Italian Food Recipes

Osso Buco alla Milanese is an unusual Italian recipes of this period, unusual because they are a typical dish of the winter period indeed often ossi buchi are served accompanied with polenta. But this week the weather in Milan is cold and so I want to prepare the delicious ossi buchi alla Milanese. Their preparation is simple: it is important to flour the ossi buchi in order to obtain a sort of soup and then you can cook them together with peas, as in the recipe presented below, or with potatoes or as I said before served them with polenta. You can also add some tablespoons of tomato puree in order to obtain a more delicious soup. Buon Appetito!

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
1 Chopped carrot
1 / 2 Chopped Onion
1 Chopped Celery
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
80 g of Flour
4 Ossibuchi
2 Tablespoons of Tomato puree
1 Glass of White wine
150 g of Peas
Salt
Black Pepper

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 1 hour

WINE: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Make a chopped of carrot, onion and celery, preheat the extra virgin olive oil in a large pan (which is able to contain the 4 ossibuchi) and then add the chopped of vegetables and let it brown for about 5 – 8 minutes paying attention to not burned it.


In the meantime cover completely the surface of the ossibuchi with flour, and boil in salted water the peas for about 5 minutes.


Add the ossibuchi in the pan and let them brown on the both surface, add the wine and let it evaporate.


When the wine is evaporated add the tomato puree, sprinkle with some salt and black pepper and add some water.

Let the meat cook for about 20 minutes, then add the peas and continue the cooking paying attention that there is always in the pain enough water to not attach the meat to the pan.

Continue the cooking for another 30 minutes and when ossibuchi result tender (if the fork easily enter in the meat it is ok) serve them hot with some peas as side dish.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

This is a simple and fast Italian first course to prepare: you should have in your fridge only some delicious Italian cheese and some milk. To make the cheese sauce you can use any kind of Italian cheese except mozzarella because it is a thready cheese and for this reason it is not ideal to make a sauce, in order to obtain the best result you should melt the pieces of the 4 cheeses that you have choose in some milk and simply sprinkle with some black pepper! The Italian cheeses that I choose for this recipe are: Gorgonzola, a typical Italian blue cheese from Piedmont and Lombardy, Toma, an Italian semi-hard cheese typical of Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta, Casera, a typical cheese of Valtellina and Parmesan.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
320 g of Pasta type “Tortiglioni”
1 Glass of milk
30 g of Gorgonzola cut in pieces
30 g of Toma cut in pieces
30 g Casera cut in pieces
30 g of grated Parmesan
Black pepper
Salt

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

WINE: Dolcetto d'Ovada Doc (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Let salted water boil for pasta. In the meantime prepare the sauce of cheese: place in a pan the milk and the cheeses, let them melt


and then sprinkle with some black pepper.


When the water boils add the pasta and let it cook as indicated on the packaging, then drain them and pour on it the cheeses sauce.


Serve hot and if you want sprinkled on some other Parmesan.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

I show here a simple and fast way to prepare a delicious Italian appetizer made with a typical Italian ingredient that is bresaola of Valtellina in Lombardy. Bresaola is made with bovine salted and mature meat, its taste is sweet and dainty at the same times. Its flavor is obtained thanks to the method of preservation and the typical ambient condition of the province of Sondrio that is the main town where bresaola is produced. This is Italian recipe is simply prepared with bresaola, black pepper, extra virgin olive oil and flakes of Parmesan: it is essential but so good, believe me and try it!

INGREDIENTS (for 6 people):
18 Slices of Bresaola (dried salt beef typical of the Valtellina area in Lombardy)
30 g of Parmesan in flakes
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

WINE: Rosso di Valtellina D.O.C (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Place the slices of bresaola on a platter,


pour on it a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil


and sprinkle with flakes of Parmesan and black pepper.
This is the result:


BUON APPETITO!

Polenta Taragna is an Italian traditional recipe of Valtellina in Lombardy, its name derives from “tarel” that is the name of the long stick traditionally used to stir the polenta in a pot of copper. Polenta Taragna is a mixture of maize yellow flour and buckwheat flour that gives it the typical dark color; it takes about 40 minutes to cook in order to obtain a polenta with firm consistency but if you want obtain a consistency more soft you can cook it for less time or you can add some more water. Polenta Taragna is traditionally prepared with the addition of Italian cheese in particular cheese of Valtellina like Bitto or Casera and butter and in this way you obtain the so called "Polenta Concia" that means polenta with different types of Italian cheese. This type of polenta is ideal if it is accompanied with typical salumi of Valtellina like Bresaola and raw ham know as “Fiochetto Stagionato” or if it is accompanied with mushrooms.

INGREDIENTS (for 8 – 10 people):
1 Kg of Flour for Polenta Taragna
3,5 L of Water
Salt
300 g of Bitto or Casera (Italian cheese)
150 g of Butter

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 40 minutes

WINE: Cabernet (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Place water and salt in a caldron of copper, when it begins to boil sprinkle the flour for polenta taragna into the water and begin to stir with a wood-spoon.


