Favetta is a purée of broad beans that have been podded, boiled in salted water, drained, then mooshed to a paste. You then mix in olive oil, raisins and pepper (or cinnamon.) The purée is often used as a filling for other dishes.
Italian Food
Fernet Branca Bitters
Fernet Branca Bitters are made from a grape alcohol base, flavoured with over 40 ingredients, which include absinthe, aloe, anise seed, bay leaves, bitter orange, basil, cardamom, chamomile, cinchona bark, colombus, echinacea, galangal, gentian, liquorice, mushrooms, myrrh, nutmeg, peppermint, rhubarb, rue, saffron, sage, valerian and zedoary. It is aged in oak casks for a year,…
Fettuccine Alfredo Day
The 7th of February is a good day to blow up the myths about Fettuccine Alfredo. Its famous sauce is actually a by-product of cooking the pasta — classically, there was never any separate sauce recipe!
Fiano Grapes
The Fiano Grape, grown in Campania, Italy is said by its growers to be a very old Roman variety, the ones that the Romans called “apianus” (meaning loved by bees.) Others aren’t sure if this was the exact grape of this name. The grape was almost extinct but was brought back from the brink by…
Frappe (Biscuits)
In Italian, “frappe”, pronounced “FRA-pay”, are fried biscuits. They are made of flour, fat, egg yolks, egg, sugar, salt, and white wine. You make a dough of the above, roll it out, cut into shapes and deep-fry until golden brown. You then drain the biscuits, and dust them with icing sugar. The biscuits are served…
Frittata
Frittata © Leclaire & Schenk Frittata is an Italian egg dish. Eggs are combined with other ingredients such as meat, vegetables or seafood, then poured into a frying pan and cooked slowly. Sometimes the top is cooked by flipping the frittata over; sometimes it is cooked by placing the frittata in the oven (usually in…
Fritto Misto
Fritto Misto is an Italian dish of small pieces of various foods — meat, vegetables or seafood — that are battered and fried. The pieces of food are dipped in beaten egg and then breadcrumb, or dipped in batter, then fried in oil or in butter. Meat typically used can be lamb, liver, rabbit, veal,…
Gino d’Acampo
Gino d’Acampo is a celebrity Italian cook in England, known for his restaurant chain and television appearances. He also writes books and sells branded products in his name.
Gorgonzola Cheese
Gorgonzola cheese is an Italian blue cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk. Some versions are tangy and crumbly; milder versions tend to be creamy. Gorgonzola becomes very mild and sweet when used in cooking.
Grana Padano
Grana Padano cheese is a hard grating cheese that you use like Parmesan. Though less expensive, it is less well-known than Parmesan which has had better marketing. In Italy, however, Grana outsells Parmesan 10 to 1.
Granita
Granita is a Sicilian, dairy-free frozen dessert with ice granules in it. It is compared to a grainy gelato or sorbet. Your tongue should be able to feel the ice crystals in it. On hot summer mornings, some Sicilians will have it for breakfast, served in a glass along with a spoon to eat it,…
Grapeseed Oil
After grapes have been pressed for wine, they leave a residue call the “pomace”, which is the seeds, the skin and the stems. Sometimes this is used for making Grappa with; othertimes, it can be used for making oil with. The oil is pressed from the seeds, which constitute sometimes 30 to 40% of the…
Grappa
Grappa is a strong, almost brandy-like alcoholic digestif drink made from grape pomace (the skins, stems and seeds left over after pressing the grapes for wine.) You drink it after a meal at room temperature in very small amounts. It is usually clear, though aged varieties may be brownish from the wood they are aged…
Italian Flours
Italian flours (as of 2020) are graded by an Italian law passed in 2001. [1]Presidential decree # 187, 9 February 2001. “La legge italiana stabilisce chiaramente le caratteristiche e le eventuali denominazioni con il Decreto del Presidente della Repubblica n.187 del 9 febbraio 2001” DECRETO DEL PRESIDENTE DELLA REPUBBLICA 9 febbraio 2001, n.187. This law…
Italian Food
Perhaps more than any country, it’s hard to say of Italy that there is a national cuisine. While it is also hard to say this of France, Italy has had far more history and civilisations roll through it, with each leaving small pockets of themselves behind in their wake. Nor has Italy ever had the…
Italian Olives
Twenty-five percent of the olives grown in the world are grown in Italy. As of 2004, over 350 varieties of olive trees are cultivated throughout the country. Southern Italian olives yield far more oil than do northern ones. A tree in the south will produce about 20 litres of oil. The average oil yield per…
Italian Republic Day
The 2nd of June is Italian Republic Day. The day is marked with parades, ceremonies, concerts, soccer games, and eating everywhere.
Italian Seasoning
Italian seasoning is a mix of dried rubbed herbs that are “characteristically Italian.” You buy it already mixed in spice bottles. Generally, the mixture will include some or all of the items that follow: basil, coriander (sic), marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, savoury, thyme. There is even a mix called “New Orleans Italian Seasoning” (sic.) Substitutes…
Italian Sodas
To make Italian Sodas, you need plain fizzy water, though some people use Soda Water (aka Club Soda, the kind with bicarbonate of soda in it) and either don’t notice any appreciable taste impact, or like it. For the flavouring, you can buy the syrups at coffee shops, specialty food stores or Italian delis. Well-known…
Italian Vermouth
Italian Vermouth, when used without any qualification, means “red” vermouth. All vermouth starts as white wine. To make it red and to add flavouring, a caramel solution is added, along with additional flavourings. There are two main brands of Italian Vermouth; Martini & Rossi’s is more lemony tasting while Cinzano is more herb tasting. In…
La Tur Cheese
La Tur is a very soft northern Italian cheese. It is off-white to straw-coloured, with a wrinkled rind. Inside, it is so runny that it is spoonable. It is quite smelly, and has a tangy, pungent, slightly mushroomy flavour.
Lardo
Lardo is lard that has been treated in such a way that it ends up becoming a charcuterie that melts in your mouth. What was just “pork fat” is transformed into a luxury food item.It is not the same as “Lard”, which is rendered and clarified. It is made using fat from the pork belly…
Lardo di Arnad
Lardo di Arnad is pork lard prepared as a deli meat. It is served raw as an antipasto. It is made in Val d’Aosta, Italy using fat from the backs and shoulders of the pigs. The pigs must be at least 9 months old and weigh a minimum of 352 pounds (160 kg.) The pigs…
Limoncello
Limoncello is not a brand name, rather it is a generic name for a slightly sweet, lemon flavoured liqueur made in Italy on the Amalfi coast near Naples. Some brands are sweeter than others, some have a more bitter aftertaste. It is a popular summertime drink. Some people store it in the freezer to serve…