2011

    p. 266 - recommended by dk on Chowhound. Looks truly scrumptious!

  • DKennedy on May 26, 2013

    This is a show stopper recipe.

• Roasted vegetables (Verdura al forno)

  • Gio on September 22, 2015

    Pg 206. Love this recipe. Both Winter and Summer vegetables are accounted for so we used a seasonal Summer selection: red bell peppers, aubergines, tiny potatoes, courgettes, yellow onions. The seasonings are spot on, and at a roasting temp of 450F with a time of 30 minutes, how can one go wrong. Delicious!

• Rustic spring stew (Bazzoffia)

  • Avocet on June 22, 2022

    Excellent. We like this with a good bit of basil added. It can be varied by leaving out the fennel or the artichokes, but the favas are a constant. p. 253

• Artichokes stuffed with ricotta and pine nuts (Carciofi ripieni di ricotta e pignoli)

  • Emily Hope on March 07, 2012

    One of my favorite way to eat artichokes. I only make once or twice a year because prepping the artichokes is labor-intensive, but it's always worth the effort, especially with Bellwether sheep ricotta. A great vegetarian main course for spring. Yum. Last time, served with raw kale salad with anchovies and dates from Cook This Now.

• Carrots with cream and fresh basil (Carote con panna e basilico)

  • lilham on June 06, 2015

    I also tossed boiled new potatoes with the cream and basil sauce. Very lovely flavours. A very lovely accompaniment to a chicken salad.

• Country-style vegetable stew (Cianfotta)

  • michalow on September 19, 2023

    I improvised a bit as I was using this as a fridge-clean-out vehicle. Green beans were a particularly nice addition, and Rancho Gordo's cassoulet beans were a good fit. I cooked the eggplant on the grill and stirred into the mix toward the end (because I never want to miss an opportunity to grill an eggplant). Served over polenta, this was a simple and satisfying meal.

  • Wlow on October 29, 2016

    10/2016 Made just for myself after years of yearning to try it, shared some with a friend. (Kids and husband don't eat eggplant.) Left out saffron and substituted red bell peppers for yellow and a little homemade tomato sauce (from canned tomatoes) for half fresh tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes would've been better, less sweet, but still a very comforting and satisfying dish. Another variation on this very recipe (with photo) at: https://dgourmac.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/cianfotta/

• Peperonata with potatoes and black olives (Peperonata con patate e olive)

  • michalow on May 12, 2022

    A better-than-the-sum-of-its-parts sort of dish. I included some red chile and stirred in some previously grilled asparagus once everything else was cooked. Served over polenta for a delicious and satisfying meal.

  • Yildiz100 on October 09, 2023

    I liked, but kid did not. Would make again but maybe not right away. Was skeptical that potatoes would cook before peppers turned to mush, but it was fine.

• Pizza dough

  • Yildiz100 on May 06, 2019

    This is really nice for a quick dough. It is also very easy to handle and rolls out easily without shrinking. After rolling out it has a longer rise than most pizzas do at this stage, which made an airy crust. Was just the right size for my most used baking sheet. I think it is a quarter sheet?

• Frittata with garlicky rapini (Frittata con rapini)

  • Yildiz100 on May 31, 2015

    This wasn't super exciting to me. I thought it was a little bland, and I grated a bunch of parmesan on top to make it more interesting. Maybe I am just not a frittata lover. However, my almost 3 year old LOVED it and didn't even question me about the green stuff! That is reason enough to make it again. Edited to add-author suggests 6 to 8 eggs. I used 6 because we didn't need a large portion. I thought this was a nice size frittata that worked a lot better than some of the recipes that call for a lot more eggs. I thought the ratio of vegetable to egg worked really well. One thing I did differently-she calls for peeling the large stems. I just discarded them.

• Rapini with garlic bread crumbs (Cime di rapa al pangrattato)

  • Yildiz100 on May 31, 2015

    I had a small amount of extra rapini from another recipe, so I decided to make this recipe scaled down to one portion. I have never cooked with rapini before and I am generally not a lover of cooked greens, so this isn't something I expected to love. Nevertheless, I thought this was pretty tasty. I added just a pinch of crushed red chili pepper and served it over toast, which really improved the texture for me. I wouldn't go out of my way to make this again, but if I end up with rapini in the fridge, this is probably how I'd prepare it.

• Rice with winter squash and sage butter (Riso con zucca gialla)

  • Yildiz100 on December 17, 2024

    Made with Hokkaido pumpkin which gave it a beautiful bright color. Roasted the squash instead of boiling. Reduced butter slightly (but did not measure.) Boiled and drained rice and used the rice cooking water since there was no squash cooking water. Did not have problem achieving soupy texture. Very tasty and simple to make even though it does dirty a few dishes.

