Historic 16th Century Villa Giona in the gastronomic heart of northern Italy

From the category archives:

Primi/First Courses

Spaghetti with Melon: A Luscious Summer Pasta

June 29, 2011

My mother-in-law, Marcella Hazan, started making this cantaloupe pasta dish at home and now Giuliano often makes it when we have friends over. Once it is cooked, the melon is mostly unrecognizable and it’s great fun seeing if people can guess what the sauce’s “secret” ingredient is. The freshness of the dish is soothing on a hot evening and takes full advantage of the bounty of summer.

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Thumbnail image for Spaghetti alla Norma Recipe

Spaghetti alla Norma Recipe

May 13, 2011

This is a recipe we have taught in our home cooking class and is delicious. This dish was named after Vincenzo Bellini’s opera, Norma. It is a typical Sicilian pasta recipe, flavorful, fresh, and even vegetarian. It is exceptional with fresh farmer’s market produce.

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Pesto: The Taste Of Spring

April 13, 2011

The beauty of pesto is that it is easily freezable which makes it available at anytime. But to me, it is the quintessential spring dish. We tend to eat it in the traditional manner, just the pasta with a few boiled green beans and sliced potatoes; however, it is great as a primo, first dish, during an Easter Feast.

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Marcella Answers a Question about Risotto

March 4, 2011

A recent letter to Marcella and her answer: Here is the recipe for squash risotto. Dear Marcella I thought of you watching Top Chef these last couple of weeks. One chef used cream in his risotto, to make it creamy, and clearly that would make any student of yours upset. Then Tom Colicchio said that [...]

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Bolognese Lasagne

February 21, 2011

Lasagne makers are often judged on how many layers than can create. Five or six layers are considered the minimum for acceptability. Ooh’s and ahh’s occur the higher they go. For my birthday celebration, Giuliano created a spectacular 9-layer lasagne!

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Classic Bolognese Meat Sauce

February 7, 2011

In classic Bolognese, the sauce and the pasta are in symbiosis and enhance each other. This is one of those sauces that is best with homemade egg pasta, and is a delicacy that, in my family, we could eat weekly.

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Thumbnail image for Classic Tuscan Ribollita Soup

Classic Tuscan Ribollita Soup

January 17, 2011

Now when your local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm delivers a mountain of kale, you’ll know what to do with it. Both of our girls enjoyed this soup. In fact, our oldest, 11 year old Gabriella, brought it to school in her thermos for lunch and said that all of her friends were jealous. It is very easy to make and freezes well if you’ve made more than you need.

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Thumbnail image for Italian New Year’s Tortellini Recipe

Italian New Year’s Tortellini Recipe

January 3, 2011

In the Italian region where our family is from, Emilia Romagnia, a traditional New Year’s dish is Tortellini or Cappelletti: small filled pasta that is shaped, according to some, like a Bishops hat. Cappelletti means little hats, and New Year’s, Capo di Anno, is the hat or head of the year so it is an obvious pairing. They are at their best in a homemade meat broth but they are also delicious served with a cream sauce. However you choose to enjoy them, they are a delicacy to look forward to all year long.

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How to Make Homemade Pasta

December 28, 2010

Making pasta dough by hand is simple. Do not be discouraged by the length of my instructions. I have tried to describe as clearly as possible the method. With a little practice it will easily become second nature and you will have finished dough in less than 15 minutes.

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Thumbnail image for Leek and Chickpea Pasta Soup

Leek and Chickpea Pasta Soup

November 15, 2010

The leeks give a soft, sweet taste to this hearty soup and the chickpeas add an earthy balance. The prosciutto lends a savory flavor and Gabriella, our oldest, picked out the pieces to eat them by themselves. It is a perfect comfort soup, it takes less than an hour to make from start to finish, and most of the dish can be made ahead of time.

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Thumbnail image for Radicchio Pasta: A Quick Fall Food

Radicchio Pasta: A Quick Fall Food

November 1, 2010

One of our favorite methods is to make a pasta sauce with radicchio. When it is cooked, radicchio provides a rich deep flavor to a pasta sauce, and loses some of its bitter flavor.

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Thumbnail image for Fall Butternut Squash Risotto and the TODAY SHOW

Fall Butternut Squash Risotto and the TODAY SHOW

October 25, 2010

“How about making a risotto when I come in fall?” I suggested to my Today show producer.  “How about making two?” she replied.  Why not?  After all, if I’m lucky, I’ll have 4 whole minutes to do them in. Once, I was supposed to do two quick pastas and the time for the segment got [...]

