Notes about Recipes in this book

• Sicilian mixed salad (Insalata mista alla Siciliana)

  • mjes on August 09, 2021

    I always feel a little silly raving about a recipe as simple as this, but butter lettuce, radicchio, watercress, fennel, and endive is a very flavorful mix with a variety of textures as well -- and not a combination that would have occurred to me to seek out. Onion, tomato, and a simple vinaigrette finish the salad but it can stand other additions that don't overshadow the brillance of the original mix.

• Asparagus torte (Tortino di asparagi)

  • Tinala523 on January 16, 2024

    Everyone loved it and so easy to make! Good for vegetarians. I used gruyere but recipe says you could also use fontina.

• Glazed carrots in Marsala wine (Carote glassate alla Marsala)

  • Tinala523 on January 16, 2024

    If you like marsala, you'll like these. If you don't, you won't. Nice and sweet, easy side dish. I might use baby carrots and halve them lengthwise next time. I sprinkled some chopped parsley for color.

• Strawberry spumoni (Spumoni di fragole)

  • twoyolks on April 28, 2016

    This was good and a bit lighter than strawberry ice cream or gelato but I'd much rather have the ice cream. Only the outside of my spumoni froze in an hour and a half. I don't know why the suggestion to manually crush the berries as it's a lot of work (I did it) and a blender would work much better.

• Nana's ricotta cake (Torta di ricotta della Nonna Franco)

  • Tinala523 on February 06, 2023

    Family liked it! Ricotta sank through the batter in some areas, made it like a swirl through the cake. Very moist and lightly sweet. Quick to make.

• Baked whole fish with fennel (Pesce ripieno di finocchio)

  • mjes on October 28, 2019

    I used a trout which was on the small end of the suggested fish. This led me to use only 1 fennel bulb ... I did want to be able to find the fish. But fennel-onion-basil-bay-lemon was as pleasant a mixture as it sounds. This will certainly fall into my routine fish recipes.

• Roasted leeks (Porri arrostiti)

  • mjes on October 28, 2019

    Roasting leeks and sprinkling them with balsamic vinegar is the type of simple recipe that we all need hundreds of to cook from what is on hand.

• Cooked cream with berries (Panna cotta con lamponi)

  • mjes on August 09, 2021

    You won't find a simpler panna cotta recipe. If you start with good cream, you can't go wrong. Berries are an obvious pairing ... I went with raspberries and loganberries. As a matter of principle, I don't pay for blackberries while tearing them out of the yard.

• Fantasy salad (Insalata fantasia)

  • mjes on October 16, 2019

    Iceberg lettuce is so out of style just as it was completely in style in my childhood. So every now an then, I have to have a head. Rather than a wedge and dressing, I decided to try this mushroom, radish, Parmiginao strips with a simple lemon-mustard dressing. Simple and pleasant.

• Fennel and potato cheese casserole (Finocchio e patate gratinate)

  • mjes on October 28, 2019

    I made 1/3 of the recipe (more or less) as I had an extra fennel bulb and was cooking for one. The heavy cream and lots of cheese made the a bit rich/heavy for my taste. In making this again, I'd use half-and-half and use a bit less cheese.

• Toasts with roasted eggplant (Crostini di melanzane arrostite)

  • mjes on August 09, 2021

    Not all mashed eggplant is baba ganoush - it is sometime nice to use a variation, this variation is as simple as they come. It is still delicious.

• Ricotta pie (Crostata di ricotta)

  • Tinala523 on April 08, 2024

    Easy to make, ricotta-y texture, creamy and mild. Would benefit by some fresh berries.

• Sautéed Brussels sprouts (Cavollini di Bruxelles salati)

  • twoyolks on May 03, 2016

    The two step cooking process is still simple but makes for properly cooked but not overcooked Brussels sprouts. It did take longer than I expected to actually brown the Brussels sprouts.

• Cookie tray (Biscotti Italiani varie)

  • ccav on December 24, 2020

    Sesame cookies- next time try with anise extract. Also try roasting sesame seeds before coating and/or use seeds with hulls