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

From the category archives:

Tips & Technique

Goodbye Espresso Machine

May 5, 2011

Many may be surprised to learn that it’s not the least like dust dissolved in hot water. It can be delicious, if you learn how to use the Moka. It’s not pushbutton coffee, it requires judgment to do well.

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Thumbnail image for Italian Custard Pie Recipe: Torta Della Nonna and a review of two new google rich snippets recipe plugins

Italian Custard Pie Recipe: Torta Della Nonna and a review of two new google rich snippets recipe plugins

March 16, 2011

After all the discussion of the new google mandates and just trying to figure out what a rich snippet is and figure out which google recipe plugins we should use, we will all need something sweet to pick us up. Since our girls are very much into baking, I thought it would be good for them to make one of the Sorelle Simili, the Simili sisters, fabulous treats, their Torta Della Nonna, or Grandmother’s cake. Long ago the sister’s had given their recipe of this homey and comforting pie to Giuliano. I thought it was a perfect chance for the girls to learn how to make custard and to roll out pie dough.

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Cooking with Olive Oil

March 10, 2011

The smoke point for good quality EVOO is around 200o C, which is more than hot enough for frying. The interesting thing is that the cheap oil you are recommending has a lower smoke point than EVOO. …Do you know what really matters in the end? It’s how the food you cook tastes. There is no more powerful agent for good flavor than genuine EVOO.

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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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Italian Béchamel Sauce

January 31, 2011

The creamy, rich white sauce is easy to make but requires a bit of patience. Don’t worry if it doesn’t thicken right away, it will eventually so don’t panic and add more flour.

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The Easy Way to Finely Chop an Onion

January 7, 2011

You can quickly and easily very finely dice an onion with only two cuts. A horizontal cut is not necessary as long as your lengthwise cuts follow the shape of the onion and resemble the spokes of a cartwheel. The important thing is to make all your cuts close together.

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Peeling a Raw Pepper

January 5, 2011

There are two reasons why Italians peel peppers.  The first is that the skin is tough no matter how long the pepper is cooked.  The second, and more important, is that the skin has a bitter flavor that can permeate a dish when peppers are cooked with their skins on. 1.  Cut the pepper open [...]

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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 The secret to making cardoons tender and sweet, a quick and easy fall recipe

The secret to making cardoons tender and sweet, a quick and easy fall recipe

November 8, 2010

Of course, most children won’t like anything remotely bitter, but I’ve discovered how to eliminate that bitterness, and our kids, who love artichokes, also love cardoons.

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Easy White Rice Recipe

October 3, 2010

This is how my grandmother used to cook rice, and it’s a foolproof easy recipe. I use the same rice I use for risotto, which comes out slightly sticky but I love its starchy flavor. It’s also good with basmati rice or good plain white rice.

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The Easy Way to Finely Chop an Onion

August 22, 2010

from How to Cook Italian, by Giuliano Hazan 1.  Cut off the top of the onion, but not the root end with a chef’s knife, then cut the onion in half lengthwise and remove the skin. 2.  Place the onion cut side down and use the tip of your knife to make lengthwise cuts close together, [...]

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Peeling and Deveining Shrimp

August 22, 2010

from How to Cook Italian, by Giuliano Hazan 1.  Pry open the shell from the belly of the shrimp, working your way to the tail. 2.  Snap the center part of the tail back then gently pull the shell off by grabbing the very tip of the tail.  You should end up with the flesh [...]

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Increasing and Decreasing Number of Servings

August 22, 2010

from How to Cook Italian, by Giuliano Hazan When a recipe serves 4 people but you want to cook for 2 or maybe 8 or 12, you don’t simply divide or multiply the quantities of ingredients.  In general, the ingredients that make up the bulk of the dish, meats, vegetables, tomatoes, can all be multiplied, as [...]

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How to Cut a Chicken into 12 Pieces

August 22, 2010

from How to Cook Italian, by Giuliano Hazan 1.  Pull the legs away from the body and cut at the upper joint with a heavy knife or cleaver to remove the leg and thigh from the body. 2.  Run your finger on the inside of the leg to find the joint that attaches the drumstick [...]

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Basic Techniques for using a Chef’s Knife

August 22, 2010

from How to Cook Italian, by Giuliano Hazan 1. Hold the knife close to the blade with your index finger on the blade itself for better control 2.  Hold the food with your fingers curled in so that your knuckles are touching the blade, not your fingertips. 3.  Always move the knife in a back [...]

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