Continue to stir for about 40 minutes until polenta become thick. Cut the butter and the cheese in cubes, in the picture below I show you Bitto cheese,



when the polenta is ready add the pieces of butter and cheese and mix all together in order to melt them.


Serve hot accompanied with traditional of salumi of Valtellina such as bresaola (dried salt beef typical of the Valtellina area in Lombardy) or raw ham know as “fiocchetto stagionato”.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

Cassoeula is a traditional Italian recipe prepared in the winter period in Lombardia. It is traditionally prepared in the first day of November and in particular at my home this recipe is cooked in occasion of the Saint’s day. It is a laborious and high-calorie dish whose recipe changes from town to town. The main Italian ingredients used to prepare it are: Savoy cabbage that might be traditionally used after the first frost, the poor parts of pork such as stare ribs, sausages, rind, feet, ears and head and onion, carrots and celery browned in oil. As I said each town of Lombardia has its own recipe: in Como’s province the feet aren’t used but it is used the head of pork, in Pavia’s province only the stare ribs are used, instead in Novara’s province is used also the meat of goose. In the traditional recipe all ingredients are browned in butter but to make the recipe lighter the butter can be changed with the extra virgin olive oil as I describe in the recipe below in which I use carrots, celery, onion, stare ribs, sausages and rind of pork, with the addition of a tablespoon of tomato sauce. Traditionally Cassoeula is link with the feast of Saint Anthony abbot that is the 17th of January, the last day of the butchering of pork after which the poorer part of the pork are used to savour the Savoy cabbage that is the typical Italian winter ingredient. Cassoeula should be served hot and it is more delicious if accompanied with hot polenta.

INGREDIENTS (for 8 people):
3 Carrots chopped
2 Celery chopped
1 / 2 Onion chopped
4 Tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil
8 Stare ribs
8 Sausages
8 Pieces of Pork rind
1 Kg of Savoy cabbage
1 or 2 Tablespoons of Tomato sauce

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes

COOKING TIME: 2 hours

WINE: Barbera del Monferrato (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Place the extra virgin olive oil, the carrots, the celery and the onion in a large pan and let them brown for about 5 minutes.

Add the stare ribs and let them brown,

then add the pork rind

and after 5 minutes the sausages,

cook for about 10 minutes and then add the Savoy cabbage.

When the Savoy cabbage wilt add the tomato sauce,

mix all together, sprinkle with some salt and continue to cook for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. The savoy cabbege usually piddle but if neccesary add 1 glass of water.

Serve Casseoeula hot and accompanied it with soma hot Polenta.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

In this delicious recipe I use two traditional Italian foods as main ingredients, in particular: Radicchio of Chioggia that comes from Veneto and Taleggio cheese that comes from Veneto and Lombardy. Radicchio is a popular Italian vegetable, known as Italian Chicory, that has red leafs with a bitter taste ideal grilled, roasted or for preparation of salad dish and also risotto or crespelle. Instead Taleggio is a soft Italian cheese with a sweet taste ideal for preparation of bruschetta, risotto. Radicchio and Taleggio are traditionally used together for preparation of risotto or crespelle as described in the following recipe. These two Italian ingredients are good when used together because the bitter taste of radicchio is joined with the sweet taste of Taleggio allowing to obtain a spicy first course.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 – 6 people):
2Eggs
100 g of Flour
200 ml of Milk
20 g of Butter
800 g of Radicchio
400 g of Taleggio
30 g of Parmesan
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 / 2 Onion
Salt
FOR BECHAMEL
30 g of Butter
4 Tablespoons of flour
1 L of Milk
Salt
Nutmeg

PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes

COOKING TIME: 40 minutes

WINE: Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Start with preparation of the stuffing of crespelle: wash the radicchio,

cut its leafs in stripes and cut the onion in slices. Preheat the extra virgin olive oil in pan, place in it the onion and let them golden

then add the radicchio,

sprinkle with salt and let it wilt for about 5 – 8 minutes.

In this step if you cook the radicchio in a pan with cover is better so it cooks faster and steamed. In the meantime prepare the mixture for crespelle: beat the eggs with the flour, paying attention to not make lumps,


then stirring add the milk in order to obtain a liquid mixture.


Butter a round pan of 16 cm of diameter and heat it.

Then pour in it a ladle of the mixture,

tilting the pan to evenly coat the pan. When the bottom becomes, turn the crespella and cook the second side about 30 seconds. In this way cook also the others crespelle.

Let them cool before to stuff it. Preheat the oven to 200° C. Now prepare the béchamel: melt the butter in a pan,


stirring sprinkle the flour in it in order to obtain a cream without lumps.


Then continuing to stir, add slowly the milk and some nutmeg



and let it cook for about 10 minutes until the béchamel becomes firm.


Finally stuff the crespella: put crespella on a dish, place some radicchio e some pieces of taleggio on it as shown in the picture below

and close the crespella
Now place on the bottom of a baking pan some béchamel and place on it the crespelle.


