Italian cuisine

Italian cuisine (Italian: Cucina italiana, pronounced [kuˈtʃiːna itaˈljaːna]) is a Mediterranean

cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed across
the Italian Peninsula since antiquity, and later spread around the world together with
waves of Italian diaspora. Significant changes occurred with the colonization of the
Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize and sugar
beet — the latter introduced in quantity in the 18th century. It is one of the best known
and most appreciated gastronomies worldwide.
Italian cuisine includes deeply rooted traditions common to the whole country, as well
as all the regional gastronomies, different from each other, especially between the
north and the south of Italy, which are in continuous exchange. Many dishes that were
once regional have proliferated with variations throughout the country. Italian cuisine
offers an abundance of taste, and is one of the most popular and copied around the
world. The cuisine has influenced several other cuisines around the world, chiefly that of
the United States.
One of the main characteristics of Italian cuisine is its simplicity, with many dishes
made up of few ingredients, and therefore Italian cooks often rely on the quality of the
ingredients, rather than the complexity of preparation. Italian cuisine is at the origin of
a turnover of more than €200 billion worldwide. The most popular dishes and recipes,
over the centuries, have often been created by ordinary people more so than by chefs,
which is why many Italian recipes are suitable for home and daily cooking, respecting
regional specificities, privileging only raw materials and ingredients from the region of
origin of the dish and preserving its seasonality.
The Mediterranean diet forms the basis of Italian cuisine, rich in pasta, fish, fruits and
vegetables. Cheese, cold cuts and wine are central to Italian cuisine, and along
with pizza and coffee (especially espresso) form part of Italian gastronomic culture.
Desserts have a long tradition of merging local flavours such as citrus
fruits, pistachio and almonds with sweet cheeses like mascarpone and ricotta or exotic
tastes as cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon. Gelato, tiramisù and cassata are among the most
famous examples of Italian desserts, cakes and patisserie. Italian cuisine relies heavily
on traditional products; the country has a large number of traditional
specialities protected under EU law. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, as well
as the country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine varieties in the world.

History

Italian cuisine has developed over the centuries. Although the country known as
Italy did not unite until the 19th century, the cuisine can claim traceable roots as far
back as the 4th century BC. Food and culture were very important at that time evident
from the cookbook (Apicius) which dates to the first century BC. Through the centuries,
neighbouring regions, conquerors, high-profile chefs, political upheaval, and the
discovery of the New World have influenced its development. Italian cuisine started to
form after the fall of the Roman Empire when different cities began to separate and
form their own traditions. Many different types of bread and pasta were made, and there
was a variation in cooking techniques and preparation.
The country was then split for a long time and influenced by surrounding countries such
as Spain, France and others in Central Europe. Trade and the location on the Silk
Road with its routes to Asia also influenced the local development of special dishes. Due
to the climatic conditions and the different proximity to the sea, different basic foods
and spices were available from region to region. Regional cuisine is represented by some
of the major cities in Italy. For example, Milan (in the north of Italy) is known
for risottos, Trieste (in the northeast of Italy) is known for multicultural
food, Bologna (in the centre of Italy) is known for its tortellini, and Naples (in the south
of Italy) is famous for its pizzas. Spaghetti for example is believed to have spread across
Africa to Sicily and then on to Naples.

Tomatoes are a typical part of Italian cuisine, but only entered common usage in the late
18th century.

Basic foods[edit]

Pesto, a Ligurian sauce made out of basil, olive oil, hard cheese and pine nuts, and which
can be eaten with pasta or other dishes such as soup
Italian cuisine has a great variety of different ingredients which are commonly used,
ranging from fruits, vegetables, grains, cheeses, meats and fish. In the North of Italy,
fish (such as cod, or baccalà), potatoes, rice, corn (maize), sausages, pork, and different
types of cheese are the most common ingredients. Pasta dishes with tomato are common
throughout Italy. Italians use ingredients that are fresh and subtly seasoned and spiced.
In Northern Italy though there are many kinds of stuffed pasta, polenta and risotto are
equally popular if not more so. Ligurian ingredients include several types of fish and
seafood dishes. Basil (found in pesto), nuts, and olive oil are very common. In Emilia-
Romagna, common ingredients include ham (prosciutto), sausage (cotechino), different
sorts of salami, truffles, grana, Parmigiano-Reggiano, tomatoes (Bolognese
sauce or ragù) and aceto balsamico.
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Olive oil

