Category "italian-cuisine"

Should I be scared of chicken livers? Can I make them less scary? (Ragu Bolognese)

I am planning to make this Ragu Bolognese. The recipe looks so good, and I am due for a fun freezer filling project. The thing is though, that I hate, hate, ha

How can I make a super-thin, yet strong, calzone crust?

I am a relatively experienced amateur when it comes to making pizza, especially pizza doughs. I recently went to Italy and enjoyed some calzones with super-thin

What are "fondi di carciofo" called in English?

I would like to know what the English name is for the Italian word fondo di carciofo as I was not able to find it on the Internet. Basically, carciofo means art

Thickening Alfredo sauce

My girlfriend and I are huge fettuccine alfredo fans, so we have been trying to recreate one of our favorite Italian dishes at home. The trouble we keep havin

Definition of a "half glass?"

I'm making oven baked caponata and the recipe calls for a half glass of vinegar. No clue how many ounces to a "glass."

gluten free gnocchi tasting too much like potato

I made my first batch of gnocchi this weekend and after quite a bit of work, I got gnocchi that didn't taste great. The consistency was ok; they did not disint

Using Canned San Marzano Tomatoes Vs. Regular Canned Tomatoes

I have never used San Marzano tomatoes yet. I recently bought a cookbook and most of the recipes call for San Marzano Tomatoes. They are more expensive. Is it r

Difference between Fleischkäse, Mortadella, and Parizer

I am a great fan of some cold meats typical to Germany, Italy, and Romania. Surprisingly, I was unable to find a definition of how they are made which is suffic

Are spuntini a form of appetizers?

I am going to an Italian restaurant and trying to educate myself a bit about the food before going. I own the oxford companion to Italian food, but it says noth

Nuts in Italian cooking

What sorts of nuts are common in (real) Italian cooking? Looking online it seems that walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts figure heavily but do Italians use cashe

How to make white risotto

I want to make white risotto, but I can't as the broth is usually brownish and makes the rice to have the same color. I don't know how to make/get white broth,

Why do we dimple a focaccia?

When I was making a focaccia earlier today, I realised that I've never been told why we dimple them before baking. A quick Googling didn't reveal anything, so I

Stewing Tomatoes for a Purée(sauce)

Aside from water, are there any other liquids I can use to stew tomatoes to make a purée? I was thinking maybe chicken stock or vegetable but don't kno

How can I prevent the cheese on my homemade pizza from hardening too soon?

I am on my road to perfecting thin crust pizza, but a major problem is that about 5 to 10 minutes after getting it out of the oven the cheese begins to congeal

What is a non-pork substitute for Italian sausage?

We do not have genuine pork Italian sausages here in Israel. When a recipe like Ragu or Bolognese calls for Italian sausage, what meat could be used as a substi

How do you store cooked pasta without losing the bite?

When I cook pasta I usually drain all the water and keep about a cup of pasta water so I could loosen up a sticky pasta or bulk up a sauce. But spaghettini or c

When should or shouldn't you toss pasta with sauce?

Tossing pasta with the sauce saves the need to unstick it with starch water. But I have a theory that if the pasta sits in the moisture of the sauce for too lon

How do I know when my wine is properly reduced?

I guess it can be subjective according to tastes, but some reduction is required. If I could know what I am trying to do away with in the reduction process (alc

What is the most common mozzarella used in Italian pizza

That's a curiosity I have after visiting Italy. I ate pizza all the time but I couldn't differentiate the variety of mozzarella on them. What is the most comm

Onion and Garlic, a no-no?

I had an Italian flatmate once who was on the brink of lynching me when he saw I used garlic and onion in one dish. He said that - at least in Italian cuisine -