  • Nancith on March 13, 2017

    This is luscious & delicious, thanks in no small part to the 6 TB of butter in the dish. It's similar to risotto, but does not require all that stirring. I was not able to achieve a soupy consistency as the recipe stated; the extra liquid added at the end kept absorbing into the rice. This recipe makes plenty for 3-4 main dish servings, or quite a few side dish servings. Would make a lovely dish for a gathering.

• Spinach gnocchi with sweet tomato basil sauce (Gnocchi verdi con salsina di pomodoro con burro)

  • Yildiz100 on May 15, 2020

    This recipe calls for 1 cup of flour but that is exclusively for the work surface. None is mixed into the gnocchi. I tested 1 gnocchi before making and cooking more, which was fortunate, because flourless, potato-less cheese gnocchi don't work at all. My tester held together during boiling but it got waterlogged and basically melted on the plate after removing it from the water. I added flour a little at a time until I got a good test gnocchi, and I think it ended up being about 2/3 to 3/4 cup flour. I did not make the sauce.

• Baked red pepper frittata (Frittata di peperoni al forno)

  • Yildiz100 on December 23, 2020

    Found this a bit bland, which surprised me. I wonder if it would be better with roasted red peppers rather than sauteed. I would make it again with less half as much red pepper, which I think made it a bit watery, and no breadcrumbs.

  • coreman on September 22, 2025

    With sweet red peppers and basil, this dish hits the spot for both sweet and savoury combined! Increased eggs to 10, added red peppers, and used a 8.5 x 10 casserole dish and baked for 10+ minutes longer. Delish!

• Watermelon with bittersweet chocolate shavings (Anguria al cioccolato)

  • Yildiz100 on October 21, 2018

    I was kind of hoping for a boozy treat but the brandy was not detectable. Watermelon and chocolate did go well together, but overall I think I enjoy watermelon and chocolate each better separately.

• Potato torta with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella (Torta Tarantina)

  • Yildiz100 on September 15, 2019

    She didn't specify how many layers to make. I made 4 layers of potatoes including both the bottom and the top. That makes 3 cheese and tomato layers. I used 3 vine tomatoes discarding the seeds since these are more watery than the Roma tomatoes called for (just right) and slightly more mozzarella than she calls for. (125 grams vs. 85 grams.) Notes for next time. Use way more salt than you think you need. The top layer of potatoes need to be cut ever so slightly thicker and should overlap because they shrink when baked. Baked 55 minutes and thought they were done but some at the very center were slightly underdone. Used waxy potatoes. I wouldn't mind a tad more mozzarella.

• Risotto with romaine and fennel (Risotto con lattuga e finocchi)

  • Nancith on June 25, 2018

    Mild but flavorful risotto! Wasn't sure how Romaine lettuce would work in this dish, but it was a winner. Recipe begins with cooking all vegetables in butter & oil for 20 minutes before adding the rice, which I was not prepared for--should have started cooking sooner! Uses no wine either, so one less step in the process. Definitely needs a side with textural & flavor contrast to brighten it up.

  • Lepa on May 06, 2019

    This is a simple and delicious risotto.

• Polenta with broccoli sauce (Polenta con broccoli)

  • Wlow on November 27, 2019

    Delicious. G liked.

  • pistachiopeas on April 11, 2015

    I really enjoyed this broccoli sauce and would happily make it again, perhaps with a touch less olive oil.

• Risotto with Swiss chard and winter herbs (Risotto con bietole ed erbe invernali)

  • Wlow on November 27, 2019

    Delicious

• Red chard with garlic and cayenne pepper (Bieta con olio, aglio, e peperoncino)

  • Wlow on December 26, 2020

    Delicious

• Pink risotto with celery (Risotto con sedano e pomodoro)

  • Lepa on May 06, 2019

    This is a great recipe when you only have a bit of sad celery in the refrigerator and a can of tomatoes.

• Cannellini beans braised in tomato and herbs (Fagioli cannellini in umido)

  • Lepa on January 03, 2017

    This was simple and very good. We ate it with polenta, which was a perfect accompaniment.

• Diced potatoes with arugula and herbs (Patate alle erbe)

  • Lepa on September 08, 2021

    I love this simple salad. It's so delicious! Make sure to include the oil cured olives, as they are key (in my mind).

• Golden radicchio (Radicchio dorato)

  • ellencooks on April 02, 2018

    I cut this down to half a head because it was just me. Really good!

• Leek and spinach frittata (Frittata di porri e spinaci)

  • clcorbi on June 21, 2019

    Really excellent frittata with a lovely proportion of vegetables to egg. I used a whole brick of frozen spinach rather than wilting down fresh, and it worked just fine. I loved how tender the leeks got. This will be repeated for sure, and I found that the instructions were a perfect template for any type of frittata (especially adding the small amount of breadcrumbs).