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Thumbnail image for Pasta e Fagioli: Comfort Soup

Pasta e Fagioli: Comfort Soup

October 7, 2010

In the Veneto, where the texture of the thick and creamy soup is achieved by mixing in some mashed potato, it is traditionally made with borlotti beans (also known as cranberry beans) and bits of egg pasta.

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Thumbnail image for Fusilli with Broccoflower

Fusilli with Broccoflower

October 1, 2010

When asked about her favorite food, our six-year-old daughter, Michela, invariably names broccoli. The broccoli she’s so fond of is the Romanesco variety. Although it’s fairly new to suburban supermarkets in the United States, Romanesco broccoli has been known in Italy since the 16th century. Grown in the region of Lazio, of which Rome is [...]

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Fusilli with Butternut Squash

October 1, 2010

In Italy pumpkin would be used for this sauce, but I’ve found that butternut squash more closely resembles the flavor of Italian pumpkin than American pumpkin does. This sauce has been a hit with kids. I made this one day when my daughters had playmates over, and the five-to-nine year old crowd unanimously approved it!

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Thumbnail image for Penne with Peppers, Fresh Tomato and Basil

Penne with Peppers, Fresh Tomato and Basil

October 1, 2010

I often make a risotto with red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, and basil whose enticing colors and aroma make it one of my family’s favorites. The fresh and fragrant combination of flavors makes this dish a great light summer meal.

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Penne with Spinach and Ricotta

October 1, 2010

It occurred to me that it would make a very nice pasta sauce, so I added a little cream to the mixture and it was delicious — so much so that I’ve been making it just to use as a pasta sauce.

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Tagliatelle with Peas

October 1, 2010

One of our favorite recipes comes from a restaurant in the Veneto named Il Pompiere. The chef/owner Marco makes an egg pasta dish that is infused with the luscious pea flavor, but only when the peas from Peseggia are in season.

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Thumbnail image for Experience Rome with a Plate of Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Experience Rome with a Plate of Spaghetti alla Carbonara

August 17, 2010

If you close your eyes while you are eating this, you can imagine yourself in Rome, perhaps sitting across the table from Julia Roberts.

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Thumbnail image for Home from Camp and a Recipe for Pappardelle with Peppers and Sausage

Home from Camp and a Recipe for Pappardelle with Peppers and Sausage

August 10, 2010

This sauce is quick to make and is great comfort food. Gabriella perked right up and decided her father should teach cooking lessons at the camp because she wants to go again next year!

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Thumbnail image for Uncooked Sauce: A recipe for Spaghetti alla Checca

Uncooked Sauce: A recipe for Spaghetti alla Checca

June 21, 2010

This is a sauce for which you either harvest your own well loved tomatoes or purchase them from a local farmers market. No watery, flavorless tomatoes will do here.

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Thumbnail image for Recipe for Penne with Spinach and Ricotta and a Tip for Chopping Onions

Recipe for Penne with Spinach and Ricotta and a Tip for Chopping Onions

June 6, 2010

Photo by Joseph De Leo One of my favorite pasta dishes is tortelloni (the square ones, Romagna style) filled with Swiss chard and ricotta.  My fondness for the dish was evident from the time I was a small boy and my grandmother made them for me while my parents were away.  After polishing off a [...]

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Thumbnail image for Mushroom Medley Risotto Recipe

Mushroom Medley Risotto Recipe

May 26, 2010

I sliced the king oyster mushrooms but just cut off the root of the others and used them whole. I sautéed them with olive oil, onions, garlic, and parsley, then cooked the risotto. It was a hit and thoroughly enjoyed by the entire family along with a Morellino di Scansano (for Lael and me, of course).

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Thumbnail image for Continuing the celebration: A recipe for white truffle risotto

Continuing the celebration: A recipe for white truffle risotto

November 29, 2009

Usually truffles are eaten very simply. Either shaved over sunny side up eggs or egg pasta. They are often eaten only at special occasions like Christmas and New Year. Some people believe that truffles were the manna sent to the Israelites through Moses as they traveled through the desert for forty years.

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Thumbnail image for Timeless Rice, with a Recipe for Butternut Squash Risotto

Timeless Rice, with a Recipe for Butternut Squash Risotto

October 6, 2009

We have come to see the Gazzani rice mill. It has been in continuous operation since 1648 and still uses the mortar and pestle method that is found in only one other place in Italy.

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