Italian Cuisine

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Traditionally with Italian cuisine, taking a meal is not just about eating. It is a time for family and friends to get together and socialize while sharing some good food. In fact, the traditional Italian main meal of the day used to be a nine course repast, taking several hours to consume. Not so much today, but on very special occasions – like weddings – the nine course meal

is still a beloved culinary event in Italy.Italians eating Italian Cuisine

There are four traditional meals taken during the day: Colazione (breakfast), Pranzo (lunch, and the main, heaviest meal), Merenda (mid-afternoon snack), and Cena (dinner).

 

The following meals are a good sampling, some of the best Italian food recipes, that you would take during a typical day in Italy.

Let’s get started shall we? With this …

Breakfast – Italian Cuisine style!

Please note: For your convenience, you can click on the recipes listed below and be taken directly to a page with just that one recipe on it, in printer-friendly format.

You are certainly welcomed to read through this whole page, all the recipes are here as well, and there are some videos and pertinent information on background, history, customs, special notes, etc., so it is well worth the read.

Here is the list, in alphabetical order:

Authentic Italian Meat Balls

Cake with Honey and Yogurt

Caramel Apple Cannoli

Clams in Tomato Sauce

Penne con Pesto

Prosciutto Asparagus Cheese Frittata

Ribollita

Sausage and Skillet Peppers

Wild Boar Ragù

Zuppa di Pomodoro (Italian chilled tomato soup)

Cake for breakfast with honey and yogurt (without butter or sugar)

Torta per la Colazione al Miele e Yogurt

(Senza Burro né Zucchero)

torta-integrale-miele-jpg_5412152

For a traditional Italian breakfast, one might expect coffee or cappuccino for the adults, and hot chocolate or milk for the children. Sweet breads and pastries, perhaps some yogurt or sorbet, and if you were in the northern regions during cold season, some hot porridge.

This recipe is an excellent choice, one of the truly traditional Italian food recipes, offering cake with honey, and yogurt. Enjoy your Colazione!

Ingredients:

(makes a cake 9” (22-24 cm) in diameter)

 

Directions:
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (180 ° Celsius)
  2. Put the oil and honey in a blender and process until a creamy consistency.
  3. When the mixture is foamy, add the eggs (one egg at a time), mix, then add the flour, yogurt and yeast.
  4. Stir until the mixture will become smooth and homogeneous.
  5. Place a sheet of parchment paper into the pan and pour the mixture. (If you are using a non-stick pan, no need for the parchment paper)
  6. Bake the cake in an oven  for 30 minutes.
  7. For the ultimate pleasure, serve each slice with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Now we move on to the main meal of the day, the Pranzo. Traditionally taken between noon and 2 p.m., a Pranzo has typically three courses: the Primo (first course), Secondo (second course), and Dolce (dessert).

Primo, usually a lighter entree, might consist of pasta, risotto, soup, salad, or vegetable lasagna.

The Secondo (you might hear it referred to as the Piatto Principale, meaning the main course) most often will be meat or seafood, or it could include stew or meat lasagna as well.

Depending on the occasion and region you are in, Dolce can vary a great deal. Still, the most common and best Italian desserts recipes are delicious offerings like: tiramisu, panna cotta, zuppa inglese, pandoro, and sometimes granita and gelato.

Let’s kick off our Pranzo with an entree slightly heavier than might be normal, but oh-so-yummy, some pasta served with the best authentic Italian meatball recipe I know of.

Authentic Italian Meatballs

 (Authentic Polpette Italiane)

Authentic Italian Meatballs -#92095-4.JPG

There are tons of chefs and cooks out there who claim to have the “best Italian meatball recipe”, but in truth, the authentic, traditional Italian meatball is a simple matter to make, one of the most easy Italian food recipes to recreate in your kitchen.

A blend of a few herbs, spices, cheese, egg, milk, and bread crumbs will do the trick every time.

Key, however, to a great meatball, is the meat. Use fresh ground lean beef. Some like to blend meats, adding in some ground lamb or pork, but for this recipe we’ll keep it simple. You can improvise later if you wish.

Ingredients:
Directions:

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together by hand (do use your bare hands for best results).

Roll meatballs into a size about that of a golf ball.

Put the raw meatballs into a large stock pot and cover with the Italian spaghetti sauce.

Simmer for minimum 2 hours and better up to 3 hours.

Serve warm with spaghetti or linguini. Place a generous helping of the pasta on each person’s dish, and place the meatballs and spaghetti on the table in a large serving bowl for each person to take from as much as they wish.

