Italian cooking

Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from buffalo milk; it’s closely related to mozzarella, but whilst the outer layer is just as firm, the burrata hides a soft, creamy heart. The name “Burrata” speaks of the richness and creaminess of its core, as it comes from the Italian word for butter, burro.
The Burrata is typically found in the South of Italy, particularly in the city of Andria, in Apulia. You can enjoy it as it is, on a slice of toasted bread topped with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil.

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Recipe - Paccheri with Burrata, Shrimps and Saffron
 
MypinchofItaly said:
Perhaps not everyone knows that in Italy, there are two cities that compete for the paternity of the Ragù: Bologna and Napoli. Both are Ragù, even if with substantial differences:

The Bolognese Ragù is prepared with mixed vegetable sauté (i.e. Soffritto with onions, carrots, celery), tomato sauce of course, minced meat and basil at the end of cooking (sometimes even during it). Cooking time from 2 to 3 hours.

The Neapolitan Ragù is made with meat pieces (beef or pork ribs/chops, no chicken or turkey), no mixed vegetables sauté, only diced onions, tomato sauce of course, no basil added. Cooking time from 4 hours to 5-6 (sometimes even 8!)
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In New York Italian/American communities, a Ragù is often called a "Sunday Gravy." It is more similar to the Neapolitan Ragù, with chunks of meat. One of the meats is often Italian sausages. It is, as the name suggests, a big family dinner tradition on Sundays (afternoons) for Italian/American families.

CD
 
caseydog said:
In New York Italian/American communities, a Ragù is often called a "Sunday Gravy." It is more similar to the Neapolitan Ragù, with chunks of meat. One of the meats is often Italian sausages. It is, as the name suggests, a big family dinner tradition on Sundays (afternoons) for Italian/American families.

CD
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"Gravy".... this makes me think about a sauce made with meat sauce, butter and flour more than a properly sauce. Definitely a mix of Italian and American recipe. And as they call Ragù as Gravy, well, that's more American
 
MypinchofItaly said:
"Gravy".... this makes me think about a sauce made with meat sauce, butter and flour more than a properly sauce. Definitely a mix of Italian and American recipe. And as they call Ragù as Gravy, well, that's more American
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In most parts the US, a Ragù would be considered a sauce. "Gravy" is a New York thing.

"Here in America, Sunday Gravy is most commonly associated with a tomato-based sauce that is cooked with a variety of meats including meatballs, pork chops, spare ribs and sausage." Sunday Gravy - A Family Feast®

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CD
 
Ligurian focaccia is famous all over Europe for being the thinnest and most scrumptious one.

This version from Genoa ( Liguria) is filled with onions and it’s particularly delicious when enjoyed with some salami, a slice or two of cheese and a good glass of red wine.

As they say in Ligurian dialect, bon prò! Enjoy your meal!

Recipe - Ligurian Focaccia with Onions


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Recipe - Chickpeas and Bacon Pasta

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Pasta e Ceci. This recipe is famous throughout Italy and there almost is a different version for each region: in some cases the chickpeas are cooked without any tomato, in other cases there’s a handful of cherry tomatoes to replace the tomato sauce. Depending on how much water is used to cook the chickpeas, this nutritious and filling pasta dish sometimes turns even into a thick soup.

And don’t get me started on the various pasta shapes recommended for this preparation! Cavatelli and ditalini are those that work the best.

“Cavatelli” literally means “the little ones that are hollow inside”; it’s a pasta shape traditionally prepared in Apulia and you can see them in the photo above this article.
“Ditalini” means instead “small thimbles” and identifies a small pipe-shaped pasta that is often used for thick soups or legumes sauces.
 
MypinchofItaly said:
[Mod Edit]: Posts moved to form new thread

Ragout.
The term Ragout (Ragù in Italian) is used to identify a full-bodied tomato sauce based on minced meat, cooked for some hours - it takes patience the making of Ragù.
It is widespread throughout the Italian territory, and it's doubtless one of the symbolic foods of the family gathering during the traditional Pranzo della Domenica.