Various types of pasta

Traditional pizza Margherita, whose ingredients, tomato (red), mozzarella (white)

and basil (green), are inspired by the colours of the national flag of Italy.[77] .
Barrels of aceto balsamico aging
Traditional Central Italian cuisine uses ingredients such as tomatoes, all kinds of meat,
fish, and pecorino. In Tuscany, pasta (especially pappardelle) is traditionally served
with meat sauce (including game meat). In Southern Italy, tomatoes (fresh or cooked
into tomato sauce), peppers, olives and olive oil, garlic, artichokes, oranges, ricotta
cheese, eggplants, zucchini, certain types of fish (anchovies, sardines and tuna), and
capers are important components to the local cuisine.
Cheeses and dairy products are foods of which Italy has a great diversity of existing
types. The varieties of Italian cheeses and dairy products are very numerous; there are
more than 600 distinct types throughout the country, of which 490 are protected and
marked as PDO (Protected designation of origin), PGI (Protected Geographical
Indication) and PAT (Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale).
Olive oil is the most commonly used vegetable fat in Italian cooking, and as the basis for
sauces, replaced only in some recipes and in some geographical areas by butter or lard.
Italy is the largest consumer of olive oil, with 30% of the world total; it also has the
largest range of olive cultivars in existence and is the second largest producer and
exporter in the world. Bread has always been, as it has for other Mediterranean
countries, a fundamental food in Italian cuisine. There are numerous regional types of
bread.
Italian cuisine has a great variety of sausages and cured meats, many of which are
protected and marked as PDO and PGI, and make up 34% of the total of sausages and
cured meats consumed in Europe, while others are marked as PAT.[92]
Meat, especially beef, pork and poultry, is very present in Italian cuisine, in a very wide
range of preparations and recipes. It is also important as an ingredient in the
preparation of sauces for pasta. In addition to the varieties mentioned, albeit less
commonly, sheep, goat, horse, rabbit and, even less commonly, game meat are also
consumed in Italy. Since Italy is largely surrounded by the sea, therefore having a great
coastal development and being rich in lakes, fish (both marine and freshwater), as well
as crustaceans, molluscs and other seafood, enjoy a prominent place in Italian cuisine,
as in general in the Mediterranean cuisine. Fish is the second course in meals and is also
an ingredient in the preparation of seasonings for types of pasta. It is also widely used
in appetizers. Italian cuisine is also well known (and well regarded) for its use of a
diverse variety of pasta. Pasta include noodles in various lengths, widths, and
shapes. Most pastas may be distinguished by the shapes for which they are named—
penne, maccheroni, spaghetti, linguine, fusilli, lasagne, and many more varieties that
are filled with other ingredients like ravioli and tortellini.
The word pasta is also used to refer to dishes in which pasta products are a primary
ingredient. It is usually served with sauce. There are hundreds of different shapes of
pasta with at least locally recognized names. Examples include spaghetti (thin
rods), rigatoni (tubes or cylinders), fusilli (swirls), and lasagne (sheets). Dumplings,
like gnocchi (made with potatoes or pumpkin) and noodles like spätzle, are sometimes
considered pasta.
Pasta is divided into two broad categories: dry pasta (100% durum wheat flour mixed
with water) and fresh pasta (also with soft wheat flour and almost always mixed with
eggs). Pasta is generally cooked by boiling. Under Italian law, dry pasta (pasta secca) can
only be made from durum wheat flour or durum wheat semolina, and is more commonly
used in Southern Italy compared to their Northern counterparts, who traditionally
prefer the fresh egg variety.
Durum flour and durum semolina have a yellow tinge in colour. Italian pasta is
traditionally cooked al dente (English: firm to the bite, meaning not too soft). There are
many types of wheat flour with varying gluten and protein levels depending on the
variety of grain used.
Particular varieties of pasta may also use other grains and milling methods to make the
flour, as specified by law. Some pasta varieties, such as pizzoccheri, are made
from buckwheat flour. Fresh pasta may include eggs (pasta all'uovo, "egg pasta").Both
dry and fresh pasta are used to prepare the dish, in three different ways:

 pastasciutta: pasta is cooked and then served with a sauce or other condiment;
 minestrone: pasta is cooked and served in meat or vegetable broth, even together
with chopped vegetables;
 pasta al forno: the pasta is first cooked and seasoned, and then passed back to the
oven.