Have some fresh grated Parmesan cheese on the table for those who like to sprinkle some over the top of their entree.

Italians love some wine with their main meals, so try a good quality, Tuscan Chianti to serve with your Pranzo.

Italian Sausage and Skillet Peppers

 (Salsiccia Italiana e Skillet Peppers)

skillet

For our Pranza’s Segundo course, we will have two entrees. First off, this scrumptious skillet dish.

Ingredients:

(6 servings)

Directions:
  1. Melt the butter and heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the peppers, onions, salt and pepper, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the basil, and garlic and cook two more minutes.
  2. Add the tomato paste and stir. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the browned bits. Bring to a simmer, covered.
  3. Meanwhile, grill the sausage over medium heat, turning them until golden and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Set aside on a cutting board and slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Add the sausage to the pan with the onions and peppers, and stir to combine. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes total. Serve with rolls or Italian bread.
  4. Oh, and don’t forget to pass the Chianti!

Also for our Segundo course, let’s serve up this yummy Ribollita.

 Ribollita

ribollita

A classic “peasant food” originating in the Central, Tuscan region of Italy, Ribollita (Italian word for “reboiled”) is a very thick stew made with dark greens, all kinds of beans and vegetables, olive oil, and thickened with day-old bread. Most people think it came to be a traditional staple because it is comprised of just about anything leftover in the ice box, cold cellar and/or pantry.

A classic “throw everything you got in the pot and make it taste good” kind of dish. You can, therefore, find lots of variations on this recipe, and you can also experiment with this dish using what you have available. But first off, try it like this, the age-old, tried and true Tuscany way.

Ingredients:

(10 servings)

  • 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling (for authentic Italian taste, get Partanna brand)
  • 4 celery stalks, chopped
  • 3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 medium carrots or equiv. winter squash, chopped
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 1 14 oz. (400 ml) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 pound (16 ounces / 450g) purple kale, stems trimmed off and leaves well chopped (cavolo nero if you can get it (lacinato kale, Tuscan black winter cabbage/kale), but regular purple kale will still do the trick)
  • 4 cups (22 oz. / 620g) cooked white Cannellini beans
  • 1/2 pound (8 oz. / 225g) loaf of day old (at least) bread, left out in the air to dry, crust removed
  • 1-1/2 + 1 tsp. fine grain sea salt
  • zest of one lemon
  • lots of well-chopped oily Taggiasca (purplish and/or black) olives

 

Directions:
  1. In your largest thick-bottomed pot over medium heat combine the olive oil, celery, garlic, carrot, and red onion. Cook for 10 -15 minutes sweating the vegetables, but avoid any browning. Stir in the tomatoes and red pepper flakes, and simmer for another 10 minutes or so, long enough for the tomatoes to thicken up a bit. Stir in the cavolo nero, 3 cups of the beans, and 8 cups (2 liters) water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the greens are tender, about 15 minutes.
  2. In the meantime, mash or puree the remaining beans with a generous splash of water – until smooth. Tear the bread into bite-sized chunks. Stir both the beans and bread into the soup. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the bread breaks down and the soup thickens, 20 – 30 minutes. Stir in the salt, taste and add more if needed. Stir in the lemon zest.
  3. Serve immediately, or cool and refrigerate overnight, then serve it the next day. Ribollita tastes great when ladled into bowls with a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh chopped olives for garnish.

Next up, when it is between 3 and 5 p.m., it’s time for the Merenda – the mid-afternoon snack. Typically a sweet bread, cake, or pastry, with some coffee, or a good strong Italian Espresso. Try this marvelous pastry, one of the best Italian deserts recipes you’ll ever taste.

Caramel Apple Cannoli

(Caramel di Apple Cannoli)

caramel_apple_cannoli

Ingredients:
Filling-
Caramel Sauce-
  • 1 cup granulated white cane sugar
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped peanuts for garnish
  • Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Directions:
To make the filling-
  1. Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To make the caramel sauce:
  1. In a saucepan (at least 5 cup capacity), stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and water until the sugar is completely moistened.  Place a candy thermometer in the saucepan so that the tip is immersed in the sugar mixture.
  2. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil.  Stop stirring and allow the mixture to boil undisturbed until it turns a deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. The temperature should be about 300 degrees F.
  3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly and carefully pour the warm cream into the caramel.  Be careful because the mixture will bubble and foam. With a wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula, stir the mixture until smooth.
  4. Stir in the butter and salt.  Allow the mixture to cool for 3 minutes and then stir in the vanilla.  If the caramel sauce begins to harden too much before serving, simply place it over low heat and stir until it is of drizzling consistency.
To serve the cannoli-
  1. Fill the cannoli shells just before serving to prevent the shells from becoming soggy.  Put the filling in a pastry bag and fill the shells by piping the filling in one end and then the other.  Sprinkle the exposed filling at each end of the cannoli with some of the chopped peanuts.  Place each filled cannoli on a serving dish.
  2. Sprinkle the top with confectioners’ sugar.  Drizzle some of the caramel sauce over the top.
  3. Serve with strong coffee, or a good quality Italian Espresso.