Cover the crespelle with other béchamel and sprinkle with Parmesan,


bake for about 30 – 40 minutes until the surface becomes golden. Serve hot.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

Pumpkin is a fruit suitable for any type of Italian recipes as you have seen in the recipes that I presented in the previous days. Here I prepare fried pumpkin that is an ideal side dish or can be also a delicious appetizer; I use the Mantua pumpkin cut in thin slices and I accompanied the sweet taste of pumpkin with the spicy taste of rosemary in order to obtain an appetizing recipe. The slices of pumpkin fried should be crunchy, to obtain this result you might pay attention to the quantity of extra virgin olive oil in which the pumpkin is fried: don’t cover completely the slices of pumpkin otherwise they’ll become too soft.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 – 6 people):
500 g of Pumpkin
Extra virgin olive oil to fry
2 Cloves of Garlic
Rosemary
Salt
Black pepper

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

WINE: Alto Adige Traminer aromatico Doc (White Wine)

PREPARATION
Clean, peel and cut in thin slices the pumpkin.


Preheat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan, place in it the garlic and let them golden,

then remove it and place in the oil the slices of pumpkin with the rosemary. Sprinkle the pumpkin with salt and pepper and let them fry, this takes few minutes because the pumpkin has a tender pulp.

When the pumpkin is ready place the slices over a sheet of kitchen paper in order to remove the excess of oil. You can serve them hot or cold.
This is the result:


BUON APPETITO!

Here another good Italian recipes made with pumpkin: risotto with pumpkin. This dish is another traditional recipe of Lombardia easy and fast to prepare, you need only rice and a good pumpkin: the better type to use is the type of Mantua with pulp and rind orange and a sweet taste. In this recipe it isn’t necessary to cook pumpkin separately because its pulp is so tender that the cooking time of risotto is enough. If you like a mellow flavor you can prepare this risotto simply with pumpkin but if you like a spicy taste you can season the dish with the addition of rosemary and some Parmesan sprinkled on.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
320 g of Rice
500 g of Pumpkin
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
20 g of Butter
1 / 4 of Onion chopped
1 / 2 Glass of White wine
FOR BROTH:
500 ml of water
1 / 2 of Onion cut in big pieces
1 Carrot cut in big pieces
1 Celery cut in big pieces
1 Potato cut in big pieces
Salt

PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

WINE: Colli Morenici Mantovani del Garda bianco Doc (White Wine)

PREPARATION
Start with preparing the broth: place in pan the water, the big pieces of onion, celery, carrot, potato and salt and let the water boil.

When the water boil begin to prepare the risotto. Clean, peel and cut the pumpkin in small cubes.

Place in a pan the extra virgin olive oil, the butter and the chopped onion and let it golden

then add the pieces of pumpkin and cook for about 5 – 8 minutes.

Now add the rice and make it roast for some minute, add the wine and let it evaporate.

Start to add 1 ladle of hot broth stirring until it is absorbed; continue in this way, adding ladles of hot broth, for about 15 - 18 minutes.

At the end of the cooking the rice must be slightly firm to the teeth. Serve hot and if you like you can sprinkle the risotto with some Parmesan.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

This Italian recipe is a traditional dish of the autumnal period in Lombardy; it is made with veal meat in an only piece and red wine. The better piece of veal to use for this recipe is called “Cappello del Prete”, this piece is obtain from the shoulder of the veal, it has a long shape and it is a lean meat ideal for roast, boiled and brasato; therefore the better Italian wine is a red wine of good acidity like the Barbera d’Oltrepò or Dolcetto d’Ovada. It is an easy recipe to prepare but it needs two day of preparation in particular one night during which the veal meat is soaked in the red wine and the following morning for the cooking. The cooking should be slow and on a low flame so the meat absorb slowly the red wine and its taste. This dish can be served alone or better if it is accompanied with Polena and the better one is the Polenta of Bergamo.

INGREDIENTS (for 6 – 8 people):
1 kg of Veal meat (a only piece) the better piece is called “ Cappello del prete”
1 Carrot chopped
1 Celery chopped
1 / 2 Onion chopped
Oregano
4 – 5 Leafs of sage
3 – 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
300 – 350 ml of Red Wine
Salt

PREPARATION TIME: 24 hour of soaking

COOKING TIME: 2 hours

WINE: Barbera d'Oltrepo' (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Place the meat "Cappello del prete" in a large pan with the chopped carrot, celery, onion, oregano and sage, pour on them the red wine and let them soak over night.


The following morning remove all the ingredients from the pan and place them in a bowl, in the same pan preheat the extra virgin olive oil place in it the veal meat and let it brown.


Then add the wine with the chopped vegetables, sprinkle with salt and let cook for about 2 hours slowly and on a low flame.

During the cooking control that the wine doesn’t reduce too much and if necessary add some water in order to obtain at the end of the cooking a sauce. When the meat is ready cut it in slices, then place the sauce with the vegetables in a mixer and mix them in order to obtain a sort of cream.


Now prepare the dish, place on it two or three slices of meat and pour on them the cream and some leafs of sage. The brasato can be served alone


or with some polenta, with it the dish becomes complete and delicious.
This is the result:


BUON APPETITO!