Editors of Adams Media - The 50 Best Italian Recipes. Tasty, Fresh, and Easy to Make!

The 50 Best
Italian Recipes

Tasty, fresh, and easy to make!

Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.

Avon, Massachusetts

Contents

Introduction

When you think of Italian cuisine, you might picture something closer to what is actually Italian-American cuisinea big departure from authentic Italian food. Since generations of Italian immigrants brought their familys recipes from their native villages to America over the years, subsequent generations have adapted and altered these dishes due to the unavailability of particular products, the influence of American cuisine, and their families preferences. Your favorite Friday night pizza may look nothing like what some native Italians consider their signature dish!

Compiling a comprehensive collection of recipes to represent the food of Italy is an impossible task. Due to the number of regions in Italy as well as the influences of other cultures and variety of dishes that can be prepared in Italian style, youd need quite the kitchen to prepare every Italian dish in existence even once. So where do you begin?

We have gathered fifty of the best Italy has to offer in this one convenient cookbook. From hearty and comforting Pasta and Bean Soup to classic Chicken Parmesan to crispy and sweet Anisette Cookies, youll find these delicious, easy-to-make favorites will soon become some of your familys most-requested dishes.

Italian cuisine is largely based on family tradition and is characterized by fresh ingredients and simple preparation. Though some of these recipes are already altered from their original state, you should feel free to further customize them to your own tastes and the tastes of your family. You can add and subtract ingredients to make foods creamier, sweeter, more colorful, or more nutritious. No recipe is sacred, and Italian cooking is all about experimentationand togetherness.

So what are you waiting for? Put on your apron, spread a red-checkered tablecloth, open a bottle of your favorite warming Chianti or crisp and bubbly Prosecco, and enjoy The 50 Best Italian Recipes !

Lentil Soup

This comforting, high-fiber soup requires you to brown all veggies first so that all the flavors and nutrients can be released to make a savory, full-flavored soup that can be served as an appetizer, or as a perfect lunch on a cold winters day.

Serves 10

Ingredients

pound pancetta (or substitute pound prosciutto or pound bacon)

3 yellow onions

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

bunch fresh parsley

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups dried lentils

12 cups vegetable stock

2 bay leaves

1. Dice the pancetta. Peel and dice the onions and carrots. Clean and chop the celery and parsley. Clean the thyme and remove the leaves (discard the stems).

2. Heat the oil in a stockpot for 10 minutes on medium temperature. Lightly brown the pancetta for about 4 minutes. Add the onions and saut for 1 minute. Add the carrots and celery, and saut for 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour, uncovered.

3. Discard the bay leaves, and serve.

Pancetta Makes It Better

Pancetta is salt-cured pork the Italian version of bacon. It is usually sold in a large rolled form and can be purchased in Italian delicatessens and some specialty supermarkets.

Pasta and Bean Soup

Traditionally named pasta e fagioli, you can presoak the beans overnight to make cooking faster, or you can use a canned brand of Italian chickpeas instead.

Serves 10

Ingredients

1 pound dried chickpeas

4 gallons vegetable stock

4 shallots

1 bulb garlic

2 celeriac (celery root)

2 pounds plum tomatoes

bunch fresh parsley

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups cooked bite-sizepasta of choice

cup fresh-grated Asiago cheese

Fresh-cracked black pepper

1. Sort through the chickpeas, discarding any stones. In a large stockpot, simmer the peas in 2 gallons of the stock for approximately 2 to 3 hours, until the beans are tender. Drain.

2. Peel and finely chop the shallots, garlic, and celeriac. Clean and chop the tomatoes and parsley.

3. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium temperature. Saut the shallots, garlic, and celeriac for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and saut for 1 minute. Add the remaining stock, the chickpeas, and parsley. Let simmer for 1 hour, uncovered.

4. Just before serving, stir in the pasta (and beans, only if canned are used). Sprinkle each serving with the cheese and pepper.

How to Shock Pasta

When a soup recipe calls for pasta, never add the uncooked pasta to the pot to cook along with the soup. Instead, cook it separately, and shock it with cold water as soon as you drain it. It should be cooked only al dente, because it will cook more in the hot soup. Add it to the soup just before serving.

Caprese Salad

Brightly flavored as it is colored, make this dish shine by drizzling it with a high-quality Balsamic vinaigrette and sprinkling with torn basil leaves before serving. You can also layer it on toasted Italian bread for passed appetizers.

Serves 10

Ingredients

1 pound fresh mozzarella (in water)

2 pounds plum tomatoes

bunch fresh parsley

cup extra-virgin olive oil

cup roasted pine nuts

Fresh-cracked black pepper

1. Remove the mozzarella from the water and pat dry. Slice thinly.

2. Clean and wedge the tomatoes. Clean and gently chop the parsley.

3. Arrange the cheese on a serving dish and top with the tomato slices. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the pine nuts, parsley, and pepper.

Antipasto

Antipasto literally translates as before the meal. You may find that this protein-packed dish is filling enough to stand on its own.

Serves 10

Ingredients

2 cups fresh mesclun greens

5 tomatoes

1 red onion

2 hard-boiled eggs

6 pepperoncini

pound capicola or prosciutto

pound Genoa salami or soppressata

pound provolone cheese, sliced

pound pepperoni, sliced

pound black olives

pound green olives

3 anchovy fillets (optional)

cup salad dressing of choice

1. Gently clean and dry the greens. Clean and medium-dice the tomatoes. Peel and finely slice the onion.

2. Peel and slice the eggs. Leave the pepperoncini whole. Cut the capicola, salami, provolone, and pepperoni into thin strips.

3. Mound the greens in the center of a serving plate or platter. Arrange the other ingredients on top, and serve the salad dressing on the side at the table.

Antipasti

The Italian word for appetizer is antipasto. Although an antipasto course is not commonly found in Italian homes, it is a necessary element to all holiday meals and formal dinners. You will also find an antipasto section on the menu at most authentic Italian restaurants.

Gorgonzola and Fig Salad

Figs come in white and black, and you can use either for this recipe. If you cant find fresh figs, though, dont use the dried ones. A bold Gorgonzola needs the sweetness of the fresh figs.