The last meal in traditional Italian dining, is the Cena (dinner). Typically a light meal, it might be a salad or a soup, perhaps pasta, cold meats, or even leftovers from the previous meals.

Italians also love to dine out in the evenings, so oftentimes the house cook gets a break and the whole family goes out to eat at a favorite pizzeria or one of the other many bustling and fine restaurants.

But here’s a good menu for a traditional authentic Italian Cena, so enjoy eating in, Italian style, this evening.

Chilled Tomato Soup and Penne con Pesto

(Chilled zuppa di pomodoro e Penne con pesto)

chlld tmto souppenne pesto

Chilled Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

(serves 8)

Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Separate one half the tomatoes, remove the ends, and slice each one in half width-wise. Place the sliced tomatoes in a baking dish and pour 2 tbsp. of the olive oil over the top. Distribute the garlic on the tops of the tomato slices. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and Italian herbs.
  3. Place the tomatoes in the oven on the middle rack and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the garlic is browned and fragrant and the tomatoes have wrinkled up.
  4. Meanwhile, quarter the remaining uncooked tomatoes.
  5. When the baking process is finished, put all the tomatoes together in the blender (if you need to do this in batches, make sure to combine fresh and baked tomatoes in each batch). Blend on high until everything is combined and smooth. Add 2 tbsp. of olive oil, the vinegar, the red pepper flakes, and the sugar, and continue blending until all ingredients are combined and smooth.
  6. Strain the soup through a fine sieve, using the back of a wooden spoon to push it through, so that the soup has a cream-of-tomato consistency. Put the soup in a covered container in the fridge to chill.
  7. Serve chilled, garnished with fresh basil, and with a thick slice of artisan bread.

Penne con Pesto 

Ingredients:
For the pesto-
To add later-
Directions:
  1. Place basil, garlic, Parmesan and pine nuts in a food processor. Blend until creamy, gradually adding olive oil while pulsing.
  2. Heat in a sauce pan over low heat, adding heavy cream until desired consistency is reached. Add sun-dried tomatoes to warm, and coat with sauce.
  3. Add freshly cooked pasta, and toss to coat. Divide onto plates, sprinkle with pine nuts and freshly grated Parmesan, and serve.

More of the Best Italian Cuisine Recipes

On the rest of this page you will find lots more traditional Italian food recipes, to further augment your Italian ethnic foods experience.

Italian Clams in Tomato Sauce

 (Vongole italiane in salsa di pomodoro)

Italian Tomato Sauce Clams

Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Using a colander placed over a bowl, store your fresh, live clams in the refrigerator, and cover them loosely with a moist cloth or paper towel.
  2. Bring 3 tbsp. of olive oil up to medium high hear in a saucepan. Add in the red pepper flakes and the garlic and cook for one minute.
  3. Now add in the sugar (to taste) and the tomatoes, reduce the heat, and let the mixture simmer for at least 45 minutes, a whole hour is even better.
  4. While the mixture is simmering, preheat your oven to 325 Fahrenheit.
  5. Take the French bread and slice in into 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick slices, and spread some olive oil on each slice. Toast in the oven for 9 to 12 minutes, or until nice and golden brown.
  6. Now take your clams out and scrub them clean. You only want the fresh live ones, and they should be closed shut. If any of them are open, give each of those a good rap with a metal soup spoon – they should close shut. If any of them don’t, throw them away.
  7. Take a large skillet that has a lid (preferably a glass lid, so you can see through it), put 3 tbsp. olive oil in in it, and bring the heat up to medium high. Toss in the diced onions, and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until just fragrant and translucent. Do not brown them.
  8. Now add in 2 tbsp. of the thyme and chopped oregano, and cook for just another 30 seconds, then add the wine. Bring everything to a good boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5 or 6 minutes.
  9. Now add in the clams. Place the lid on the skillet, bring the heat back up to high, and cook 6-8 minutes, shaking the skillet occasionally, but not removing the lid. Check after 6 minutes, you just want to cook until the clams have opened.
  10. Remove from the hear once the clams have opened. Any clams that have not opened you should discard.
  11. Strain the cooking liquid into the tomato sauce, and discard the diced onion.
  12. Around the serving bowl, arrange the toasted bread slices in an attractive ring. Put the clams in the bowl first, and pout the tomato sauce over them.
  13. Garnish with thyme and chopped parsley.

