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Bruschetta
You pronounce "brushetta", we say "brusketta"…In Italian, the letters "ch" represent the sound "k." No matter how it's pronounced, bruschetta has been enjoyed by Italians for centuries. And while the "col pomodoro" version, made with tomatoes, is well-known outside of Italy, the term bruschetta refers specifically to toasted bread, rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil. After that, it all depends on individual tastes and available ingredients. Are unexpected guests dropping by? Make up a platter of various kinds of bruschetta! more information...
Pasticcio alla Ferrarese
According to Ennio Occhiali, the owner of the beautiful Bar Centro Storico in the center of Ferrara, this elaborate, traditional two crusted macaroni pie known as pasticcio is considered to be one of that city’s finest creations. There are two versions, a salata (savory) one with no sugar in the crust, and a dolce version that adds sugar but the filling remains the same for both pie types.
Pasticcio is filled with a short cut of pasta with lines called penne rigate, a rich pork and liver ragu, and wild mushrooms all held together by a creamy, nutmeg scented white sauce (salsa di besciamella.)
Pasticcio saw its height during the reign of the d’Este family and was served at their many elaborate parties to impress their influential guests. I prefer the dolce version and even though it sounds like a lot of work, the pastry and sauces can be made in stages ahead of time. To make the salata version, eliminate the sugar when making the dough. more information...
Osso Buco
Osso Buco is a Milanese dish. The name means “bone with a hole” or “hollowed bone”. This refers to the veal shank bone with a large and tasty marrow filling. At the end, this dish is often garnished with a gremolata (or Gremolada), consisting of a mixture of Italian parsley, garlic and grated lemon peel. more information...
PASTA ALLA PUTTANESCA
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, or whore-ish pasta originated from the state run brothels in 1950’s Italy. Unlike most respectable Italian ladies who went out everyday for fresh groceries, these women went out once a week to do their errands. Consequently their larders were stocked with basic ingredients that kept well. Like braids of garlic, cans of salty anchovies olives, boxes of pasta and long-lasting parsley.
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a full-on encounter with some willful ingredients. Garlic, capers, black olives, anchovies and parsley make a brash sauce that works by intensity but doesn’t know when to quit. more information...
Brasato Al Barolo
Brasato al Barolo is one of the classic, elegant Piemontese dishes, and really does require a good bottle of Barolo to come out right. Save it for a special occasion, and you'll be quite pleased with the results. more information...
Pesce all'Acqua Pazza
I first had this dish at a small restaurant in Positano on the Amalfi Coast called O'Capurale and was very impressed with how flavorful yet light it was. Pesce all'Acqua Pazza means Fish in Crazy Water. Many American interpretations of this dish seem to take this translation extremely literal. They really accentuate the "crazy", using it as an excuse to clean out the refrigerator and add all kinds of ingredients to flavor the water. I am not sure of the origins of the name, but I do know that all it needs is a simple flavoring of garlic, herbs, tomato, salt and a pinch of hot pepper as presented here. more information...
Mascarpone is a triple-creme cheese, made from a generally low-fat (25%) content fresh cream. It's made from the milk of cows that have been fed special grasses filled with fresh herbs and flowers – a special diet that creates a unique taste often described as "fresh and delicious."
Mascarpone is used in regional dishes of Lombardy, where it is a specialty. It generally is used alone (sometimes a bit of sugar is added) or in zabaglione. Milky-white in color, it is a thick cream that is easily spread. When fresh, it smells like milk and cream, and often is used in place of butter to thicken and enrich rissoti.
The cheese apparently originated in the area between Lodi and Abbiategrasso, west and south of Milan, probably in the late-16th or early-17th century. Some say the name came from "mas que bueno" (Spanish for "better than good"), although this may only have been a judgement made by a Spanish official when Lombardy was dominated by Spain. It also may have come from "mascarpa," a milk produce made from the whey of stracchino or aged cheese.
Or, it may come from "mascarpia," the local dialect for ricotta, since both cheeses are made by a virtually identical process. The thought then, is that mascarpone originated as a by-product from other cheeses.
Originally, it was produced in autumn and winter for immediate consumption. Generally, the cheese is sold right after processing and should be used immediately. If refrigerated, it will last about a week. more information...
Tiramisu
There is some debate regarding the history of tiramisu. Some believe it was actually first created during the First World War. Women in northern Italy made these desserts for the men to take with them as they were being sent off to war. Presumably to remind them of their love together; as the bitter-sweet taste of the dessert alludes to the perplexing feeling of love itself. Or more practically, they might have believed the high caffeine and energy content of these desserts give their men more energy to fight and help bring them home safely.
Yet another story regarding tiramisu dates back even further. It is said that during the Renaissance periods, Venetian women made these to be shared with their men during the late hours because they believed it would give them the energy to make more vigorous love later.
A less glamorous theory explains that the dessert was a way of salvaging old cake and coffee that had gone cold by using the left over coffee and perhaps some liqueur to moisten the stale cake. The dish was greatly improved by layering it with cream or cream cheese.
Still others claim that the dessert is a recent invention. They point out that while the recipes and histories of other layered desserts are very similar, the first documented mention of tiramisù in a published work appears in an Italian cookbook where it is referred to as a "recent recipe." Backing up this story is the fact that the author of the aforementioned Italian cookbook explained in an earlier article that tiramisù was created in 1971 (actually "10 years ago" in the article, which was written in 1981) in the restaurant Le Beccherie, and the owners of Le Beccherie do indeed claim that they invented the recipe.
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