Here is an interesting, tasty salt cod salad from Southern Italy. Salted cod is paired with briny green olives and bitter Radicchio, and thin-sliced raw artichokes. A simple, warm vinaigrette of olive oil and red wine vinegar, infused with garlic and chile flakes, dresses the salad and adds a touch of heat and acid to [...]

Sautéed chicken livers with onions is an Italian classic, a dish straight from the pages of la cucina povera. Slow-cooked, deep brown caramelized onions pair incredibly well with rich, quickly sautéed chicken livers. It is not, however, the most visually appetizing dish – brown on brown – and that’s why it’s la cucina povera. There [...]

For some reason I was in the mood for pickles recently. So, I bought a few extra vegetables while ingredient shopping for a few recipes, and made a little medley of pickled vegetables. These types of pickles are a great antipasto, and can also be used in a salad or to garnish an entrée. One [...]

I’m working at an Italian restaurant now, and doing a sort of study of Italian regional cuisines on my own time. My goal is to learn the similarities and differences between each of the Italian regions, before I move on to my next job, in either a French or Mediterranean restaurant. The food of Tuscany, [...]

I subscribed to La Cucina Italiana Magazine recently, and my first issue has an article about 5 great Italian ingredients. One of the ingredients is artichokes, and the article includes a great recipe for a tagliatelle pasta with prawns and baby artichokes. The prawns look really tasty resting on the mound of pasta, with the [...]

Here is a bright, fresh pasta based on a spring combination: tender baby artichokes and freshly-shucked fava beans. It’s green, grassy, and slightly bitter, and anchovy cream adds salty and rich notes to the dish. A little drizzle of high-quality, fruity olive oil tossed in at the end really gives this pasta a lift.