Recipes
Pollo al Forno con Patate
Roast Chicken with Potatoes
This homely dish is known all over Italy. Chicken used to be a Sunday dish, but is now eaten on any day of the week. As this is an easy recipe, which does not require much preparation time, it is highly suitable for a weekday meal.
Prataioli al Burro, Aglio e Prezzemolo
Mushrooms with Butter, Garlic and Parsley
Field mushrooms can be found everywhere, and when cooked in the following way, provide an alternative to the classic wild mushroom flavour. Try to find button mushrooms that are still closed. You can also cook other types of wild mushrooms this way, for example ceps, chanterelles, horn of plenty etc.
Risotto
Basic Risotto
Oryza sativa, the Latin name for rice, was first cultivated in Italy around the fifteenth century. The japonica subspecies forms a round and large grain, grown for its starchy qualities - indispensable when making risotto. The types include carnaroli, vialone nano, arborio and, less well known, baldo.
Risotto alla Milanese con Luganega
Saffron Risotto with Sausage
Any rice dish that is described as 'milanese' usually contains some saffron. Saffron rice is in itself a very delicate dish; the addition of luganega turns it into something rather more substantial. Luganega is fresh pork sausage that is sold by length (its name derives from the Greek 'lukanika'). This typically Lombardian or Milanese product was usually made in the winter months when the household pig was killed, but nowadays it can be found all year round. It is made in a very long intestine 3cm (1 1/4 inch) in diameter. You can use coarsely minced fresh pork instead, so long as you season it well.
Risotto con Asparagi
Asparagus Risotto
Perfect for vegetarians, other vegetable risotto dishes can be prepared in the same way. Instead of asparagus, use vegetables that, when slightly overcooked, dissolve leaving a creaminess ideal for risotto: broccoli, spinach, artichokes, marrow, courgettes, cauliflower. With some you can hold back a few choice pieces to decorate the cooked dish, just as asparagus tips are used for here. To enhance the flavour of the rice, recycle the vegetable cooking water.
Risotto con Porcini
Mushroom Risotto
This dish is popular throughout northern Italy, especially in Piedmont, and together with truffle risotto and risotto nero, is one of my favourite dishes.
Risotto di Zucca
Pumpkin Risotto
Pumpkin risotto is one of those comforting dishes which can please anybody, including vegetarians (if the chicken stock is replaced by vegetable stock). This specific recipe comes from the kitchen of the Hotel Cipriani in Venice. The chef, Renato Piccolotto, showed me his little secrets which I will now pass on to you. It is a wonderful dish.
Risotto Primavera
Spring Vegetable Risotto
I had always assumed that Lombardy was the birthplace of risotto, but it is Veneto. There are hundreds of risottos in Venice and Veneto, many more than in Lombardy. One featuring the radicchio of Treviso is a favourite, but this risotto is made with spring vegetables, as its name suggests, which gives it flavours of new life.
Salame di Fichi, Datteri e Noci
Fig, Date and Walnut Salami
In the southern areas of Italy it is quite common to use dry fruit to make something very special. This recipe requires no cooking, as I use walnuts, dried figs and dates. The result is a sausage-shaped 'salami' which can be enjoyed in slices with coffee or a good dessert wine. It also accompanies cheese very well.
You could make a slightly different version to that offered here. Replace the orange peel with 125g (4 1/4 oz) pine kernels and add one tablespoon of fennel seed. Omit the vanilla and pepper.
You will need some rice paper, foil and greaseproof paper.
Salsa Verde
Green Sauce
There are several versions of this Piedmontese sauce, which is derived from bagnet verd. It accompanies many different dishes, including batsoa and bollito misto. Chopped chilli is sometimes added.