Never Cooked Italian?
The organization of a meal and what you'll need.

Cooking Techniques:

A Fuoco Vivo
Thoughts on grilling meats and a few Tuscan recipes.

Arancini di Riso
Few dishes can better reveal Sicily's past than these tasty rice fritters, which are excellent as snacks, antipasti, or a simple meal.

Aromi per Panature: Flavored Breadcrumbs
Making flavored breadcrumbs for breading fried foods, sprinkling over casseroles, or using in fillings is quick and easy. They also make nice gifts.

Baking Fish
A procedure more than a recipe, a good baked fish is one of the finest dishes you could want. And simple to do too.

Baking Lasagna and Other Kinds of Pasta
The technique is amazingly versatile!

Batter for Frying
And a few recipes for fritto misto.

Bavaresi!
You might not think Bavarian creams particularly Italian, but they are popular, and extremely varied. Some are even savory side dishes. Also, some observations on gelatin.

Boiled Octopus
How to make usre it's tender every time.

Budini
That's puddings: Cool in summer, and ideal when you're going to be needing the oven for other things.

Cannelloni
Also known (in the US) as manicotti, these are a relatively recent development. And good too.

Carnevale
There are lots of ways to celebrate the last night before the arrival of Lent.

Chicken in Kosher Salt
A chicken roasted in salt comes out juicy and perfectly seasoned -- not salty. This will also work with other smaller birds.

Ciambelle
Many people think the smell of a freshly baked ring cake is what Italian country cooking is all about. A collection of four recipes, one fit to feed a host, two that are simple, and one that resembles a pound cake in some ways.

Conserve
Fruit preserves & jams to carry summer over into winter.

Cooking an Arrosto Morto
A classic, very simple Tuscan technique for pot roasting, which is perfect for making roast beef on the stove.

Crostini
A festive Tuscan meal wouldn't feel right without them.

Focacce and Calzoni.
More wonders from the pizza oven.

Fritti Misti
Little can be more refreshing than a well-put-together platter of mixed fried foods.

Gelati & Sorbetti
How to make all sorts of ice creams and sherbets, which are wonderful in the summer and perfect year round.

Gnocchi, Potato and Otherwise
On making all sorts of gnocchi.

Home-Made Pasta
How to make the basic building block for ravioli, lasagna and lots of other things at home. Also, suggestions for coloring (and flavoring) home-made pasta.

How Done Is It?
A sure-fire way to tell how done your steak is.

Cooking and Serving Pasta
It's easy, but there are some rules.

L'Uccello Ripieno
A stuffed bird: A delight, and, done the Italian way, it will serve many more people!

Making Frittata
A wonderfully easy and tasty way to stretch eggs into a feast for a multitude.

Making Liquori Casalinghi
Home made liqueurs are surprisingly easy to make and astonishingly good -- much better and more varied than the commercial stuff.

Making Pesto
Thoughts on this most Ligurian of Sauces.

Making Risotto
Making risotto is a bit like learning to ride a bicycle: Takes a bit of practice at first, and concentration thereafter.

Oil for Frying
Not all oils are equally suited to the task.

Preparing Olives
Why curing them is necessary, and a number of ways to go about it.

Ossa dei Morti
Sweets for The Day of the Dead, from Ancient Rome. About them and a recipe from Artusi.

Pasta
It's easy to cook but there are some basic rules.

Pasta al Cartoccio
Baking pasta in an aluminum foil packet may sound odd, but it's guarantted to stun your guests. And romantic as well.

Pasta al Forno
Lasagna is the best-known baked pasta, but there's quite a bit of variety: timballos, timpanos, and much more.

Pasta Salads
Refreshing when it's hot, and perfect at a picnic or barbecue.

Pesce Lesso
It's easy to boil a fish, and the results can be delightful.

Pesce alla Griglia
A good grill and a fine fish are a marriage made in heaven.

Orata al Cartoccio
Sea Bass baked in a paper packet and opened at table. The technique works with any fish, and can be extraordinarily tasty (and romantic too).

Pagello al Sale
Pandora (a fish, not the Goddess) roasted in salt. You can also use the salt-roasting technique with sea bass, or other delicate fish, with delightful results.

Pandoro and Panettone
The traditional Christmas cakes of Milano and Verona are quite nice as they are, and are also wonderfully suited to being stuffed, reworked, and otherwise jazzed up.

Pani Pasquali
Savory Easter breads filled with salami, cheese, and other delights to bring joy to the home.

Picnic Foods and Other Cool Things
Insalata di riso, Panzanella, Paste all'Ammiraglio... Things to add wonder to a picnic or refresh on a hot day

Pizza!
Arguably the national dish, and certainly the best known abroad. Making the dough and topping suggestions.

Pancetta
Salt-cured fat back (the same cut used to make bacon) is an essential ingredient in many dishes.

Polenta
The pasta of the North and then some, it's amazingly versatile, and perfect for important occasions or every day meals.

Polpette & Polpettoni
Meatballs and meatloaves: Quick, easy and versatile.

Ravioli & other Stuffed Pasta
They're easy to make, and extremely varied.

Salumi
About cold cuts, prosciutto, salame, sausages and pancetta (among others)

Sformati
They're similar to soufflés, though not quite as airy, and are amazingly versatile, ranging from hearty comfort food to light vegetarian delights to tasty desserts.

Siroppi
Fruit syrups, the foundations of Italian Ices and wonderful ice cream toppings besides.

Sott'Oli & Sotto Aceti
Pickling vegetables or packing them in oil: preserving summer bounty for the winter months.

Stretching Porcini
How to make regular musrooms seem like porcini.

Strucolo
Friuli Venezia Giulia is an unusual area with many dishes one simply doesn't find elsewhere in Italy. Strudels, both sweet and savory, for example.

Stuffing Vegetables
Stuffed vegetables are easy to make, and they're extremely refreshing in the summer months.

Tajarin Ricchi
Tajarin is Piemontese for Tagliarini -- heavenly with truffles, but nice with meat sauce too.

If you haven't found what you're looking for, please ask!

Ingredients: Vegetables, Cuts of Meat, Etc.
Preparations that Go into Other Dishes: Béchamel Sauce, Pastry Cream, Etc.
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