All recipes with Black Pepper
Pasta del VergaroShort pasta is dressed with browned ventresca, fresh ricotta and acquavite, then finished with pecorino and dry ricotta.
Tuscan roast pork loin (arista)Visit Tuscany’s arista seasons lean pork loin with garlic, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper. Kitchen twine keeps the roast in shape as it cooks with extra-virgin olive oil and white wine. Slice the meat thinly and serve it with the juices from the roasting pan. This measured recipe is for six people.
Wild boar stewRed wine, aromatic vegetables and herbs give this Tuscan wild-boar stew its layered sauce. A day in the marinade comes before gentle covered cooking with tomato paste; the finished sauce clings to the tender pieces of meat.
Agnolotti monferriniAgnolotti monferrini enclose a filling of beef, veal, ham and Savoy cabbage in thin pasta. The meats cook slowly with aromatics before being finely chopped and mixed with Parmigiano Reggiano, parsley and porcini. Small folds of dough hold the rich filling, finished with butter and the reserved meat juices.
Brodera: pork-rib risottoBrodera draws its flavor from pork ribs slowly simmered with onion, carrot and celery. Their broth cooks the Arborio rice, then the tender ribs return to the plate above the buttery risotto. The dish belongs to the rice-growing country around Vercelli and Novara.
Zucchini alla scapeceFried zucchini rounds with garlic and fresh mint. Our version uses white wine vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil, with a refrigerated marinade.
Acquasale with Salame FelinoBriefly moistened freselle meet cherry and datterino tomatoes, buffalo bocconcini and thin slices of Salame Felino.
Pendolon with Lamon beans and potatoesCooked Lamon beans and boiled potatoes become a firm dish. Our version uses an onion-and-pancetta soffritto.
Panzanella with tomatoes and cucumberSoft, hand-crumbled Tuscan bread with ripe tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and basil, dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar.
Tuscan kale and cannellini farinataCavolo nero, cannellini beans and yellow maize flour make a thick Tuscan soup, finished with extra-virgin olive oil and black pepper.
Passatelli in meat brothBreadcrumb and Parmigiano Reggiano strands gently cooked in meat broth.
Pici cacio e pepe with Pecorino ToscanoPici coated in a sauce of aged Pecorino Toscano and black pepper.
Agnolotti del Plin Burro e SalviaThe Langhe's tiny pinched pasta, filled with wine-braised meat and spinach, finished simply in butter and sage so the filling does the talking.
Canederli in BrodoThe Dolomites’ bread dumplings, studded with speck and chives, poached and served in clear broth. Thrift turned into Sunday lunch.
Cavatelli al Ragù di MaialeMolise’s two-finger pasta in a pork rib ragù that simmers until the meat surrenders. The region Italy forgets makes the Sunday sauce it shouldn’t.
FiadoneMolise’s Easter cheese pies: golden half-moons of wine-kneaded pastry around a rich filling of pecorino, caciocavallo and egg, good warm or from the basket.
Fonduta ValdostanaThe Aosta Valley’s molten Fontina cream, thickened with yolks rather than starch, served hot with bread or spooned over polenta.
Frico con PatateFriuli’s golden cheese and potato cake: Montasio melted over softened potatoes and onion until the underside turns to a lacy crisp.
Lenticchie di Castelluccio in UmidoThe tiny lentils of the Castelluccio plain stewed with soffritto and sausage: Umbrian mountain food, and Italy’s New Year’s good-luck supper.
Malloreddus alla CampidaneseSardinia’s saffron gnocchetti in a sausage and tomato ragù, finished with pecorino sardo: the Campidano plain’s feast-day standard.
Ossobuco alla MilaneseCross-cut veal shanks braised in white wine until the marrow loosens, finished with gremolada. Milan serves it over saffron risotto; so should you.
Parmigiana di MelanzaneThe Neapolitan way with eggplant: fried slices layered with tomato, basil, and two cheeses, baked until it slices like a promise kept.
Pasta alla NormaCatania’s tribute to Bellini: fried eggplant, tomato, basil, and a blizzard of ricotta salata over pasta. An opera in four flavors.
Pesce Spada alla BagnareseBagnara’s way with swordfish: steaks seared in olive oil and white wine, finished with a salmoriglio of lemon, capers, and parsley that does quietly what sauces do loudly.
Polenta ConciaAosta’s dressed polenta: cornmeal cooked slow, then beaten with Fontina and brown butter until it pulls in golden ribbons. Mountain fuel, perfected.
RibollitaTuscany’s twice-cooked bread and vegetable soup, thick enough to eat with a fork: cavolo nero, cannellini beans, and stale bread reboiled into something far greater than its parts.
Risi e BisiVenice’s spring rite of rice and young peas, looser than a risotto, thicker than a soup, sweetened with a broth made from the pods themselves.
Saltimbocca alla RomanaRome’s ten-minute main course: veal scaloppine pinned with prosciutto and sage, flashed in butter and white wine until they jump in the mouth.
Sarde in SaorVenice’s sweet-and-sour sardines: fried, then layered under slow-cooked onions with raisins and pine nuts, and left to mellow for a day or two.
Spaghetti alla CarbonaraRome’s four-ingredient monument: guanciale, eggs, Pecorino Romano, and black pepper, emulsified into silk. No cream has ever been needed.
Spaghetti alla Chitarra con PallottineAbruzzo’s square-cut egg spaghetti, strung through the chitarra, with tomato sauce and the region’s tiny hand-rolled pallottine.
Tagliatelle al Ragù BologneseSlow beef and pancetta ragù on fresh egg tagliatelle, with a little tomato, milk and a long, gentle simmer.
Tiella BareseBari’s layered bake of rice, potatoes, and mussels: raw layers, mussel water, and an oven doing all the work. Its resemblance to paella is often put down to centuries of Spanish rule in Puglia, though no one can prove the link.
VincisgrassiThe Marche’s grand baked pasta: silkier than lasagne, layered with a chicken-liver-enriched ragù, besciamella, and patience across two days.
Vitello TonnatoPiedmontese veal sliced thin and dressed with a smooth tuna and caper sauce. Prepare ahead and keep chilled until serving.