In the Spring season, in Italy, as well as in many other regions of the world, comes the copious “springing up” of delicious, tender asparagus. And the Italians not only love to eat asparagus, they use it as a main ingredient for making dinner, lunch, and even breakfast entrees.

One of the favored such entrees, is the frittata, which is basically just an open-face omelet. This delightful dish is so simple to make, it is certainly among the most easy Italian food recipes you will ever prepare.

You can serve a frittata with just about anything – toast, fried potatoes, salad … you can’t go wrong whatever you pair this dish with. There are many versions, for sure, because Italians use the dish as a way to use up leftovers in the fridge – you can toss almost anything together with the basic ingredients, and come up with a tasty frittata.

But this one we are offering here is a classic, a traditional and everyday Italian frittata recipe that will surely warm your tummy and please your taste buds. Try it out in this fashion, and henceforth you will be able to come up with frittatas that are custom designed to your palate and utilize your leftovers at the same time.

Prosciutto, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese Frittata

(Prosciutto, Asparagi, e formaggio di capra Frittata)

prosciutto, asparagus, and goat cheese frittata

Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit).
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs with salt and pepper. Then stir in the chives and set aside.
  3. Put some olive oil in large oven-proof skillet (cast iron is the best) over medium heat.
  4. Put the garlic in the skillet and fry for 1 minute, just enough to make them fragrant.
  5. Next add in the onions, and fry for about 5 minutes, until they are translucent and fragrant.
  6. Next into the skillet goes the chopped asparagus. Fry for 6 or 7 minutes – they will be well cooked when they take on a brilliant green color and are softened through.
  7. Now toss the prosciutto in, stir the entire mixture together well for even distribution.
  8. Sprinkle the goat cheese evenly over the top.
  9. Lastly, pour the whisked egg mixture over everything.
  10. Place your skillet into the oven, and bake your frittata for about 15 minutes. Baking time will depend on the size and depth of your skillet. A wide, shallow skillet will take less time, maybe only 12 minutes, whereas a smaller, deeper skillet will need more time – possibly as long as 20 minutes. Just check on it, starting at about 12 minutes into the baking, and take your frittata out when the eggs are cooked through and not at all runny in the center.
  11. Once the frittata is well cooked, remove it from the oven, and allow to sit and cool a bit.
  12. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

 

Nowhere else in the world is ragù made better than in the country of its origin, Italy. This next dish is a traditional Italian ragù recipe that features wild boar as the meat, a meal so delicious that it proves, once again, that …

 La cucina italiana è magnifico!

(Italian cuisine is magnificent!)

Italian Wild Boar Ragù

italian boar ragu

Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large cooking pot (cast iron is best, if you have one), over medium high heat, and sauté the onion for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, until translucent and fragrant.
  2. Add in the boar meat and sauté, stirring frequently, until the cubes are browned all over, but not cooked all the way through yet.
  3. Now add in the bay leaves and the canned tomatoes.
  4. Next into the pot goes the wine.
  5. Gradually add in the dried chili, garlic, cloves, cinnamon stick, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, anchovies (or anchovy paste), basil, red wine vinegar, sage, and then grind in enough salt and black pepper to taste.
  6. Adjust the heat so your ragu is cooking at a lively simmer with the lid on the pot slightly ajar, stir now and then, and cook for a minimum of two hours—even longer if you have time, the meat will just get all that much more tenderized. Your ragù is ready to serve when the meat cubes have completely fallen apart and the meat has absorbed a majority of the liquids.
  7. Time the preparing of your pasta so that it will be freshly cooked and still very warm when the ragù is done.
  8. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick and bay leaves before serving.
  9. To serve, put a good portion of pasta on each plate, then a generous helping of ragù, grate some cheese over the top of the dish. Have on the table a loaf of thick, crusty sourdough bread for people to break off chunks to sop up the yummy ragu juices, and also a bottle of good Italian red wine, like Tuscany, or a Chianti Classico, Riserva.

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