All recipes with Water
Lemon SorbetA smooth, egg-free lemon sorbet made with fresh juice and a peel-infused syrup.
Ligurian Rabbit with Olives and Pine NutsRabbit gently cooked with white wine, Taggiasca olives, pine nuts and aromatic herbs.
Cassatelle saccensiSciacca’s cassatelle are thin fried pastry pockets filled with sweet sheep’s-milk ricotta and dark chocolate chips. Their crescent shape and crisp, lightly puffed surface hold a creamy center, finished with powdered sugar once the pastries have cooled a little.
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.
Ragù di pecoraIn the Marsica area of Abruzzo, ragù di pecora turns mature sheep meat into a slow-cooked sauce. Chunks of shoulder simmer with onion, carrot, garlic and rosemary before peeled tomatoes are added for the final stage. The tender meat and its sauce pair well with potato gnocchi.
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.
Piadina with LardThin flatbreads made with tipo 00 flour and lard, rested in the refrigerator and cooked in a hot pan until golden spots appear.
Bari-Style Focaccia with Cherry TomatoesA crisp-edged focaccia with cherry tomatoes, brined Barese olives and dried oregano, made with refreshed sourdough starter.
Levante-Style Stamped Corzetti with Pine Nut and Marjoram SauceStamped pasta rounds from Liguria’s Levante, dressed with a smooth sauce of pine nuts, garlic, marjoram, Parmigiano Reggiano and cream.
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.
Tuscan castagnaccioChestnut flour, raisins, pine nuts and walnuts come together in this Tuscan castagnaccio, finished with rosemary and olive oil.
Spinach and ricotta gnudi with butter and sageTuscan spinach and ricotta dumplings, shaped by hand, lightly floured and served with butter, sage and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
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.
Pici cacio e pepe with Pecorino ToscanoPici coated in a sauce of aged Pecorino Toscano and black pepper.
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.
Fileja alla ’NdujaCalabria’s rod-rolled pasta in a sauce of melting ’nduja: Spilinga’s fiery spreadable salume dissolved into tomatoes until the heat glows instead of burns.
Focaccia GenoveseThe fügassa of Genoa: a finger-dimpled sheet bread baked with an olive oil and salt-water brine until the surface shines and the crumb stays plush.
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.
Pici all’AglioneHand-rolled eggless noodles from the Val di Chiana in a tomato sauce built on aglione, the giant mellow garlic that perfumes without biting.
SeadasSardinian fried pastry with warm, lemon-scented young pecorino and a ribbon of corbezzolo honey.
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.