Pizza, consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped
with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as anchovies,
mushrooms, onions, olives, meats, and more), which is then baked at a high
temperature, traditionally in a wood-fired oven, is the best known and most consumed
Italian food in the world. In 2009, upon Italy's request, Neapolitan pizza was registered
with the European Union as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed dish, and in 2017 the
art of its making was included on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. In Italy
it is consumed as a single dish (pizza al piatto) or as a snack, even on the go (pizza al
taglio). In the various regions, dishes similar to pizza are the various types of focaccia,
such as piadina, crescia or sfincione.
Regional cuisines
Each area has its own specialties, primarily at a regional level, but also at the provincial
level. The differences can come from a bordering country (such as France or Austria),
whether a region is close to the sea or the mountains, and economics. Italian cuisine is
also seasonal with priority placed on the use of fresh produce.
Abruzzo and Molise

Arrosticini
Pasta, meat, and vegetables are central to the cuisine of Abruzzo and Molise. Chili
peppers (peperoncini) are typical of Abruzzo, where they are called diavoletti ("little
devils") for their spicy heat. Due to the long history of shepherding in Abruzzo and
Molise, lamb dishes are common. Lamb is often paired with pasta. Mushrooms (usually
wild mushrooms), rosemary, and garlic are also extensively used in Abruzzese cuisine.
Best-known is the extra virgin olive oil produced in the local farms on the hills of the
region, marked by the quality level DOP and considered one of the best in the country.
Renowned wines like Montepulciano DOCG and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC are
considered amongst the world's finest wines. In 2012, a bottle of Trebbiano
d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane ranked #1 in the top 50 Italian wine
award. Centerbe ("Hundred Herbs") is a strong (72% alcohol), spicy herbal liqueur
drunk by the locals. Another liqueur is genziana, a soft distillate of gentian roots.
The best-known dish from Abruzzo is arrosticini, little pieces of castrated lamb on a
wooden stick and cooked on coals. The chitarra (literally "guitar") is a fine stringed tool
that pasta dough is pressed through for cutting. In the province of Teramo, famous local
dishes include the virtù soup (made with legumes, vegetables, and pork meat),
the timballo (pasta sheets filled with meat, vegetables or rice), and the mazzarelle (lamb
intestines filled with garlic, marjoram, lettuce, and various spices). The popularity
of saffron, grown in the province of L'Aquila, has waned in recent years.[120] The most
famous dish of Molise is cavatelli, a long shaped, handmade maccheroni-type pasta
made of flour, semolina, and water, often served with meat sauce, broccoli, or
mushrooms. Pizzelle cookies are a common dessert, especially around Christmas.
Apulia

Orecchiette with cime di Rapa sauce

Apulia is a massive food producer; major production includes wheat, tomatoes,
zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, potatoes, spinach, eggplants, cauliflower, fennel, endive,
chickpeas, lentils, beans, and cheese (like the traditional caciocavallo cheese). Apulia is
also the largest producer of olive oil in Italy. The sea offers abundant fish and seafood
that are extensively used in the regional cuisine, especially oysters, and mussels.
Goat and lamb are occasionally used. The region is known for pasta made from durum
wheat and traditional pasta dishes featuring orecchiette-style pasta, often served with
tomato sauce, potatoes, mussels, or broccoli rabe. Pasta with cherry
tomatoes and arugula is also popular.
Regional desserts include zeppole, doughnuts usually topped with powdered sugar and
filled with custard, jelly, cannoli-style pastry cream, or a butter-and-honey mixture. For
Christmas, Apulians make a very traditional rose-shaped pastry called cartellate. These
are fried or baked and dipped in VIN cotto, which is either a wine or fig juice reduction.

