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Italian cuisine is much more than pasta and red sauce.

Pesto
To me, pesto is the taste of summer.  I plant basil seeds in my garden once the soil warms in the late spring, and then eagerly wait for bright green leaves for pesto.  It's delightful on crusty bread, pasta, or a sandwich.

2 cups  fresh basil
2 Tablespoons pine nuts
3/4 cup  good-quality olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup  freshly grated parmesan cheese

Blend basil and pine nuts in a food processor or blender (or better  yet, with mortar and pestle). Add garlic and dribble in olive oil while processor is in operation. Add salt and pepper and parmesan.  Blend until smooth. Use fresh (It can be frozen but will lose flavor and its beautiful deep green color).

Risotto
Risotto is an Italian comfort food made most often with Arborio rice, a short-grained variety, which absorbs a lot of liquid and becomes creamy. Rice is usually prepared by adding the liquid to the rice all at once and leaving it to cook, covered and unattended. With risotto, you add the hot liquid to the rice gradually, stirring constantly. The stirring is a lot of work, but the creamy risotto that results is worth the effort.  Once you learn the technique of making risotto, experiment with variations such as adding mushrooms, herbs, and/or vegetables.

1 medium yellow onion
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
5 cups or more chicken broth
2 cups Arborio rice (available in many supermarkets or specialty food stores)
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Peel and finely chop the onion.  Melt the butter in a 4-to-5-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Add the onion and cook, continuing to stir, until it turns soft and translucent. Meanwhile, pour the chicken broth into a separate saucepan, set over medium heat, and bring to a gentle simmer.

Once the onion is soft, add the rice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary -- if the rice is cooked at too high a heat, it will turn brown and take on an unpleasant flavor.  Using a ladle, scoop up about 1/2 cup of broth. Pour it in the pan with the rice, stirring constantly with a spoon. After the first addition of broth, the rice mixture will look a bit soupy.  As the rice begins to cook, stir it constantly, making sure that you scrape along the bottom of the pan so that it does not stick. You should see little bubbles popping up on the liquid from time to time. If it bubbles more vigorously than this, turn the heat down to medium-low.  When most of the liquid is absorbed into the rice and the rice begins to look a bit dry, add another ladle of broth to the pan and stir constantly, as before.  Continue to add the broth in 1/2 batches and stir the rice until you have used most of the broth (this will probably take about 20 minutes). It is now time to test whether the risotto is cooked. Spoon up a grain of rice and bite into it -- it should be tender without being too mushy. If it is still crunchy and tastes a bit starchy, you will need to continue adding liquid and cooking further.

Because of variations in rice and cooking temperatures, you may need more liquid than called for in the recipe. If so, heat another cup or 2 of chicken broth.

When the rice is tender and the risotto has a creamy consistency, almost like thick oatmeal, it's is done.  Add salt and pepper to the risotto, about 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until it seems well seasoned to you. Stir.  Add the grated Parmesan cheese and stir well.  Serve the risotto immediately in warm bowls and have extra grated Parmesan on hand.

Osso Bucco (Braised veal shanks)
This is a traditional Milanese dish. The veal shanks are cooked in a tasty tomato wine sauce until fall-off-the-bone tender and are then sprinkled with a zesty gremolata topping. Paired with saffron flavored risotto, as in Risotto Milanese, this is a dish perfect for any special occasion.

6 Crosscut Veal Shanks (2 Inch Thick)
1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
Salt & Pepper
1/2 Cup Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, Finely Chopped
3 Stalks Of Celery, Finely Chopped
2 Cloves Of Garlic, Minced
2 Carrots, Finely Chopped
1/2 Bottle Dry White Wine
1 Cup Chopped Tomatoes

Topping:
Finely Grated Zest Of 2 Lemons
1 Clove Garlic Finely Minced
4 Tablespoons Fresh, Chopped Parsley

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Dust each shank with flour, salt and pepper. In a large oven proof pan, melt 1/2 the butter with the oil, and brown the shanks well on both sides. Remove to a separate plate and pour off any fat. Add the remaining butter and the vegetables. Sauté the vegetables until tender. Add the wine, scrape up any brown bits on the bottom, bring to a boil and reduce. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Return the shanks to the pan, cover and place in the oven for at least 2/1/2 hours. Mix together the gremolata topping, and serve one shank per person with some sauce ladled on top. Sprinkle with the gremolata topping and serve with Risotto Milanese alongside.

Baba al Rum
For the dough:
1 ounce yeast
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
pinch of salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter
4 Tablespoons raisins
For the syrup:
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup rum

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of warm milk and 4 tablespoons flour.  Work into a dough.  Place dough in a bowl, cover, and let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes or until double in size.  Mix the remaining flour, a pinch of salt, the eggs, sugar, butter and fermented dough.  Soak the raisins in lukewarm water, then squeeze out the excess water and add them to the dough.  Pour the mix in a large, buttered, sugar-dusted ring mold and let rise again, in a warm place, until it doubles in size (approximately one hour).  Bake at 375ºF for 45 minutes.  Prepare a syrup by dissolving the sugar in the water, over a low flame.  Add the rum.  Unmold the babà while still warm.  Soak with the rum syrup and serve.

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This page last updated on 07/04/2003