Perhaps not everyone knows that in Italy, there are two cities that compete for the paternity of the Ragù: Bologna and Napoli. Both are Ragù, even if with substantial differences:

The Bolognese Ragù is prepared with mixed vegetable sauté (i.e. Soffritto with onions, carrots, celery), tomato sauce of course, minced meat and basil at the end of cooking (sometimes even during it). Cooking time from 2 to 3 hours.

The Neapolitan Ragù is made with meat pieces (beef or pork ribs/chops, no chicken or turkey), no mixed vegetables sauté, only diced onions, tomato sauce of course, no basil added. Cooking time from 4 hours to 5-6 (sometimes even 8!)

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:hungry:
 
Recipe - Chestnut Crêpes with Ricotta & Persimmon Cream

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These delicious crêpes, also known in Italian as crespelle, are an original conclusion to a rich and filling Christmas dinner.

Scrummy and very light, these crêpes are naturally sweetened by the chestnut flour and made ever more wintery by the subtle hint of persimmon.

Chestnut flour is nowadays particularly expensive, but it used to be a good alternative to cereals in periods of wars and when high taxes where imposed on milling
 
MypinchofItaly said:
Recipe - Chestnut Crêpes with Ricotta & Persimmon Cream

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These delicious crêpes, also known in Italian as crespelle, are an original conclusion to a rich and filling Christmas dinner.

Scrummy and very light, these crêpes are naturally sweetened by the chestnut flour and made ever more wintery by the subtle hint of persimmon.

Chestnut flour is nowadays particularly expensive, but it used to be a good alternative to cereals in periods of wars and when high taxes where imposed on milling
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Chestnuts are very hard to find in the US. The American Chestnut tree once made up a quarter of the hardwood trees in the US. During the 20th century, Billions of them were destroyed by Chestnut Blight. They are still an endangered species here. When I was a kid in the 1960s, there were still some growing in a few areas of the country, but they are gone, too.

CD
 
Love Italian food. I find the regional differences wonderful. MANY years ago I dated a man who's parents were first generation Italian American. We frequently had Sunday dinner (lunch) with his family. Wonderful food. His father raised his own vegetables and herbs. He canned his own tomato sauce with fresh basil and made his own Italian sausage. The pasta dishes were always amazing and Mama G. made the best chicken dishes and veal cutlets to die for.

I frequently make a Puttanesca sauce. Quick, easy and delicious. G doesn't understand having pasta without meat so I cook Italian sausage on the side and add it to the dish just before serving.

I love San Marzano tomatoes. It is the only tomato I use even if I am making a tomato based Creole dish. Unless I have fresh Heirloom tomatoes from the garden.

MypinchofItaly

Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful recipes. I want to try the Gnudi.
 
ElizabethB said:
Love Italian food. I find the regional differences wonderful. MANY years ago I dated a man who's parents were first generation Italian American. We frequently had Sunday dinner (lunch) with his family. Wonderful food. His father raised his own vegetables and herbs. He canned his own tomato sauce with fresh basil and made his own Italian sausage. The pasta dishes were always amazing and Mama G. made the best chicken dishes and veal cutlets to die for.

I frequently make a Puttanesca sauce. Quick, easy and delicious. G doesn't understand having pasta without meat so I cook Italian sausage on the side and add it to the dish just before serving.

I love San Marzano tomatoes. It is the only tomato I use even if I am making a tomato based Creole dish. Unless I have fresh Heirloom tomatoes from the garden.

MypinchofItaly

Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful recipes. I want to try the Gnudi.
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Thank you so much, @ElizabethB,very kind from you

What a lovely memory about your Italian Sunday dinner, I’m sure it was a very good time spent by sharing food and family. I can figure out those tomato sauce and those vegetables and herbs.

You are right, every Italian region has its own food and tradition, sometimes it’s a bit harder to know every differences, there are differences also among cities that belong to the same region.
I perfectly understand about San Marzano ☺️
Puttanesca sauce is also one of my fave sauces, tasty and simple to prepare, I think that one not even needs to have the right doses by making it ( but only the right ingredients)

I’m glad you’ll give a try to gnudi, let me know 🙂
 
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