Meal structure

A typical Italian breakfast (colazione), consisting of cappuccino and cornetto

A classic Italian aperitivo

Italian meal structure is typical of the European Mediterranean region and differs from
North, Central, and Eastern European meal structure, though it still often consists
of breakfast (colazione), lunch (pranzo), and supper (cena). However, much less
emphasis is placed on breakfast, and breakfast itself is often skipped or involves lighter
meal portions than are seen in non-Mediterranean Western countries. Late-morning
and mid-afternoon snacks, called merenda (plural merende), are also often included in
this meal structure. Traditional meals in Italy typically contained four or five courses.
Especially on weekends, meals are often seen as a time to spend with family and friends
rather than simply for sustenance; thus, meals tend to be longer than in other cultures.
During holidays such as Christmas and New Year's Eve, feasts can last for hours. Today,
full-course meals are mainly reserved for special events such as weddings, while
everyday meals include only a first or second course (sometimes both), a side dish, and
coffee. The primo (first course) is usually a filling dish such as risotto or pasta, with
sauces made from meat, vegetables, or aseafood. Whole pieces of meat such as sausages,
meatballs, and poultry are eaten in the secondo (second course). italian cuisine has
some single-course meals (piatto unico) combining starches and proteins.

Drinks
Coffee
Espresso

Italian style coffee (caffè), also known as espresso, is made from a blend of coffee
beans. Espresso beans are roasted medium to medium dark in the north, and darker as
one moves south.
A common misconception is that espresso has more caffeine than other coffee; in fact,
the opposite is true. The longer roasting period extracts more caffeine. The
modern espresso machine, invented in 1937 by Achille Gaggia, uses a pump and
pressure system with water heated to 90 to 95 °C (194 to 203 °F) and forced at high
pressure through a few grams of finely ground coffee in 25–30 seconds, resulting in
about 25 millilitres (0.85 fl oz, two tablespoons) of liquid. Home coffee makers are
simpler but work under the same principle. La Napoletana is a four-part stove-top unit
with grounds loosely placed inside a filter; the kettle portion is filled with water and
once boiling, the unit is inverted to drip through the grounds. The Moka per il caffè is a
three-part stove-top unit that is placed on the stovetop with loosely packed grounds in a
strainer; the water rises from steam pressure and is forced through the grounds into the
top portion. In both cases, the water passes through the grounds just once. Espresso is
usually served in a demitasse cup. Caffè macchiato is topped with a bit of steamed milk
or foam; ristretto is made with less water, and is stronger; cappuccino is mixed or
topped with steamed, mostly frothy, milk. It is generally considered a morning beverage,
and usually is not taken after a meal; caffelatte is equal parts espresso and steamed
milk, similar to café au lait, and is typically served in a large cup. Latte
macchiato (spotted milk) is a glass of warm milk with a bit of coffee and caffè corretto is
"corrected" with a few drops of an alcoholic beverage such as grappa or brandy.
The bicerin is also an Italian coffee, from Turin. It is a mixture of cappuccino and
traditional hot chocolate, as it consists of a mix of coffee and drinking chocolate, and
with a small addition of milk. It is quite thick and often whipped cream/foam with
chocolate powder and sugar is added on top.

Alcoholic beverages
Wine
Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, as well as the country with the widest
variety of indigenous grapevine varieties in the world. Only about a quarter of this wine
is put into bottles for individual sale. Two-thirds is bulk wine used for blending in
France and Germany. The wine distilled into spirits in Italy exceeds the production of
wine in the entirety of the New World. There are twenty separate wine regions. The
Italian wine industry is among the most varied in the world due to hundreds of
indigenous grape varieties grown throughout Italy. Some of the most iconic red wines
include Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino and Amarone. The Italian
government passed the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) law in 1963 to
regulate place of origin, quality, production method, and type of grape. The
designation Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) is a less restrictive designation to help
a wine maker graduate to the DOC level. In 1980, the government created
the Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG), reserved for only the
best wines.
Types of pasta
There are so many types of pasta. Luckily, they can be grouped into a handful of
categories — short pasta, long pasta, sheet pasta, stuffed pasta, and dumpling pasta.
Long pasta can be hand-rolled or made with an extruder, but many types of short pasta
(not all) have to be made with an extruder to create their unique shapes.

Long Pasta

These are your long, thin ribbons and strand pasta shapes. They’re best when cooked
with creamy sauces that only have very small-sized chunky ingredients, if any at all.

Angel’s hair

Angel hair pasta is long and thin, thinner than spaghetti. It’s best with light oil-based
and cream sauces. Anything too chunky may overpower it. Try pairing it with a
classic homemade marinara sauce for a traditional Italian dinner. Shredded chicken
or shrimp scampi are both great protein additions.

Bucatini
It looks a lot like traditional spaghetti. However, it’s more rounds, and there’s a hole
through the middle that gives each noodle a hollow center. This makes it a little thicker
than spaghetti noodles. When cooked in soups, pasta dishes, and casseroles, it hoards
extra sauce. That’s the superpower of bucatini.

Fettuccine

Like a flat spaghetti noodle — that’s fettuccini. It’s a thicker and more dense noodle. It’s
fairly wide, so it works well with chunky meat sauces, unlike other types of long pasta.
Of course, creamy alfredo sauce tossed in with fettuccine is a dynamic duo.
Spaghetti

Who doesn’t love spaghetti? It’s cylinder-shaped like angel hair and bucatini. However,
it’s thickness falls somewhere in the middle. It’s not quite as thin as angel’s hair, but it’s
thinner than bucatini. Meatballs are always a classic combination. Bored with
traditional spaghetti? Give it a twist by making pesto shrimp spaghetti.

Linguine

Linguine resembles fettuccine, but it’s not as wide. It’s a common noodle pairing for
seafood dishes, mixed with white wine sauces and clams and mussels. Any cream-based
or white wine sauce tastes like a dream with linguine noodles.
Pappardelle

If you think long pasta can’t get any wider than fettuccine, think again. Pappardelle
pasta noodles are even better at meshing with rich, meat-based sauces. For example, it’s
most commonly used in ragu or bolognese, but it’s also great for seafood pasta dishes.
It’s big, bad, and sturdy, so you can throw any hearty sauce its way.

Short Pasta

Shorter noodles come in a variety of shapes that will all catch sauces in different ways. It
works great with thicker and chunkier sauces that have meat and vegetables. Because of
their unique shapes, most short types of pasta are made with an extruder machine that
cuts the shapes with a mold.

Campanelle

Campanelle pasta is one of the lesser heard of pasta shapes. It’s rolled in a cone and has
a ruffled edge, like a small bell-shaped flower. The hollow center will catch thick sauces
well, and you could even cook as a substitute to elbows in macaroni and cheese.

Casarecce

Picture a tube-shaped pasta, but slightly open with rolled edges that weren’t quite
connected. Casarecce is like a loosely rolled and twisted noodle. The center will also
catch sauces well.
Cavatappi

This hollow, spiral-shaped noodle is also referred to as double elbow pasta. The multiple
twist and turns provide lots of surface area to get coated with sauce and trap it inside,
plus the extra length gives more chew. Yes, it’s great in macaroni and cheese).

Fusilli

This spiral-shaped noodle has a lot of grooves and crevices to catch extra sauce and
dressings. It’s sturdy enough to toss with a thicker sauce like marinara or meat sauce.
But it’s also commonly used in pasta salads.
Rotini

Rotini is commonly known corkscrew-shaped pasta. It has a tighter spiral than fusilli.
But like fusilli, it catches all types of sauces well. From thick and meaty to oil-based to
creamy, it can handle it all. I particularly love it in this one-pot chicken cacciatore.

Elbows

You first met elbow macaroni noodles when you were crafting in kindergarten. But you
likely grew to love covered in cheese, as an adolescent and an adult. It’s a small, half-
circle shape. In addition to making pasta dishes, it’s an excellent noodle
 Spaghetti With Eggplant “Meatballs”

A traditional dish in southern Italy, "polpettine di

melanzana" (eggplant ‘meatballs’) and other
vegetarian versions were made out of necessity when
meat was scarce. In this recipe, a blend of eggplant,
ricotta salata and basil, top spaghetti.

Cooks in: 1h 20mins

Levels: Medium
Serves: 4

LIST OF INGREDIENTS
 1 LB. of cherry or grape tomatoes
 1 eggplant
 11 OZ. of spaghetti
 3/4 CUP of Grana Padano cheese, grated
 1/2 CUP of ricotta salata ( dry, salted ricotta), grated
 1 large egg
 1 garlic clove
 basil
 1/3 CUP of bread crumbs, plus extra for coating "meatballs"
 extra-virgin olive oil
 salt
 pepper

METHOD

1
Trim and dice the eggplant. Mince 1 garlic clove and sauté it in a pan with a
drizzle of oil. Add the eggplant, salt, pepper, and basil. Cover and cook for 15
minutes. Drain the eggplant in a sieve, mash with a spoon until it is reduced to
a pulp and the excess oil is removed.

2
Transfer the eggplant to a bowl and mix with the Grana Padano, the grated
ricotta, and 1/3 cup breadcrumbs. Place remaining breadcrumbs in a shallow
dish. Beat the egg and add 2 Tbsp. to the eggplant mixture, depending on how
wet the eggplant is. Shape into small balls and roll in breadcrumbs to coat.
Heat oil in a skillet and fry the “meatballs” batches.

3
Wash the tomatoes and cut them in half. Sauté in a pan with a drizzle of oil,
salt and basil, for 8-10 minutes.

4
Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain
the pasta and toss with the tomatoes. Top with the “meatballs” and basil
leaves. Serve.
 Fusilli with Tomato, Mozzarella, Garlic and Basil

Black garlic adds a sweet earthy note to fusilli with

tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.

Cooks in: 25mins

Levels: Easy
Serves: 4

LIST OF INGREDIENTS
 11 OZ. of whole wheat fusilli
 11 OZ. of tomato passata (fresh when in season)
 2 OZ. of mozzarella, diced
 basil leaves, chopped
 salt
 aged black garlic
 extra-virgin olive oil
METHOD

1
Cook fusilli in abundant boiling salted water until al dente.

2
Cook tomato passata in a non-stick pan for around 10 minutes over medium-
low heat. Remove from heat and season with a pinch of salt and 2 1/4 Tbsp.
oil.

3
Crush and purée garlic with a little oil.

4
Drain pasta when al dente and add to the pan with the sauce. Cook for 1
minute over low heat, then serve with diced mozzarella, garlic purée and basil
leaves.
Classic Eggplant Parmigiana Recipe

Ingredients for 6-8 people

3 lb./1.3 kg. eggplant
3 cups/700 g. tomato puree
1 lb./500 g. mozzarella
3 oz./80 g Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
onion and/or garlic
flour
basil
peanut oil
extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt
fine salt salt

Peel the eggplants and cut them into round slices around ½ cm thick (1/5″).
Sprinkle the eggplant slices with coarse salt and place them in a colander for 2
hours. This will draw out their moisture and enhance the flavor of the
eggplant.

Next, rinse the eggplants and pat them dry with kitchen paper.

Chop the onion and/or crush the garlic, and sauté it in a saucepan with 2-3
Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil. Add the tomato purée followed by some salt and
cook for 15-20 minutes.

Coat the eggplant slices with flour and fry them in hot peanut oil for 4-5
minutes. Remove from the oil and place them on a plate lined with paper
towels to absorb any excess oil and pat dry.

Dice the mozzarella and grate the Parmigiano.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

To make the parmigiana, begin by spreading a little tomato sauce on the

bottom of a pan (about 25x20 cm/8″x10″), then cover with a layer of fried
eggplant, more sauce, the diced mozzarella, grated Parmigiano, and basil. Do
two more layers, and use up all the ingredients. Finish by coating with plenty
of grated Parmigiano on top. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana
Ingredients:

1 lb. San Marzano tomatoes (or plum tomatoes)

12 oz.. Bucatini pasta
4 oz. guanciale (bacon-like cured cheek meat)
3⁄4 cup grated Pecorino di Amatrice (about 3 oz.), or alternatively, 1⁄2 cup
(about 2 oz.) Pecorino Romano
1 fresh red chili pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
salt – pepper

Method:

Bring a pot of water to a boil.

Cut the guanciale into 1/4″ strips.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a pan, sauté the guanciale until cooked (around 3-5
minutes), then remove and set aside.

Cut a small cross into the top of each tomato and drop them into boiling water
for 1 minute, then cool in iced water, peel, remove the seeds, and chop into 1″
pieces.

Remove the seeds from the chili pepper and then slice it.
Cook the chili pepper and tomatoes for 30-40 minutes in the same pan as the
guanciale, then return the guanciale to the pan.

Bring another pot of water to a boil Add salt. Cook the bucatini until al dente
and drain.

Serve with the sauce and top with grated Pecorino.

Common Herbs and Spices in Italian Cooking

There are several common herbs and spices that add flavor to
traditional Italian dishes. To stock your pantry for a wide variety of
Italian recipes, consider the following Italian spices list:

1. 1. Basil (Ocimum basilicum): This member of the mint family

has glossy, deep green, pointed leaves and a sweet-and-savory
flavor with hints of anise, mint, and pepper. Varieties include
sweet basil, Thai sweet basil, lemon basil, and holy
basil. Basil is used in both fresh and dried form to flavor dishes
ranging from Italian sauces to meat dishes to Asian curries.
This popular herb is also one of the main ingredients of pesto, a
sauce made with fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, garlic,
kosher salt, black pepper, and olive oil. In Italian dishes, chefs
commonly pair basil with tomato sauce to make marinara pasta
sauce. Basil is also a key ingredient for Margherita pizza.
2. 2. Bay leaf (Laurus nobilis): While this Mediterranean herb is
native to Asia, it has been most commonly associated with
Greece and Italy. A pungent, aromatic herb with a slightly bitter
taste, bay leaves are typically used in dried, whole form and
steeped in stews, soups, and sauces throughout the cooking
process to infuse a deeply herbaceous flavor.
3. 3. Oregano (Origanum vulgare): With a name meaning “joy of
the mountain” in Greek, oregano is a fragrant herb in the mint
family with a sweet, slightly peppery flavor. This earthy herb is
commonly used in its dried form throughout cooking in dishes
 like tomato sauce, and is a staple in Turkish, Italian, Greek, and
Mexican cuisine.
4. 4. Marjoram (Origanum majorana): A close cousin of oregano,
marjoram has a similar appearance, with grassy, slightly
lemony leaves that make a great addition to poultry dishes,
herb butters, and egg recipes. The small marjoram leaves are
best used fresh and can be added in the middle of cooking to
infuse soups, sauces, and other cooked dishes with herbaceous
flavor.
5. 5. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum): A member of the Apiaceae
family of plants, parsley is a leafy, herbaceous herb with a
bright, slightly bitter taste that emphasizes other flavors. Most
commonly added at the end of cooking as a garnish, parsley has
a few common varietie: flat-leaf parsley (aka Italian parsley),
curly parsley, and Japanese parsley (aka Chinese parsley). You
can add the fresh herb as a garnish to many Italian pasta
dishes. You can also layer basil in lasagna, or use it as an
ingredient to make Italian meatballs.
6. 6. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): The rosemary plant is a
perennial shrub native to the Mediterranean region. Its Latin
name means “dew of the sea.” Rosemary comes from the mint
family of plants (aka Lamiaceae) and is known for its distinct
woody stems with needle-like leaves and evergreen aroma,
which is contained in the oil inside the herb’s dark green
needles. Rosemary is a key ingredient for Italian focaccia and
for many Italian roast potato recipes.
7. 7. Sage (Salvia officinalis): This perennial herb is known for its
fuzzy, gray-green leaves and earthy, sweet-and-savory flavor
with a peppery bite. Common sage is used in both fresh and
dried forms and pairs well with hearty fall vegetables and
warm, comforting recipes. Chefs also use sage to create a
browned sage butter that can be spooned over pasta and more.
Sage pairs well with rich pasta dishes such as ravioli, gnocchi,
and risotto.
8. 8. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris): Recognizable by its small, pale
green leaves and pungent aroma, thyme is a popular herb
among cooks and gardeners alike. Fresh thyme is a sturdy herb
that holds up well to heat and can be used throughout the
 cooking process. With three common varieties (French thyme,
English thyme, and German thyme), this herb is frequently
added to hearty dishes like pork loin, lemony chicken breasts,
and fatty meats, as it can hold its own against rich flavors.

The Best Italian Cheeses

Italy is a country known for its great variety of cheeses, from the familiar
soft cheeses such as mozzarella and harder varieties like Parmesan, as well
as some types that you might be less familiar with.
These cheeses all vary quite a lot, both in texture and hardness, as well as in
the type of milk used, but most can usually either be eaten on their own or
used in cooking.
Here’s a guide to just some of Italy’s most loved cheeses!
Mozzarella
One of the better-known types of Italian cheese, mozzarella actually refers
to a couple of different types of cheese, but it specifically refers to cheese
which has usually been made from Italian buffalo milk and made using a
spinning and cutting technique known as ‘pasta filata’.
This white, semi-soft cheese has a high moisture content and is most often
used for pizza, lasagna or in a Caprese salad with tomato and basil.
Gorgonzola
This veined, blue cheese comes from unskimmed cow’s milk and is
generally split into two varieties: Dolce (which is sweet) and the sharper
Piccante (also known as Naturale, Montagna or Mountain).
Gorgonzola is often melted into risotto in the final stages of cooking but it is
also popular with short pasta like penne or rigatoni, as opposed to long
varieties of pasta such as spaghetti and linguine.
Parmigiano-Reggiano
You may know this cheese better as ‘Parmesan’, which is the name given to
the same cheese which has been made outside of a defined area in Northern
Italy.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is the real deal, produced in Parma, Reggio Emilia,
Modena and parts of Bologna and Mantua and is known for its flaky texture
and rich flavour and it’s also been referred to as the ‘King of Cheeses’!
Pecorino
Pecorino actually refers to a whole family of cheeses, which are all made
from sheep’s milk. The best known is pecorino romano, which is a hard,
salty cheese, and one of the country’s oldest too.
It is most commonly used grated over pasta, soup and salad as a slightly
sharper tasting alternative to Parmesan.
If it’s a table cheese you’re after, pecorino toscano and pecorino sardo are
more suitable options.
Mascarpone
You probably know this very rich-tasting cream cheese as one of the key
ingredients in tiramisu, which is made by draining the moisture from the
cream of cow’s milk through a finely woven cloth.
It’s a milky-white creamy cheese which is easy to spread and as well as
being used in tiramisu, is sometimes used in cheesecake, or as a substitute
for butter or Parmesan cheese to help thicken and enrich risotto dishes.
Ricotta
Ricotta is a whey cheese which is made from the whey left over from
production of various other cheeses (ricotta literally translates to
‘recooked’).
The finished product is creamy white in appearance with a slightly sweet
taste, although the exact texture depends on the type of milk used. Ricotta
is also highly perishable, but there are ages varieties which last a lot longer.
Taleggio
This cheese is named after the Alpine valley of Val Taleggio in Lombardy
where it is produced.
It’s definitely one of the smellier of the Italian cheeses, although it has a
surprisingly mild flavour with a fruity tang that you might not be expecting.
Taleggio can be eaten with radicchio or rucola salads, with spices and
tomato on bruschetta, or melted into risotto or on polenta.
Stracchino
Also known as crescenza, this rich and creamy cheese and is most
comparable to Gorgonzola, although at room temperature it is much softer
and more spreadable.
Produced from cow’s milk in the northern parts of Italy, it is usually eaten
on its own but is also used as a filling in some breads.
Asiago
The texture of this cow’s milk cheese varies, depending on how long it has
been aged, starting out very smooth before ending up with a crumbly
texture once it has fully aged.
Crumbly Asiago is often grated into a variety of meals such as salads, soups,
pasta and sauces, while the creamy variety is used on paninis and
sandwiches.
There are many similar varieties produced around the world in the US, but
as a protected product, only that which is produced around the Asiago
Plateau can truly be considered Asiago.
Bel Paese
This semi-soft cow’s milk cheese has a mild and buttery taste and is most
comparable to mozzarella, although it has come tang and body.
With a pale and creamy yellow colour, Bel Paese is mainly used as a snack
or dessert cheese, although it is also melted for use with pizzas and in
casseroles too.
Burrata
Burrata refers to sacks of mozzarella which are filled with cream, giving it a
unique texture. It’s usually eaten with 24 hours and often served with salad,
prosciutto, bread and pasta.

At Bella Cosa, we make sure our menus feature the finest Italian ingredients
from across Italy. Our new Spring menu features some of the freshest
classics, along with some dishes you may not have tried before! Book a table
online or give our friendly team a call!