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A Deli Owner's Guide to Shopping Italian Style

Plucking up the courage to ask your deli owner for advice on what to buy is the first step towards learning how to shop like an Italian....

A Guide to Antipasti

Antipasti serves to tickle the tastebuds of your guests. Here are some great ideas for quick and easy antipasti....

A Guide to Making Lasagne

Another classic pasta dish from the clever people of Bologna...

A Romantic Italian Meal For Valentines Day

Some great ideas for creating a truly romantic Valetines treat for your loved one....

Aperitivi, Digestivi and Other Mealtime Drinks

Raising a glass to the perfect host...

Artichokes in Italian Cooking

The artichoke is one of nature’s more eccentric invention...

Bagna Cauda

Bagna cauda is a taste of the great outdoors...

Balsamic Vinegar and How to Use it

Balsamic vinegar - Modena's mean and moody masterpiece...

Basic Recipe for Italian Bread

Italian bread is simplicity itself...

Buon Natale - Christmas Italian Style

Create the perfect feast day...

Celebrating Easter Italian Style

Good food and wine are the perfect combination when planning an Italian-style Easter Sunday lunch that will live long in the memory....

Chilli and Coriander Italian Style

Peperoncino provides intensity of flavour...

Ciabatta

Try your hand at baking some home-made Italian bread...

Classic Italian Frittelle

The fritter is one of the Italian classics and we show you how to make a variety of these different fritelle....

Coffee Machines

The art of coffee making at home has become serious business...

Cooking a Basic Risotto

Follow the basic rules and your risotto can't go wrong...

Cooking Authentic Pizza

How to turn your kitchen into a pizza parlour...

Da Piero: Interview With Award Winning Restaurateur

Simple yet beautifully executed dishes have led to a series of rave reviews for a Wirral-based Italian chef and ensured his reservations book is full for the foreseeable future...

Different Pasta Shapes

There's more to the range of pasta shapes than meets the eye...

Do You Know Your Autumnal Ingredients?

Autumn in Italy means meaty braises, hearty soups and robust red wines. This fun quiz offers a taste of what will be served on tables from Milan to Messina...

Dried Pasta

Competition in the dried pasta market is at boiling point...

Entertaining Italian Style

Ensuring everyone has a buona sera or good evening, Italian style, involves sharing your kitchen and taking your time....

Favourite Italian Soups

Hearty soups are an important part of Italy's rich rural tradition...

Fennel in Italian Cooking

Don't be fooled by fennel's unsubtle appearance...

Fish: Baked, Grilled or Fried?

Three methods for making the most of your catch...

Fresh Pasta and How to Make it

Flour and eggs is all you need to begin making your own delicious fresh pasta...

Fruits of the Forest: Mushroom Hunting Season

The Italian mushroom hunting season began with the tragic death of a number of hunters. However the fatalities are unlikely to deter the thousands of enthusiasts who head out every autumn in search of...

Gnocchi and How to Use it

Gnocchi are easy to make and melt in the mouth...

Gorgonzola and Other Classic Italian Blue Cheeses

Gorgonzola is one of the strongest characters on the cheeseboard - read on to find out how it's produced and learn about the varieties: Dolcelatte and Piccante...

Guide to Italian Salad Leaves

Mix and match varieties of salad leaves to provide an interesting combination of taste and texture...

Have You Got the Stomach for a Lampredotto?

A lampredotto is as florentine as the frescoes, churches and palazzi that attract millions of tourists every year to the city on the Arno. However, it's fair to say some find this taste of Tuscany a l...

History of Pasta

Pasta has enjoyed a long and colourful history...

History of Rice

To the Italians, rice means risotto...

How Garlic is Used in Italian Cuisine

Don't be too quick to reach for the garlic...

How Italians Cook With Offal

Offal provides some of the tastiest cuts of meat. Here you'll find some suggestions for cooking tripe and calf's liver....

How to Cook Pasta

Overcooking pasta is a recipe for disaster...

How to Make Amaretto Cheesecake

Almonds offer a true slice of la dolce vita...

How To Make Chocolate Amaretti Cake

Bake a cake with the sweet taste of Saronno...

How to Make Farinata: Italian Pancakes

How to make pancakes: Italian style...

How to Make Insalata Tricolore

How to make Insalate Tricolore, a salad with ingredients that make up the colours of the Italian Flag....

How to Make Pizza Dough

Making your own pizza dough couldn't be simpler...

How to Make Traditional Sweet Ravioli

Keep the family sweet with a fruity alternative to traditional ravioli...

How to Use Polenta

Polenta is a yellow corn meal enjoyed in many forms both sweet and savoury. Here are some ideas for using polenta....

Insalate Di Frutta: Fruit Salads With a Difference

Juicy, sweet summer fruits in tandem with salty meat or cheese give a whole new meaning to fruit salad. They also make a great combination for either a lunch or evening starter...

Interesting Additions to a Risotto

The regions of northern Italy are a rich source of risotto recipes...

Italian Beef Dishes

The best quality Italian beef speaks for itself. Fiorentina and carpaccio are great examples of how the Italians cook with beef....

Italian Beers: What to Look For

Here you'll find an interesting history of Italian beermaking including Peroni and Moretti....

Italian Chefs' Campaign to Protect Ragu Bolognese: Case Study

Italian chefs around the world are united in their struggle to defend the character of ragù Bolognese in the face of the many pale imitations served with spaghetti....

Italian Chicken Dishes

Chicken is the perfect foil for a great many seasonal ingredients. Here are some simple Italian style chicken dishes for you to try....

Italian Coffee Beans

Enjoy the taste and aroma of Italy’s caffè society...

Italian Cookery Courses

Cookery courses allow individuals to broaden their knowledge of Italian recipes and explore the sights and smells of the countryside that inspired them....

Italian Cooking Terms

The Italian language of food is as flavoursome as their actual cooking....

Italian Cured Meats and Sausages

Cured meat offers a slice of real Italian life...

Italian Food Retailers on the Internet

The net offers a valuable source of Italian ingredients...

Italian Food: the Perfect Way to Get Kids Cooking

What better way to encourage children's interest in food than by setting them simple tasks in the kitchen that feed on their love of textures and colours? There's the added bonus of a tasty end produc...

Italian Ice Cream Desserts

No doubt about it, the Italians have a sweet tooth...

Italian Liqueurs: Sambuca, Grappa, Martini and Others

A guide to some of the more famous Italian alcoholic beverages: from the famous vermouth martini to liqueurs sambuca and grappa....

Italian New Year Celebrations

Sausage and lentils represents a rich combination...

Italian Slow Cooker Recipes

Two delicious and authentic Italian recipes to cook in your slow cooker...

Italian Wines from Lazio to Sicily

Sample some southern Italian red and white wines with our suggestions for which wines to look for and where from Lazio to Sicily....

Italian Wines From Tuscany to Lazio

Tuscany remains the flagship region of the Italian wine trade...

Italian Wines: The Rise of the Super Tuscans

Super Tuscans epitomise the attention to detail of the region’s wine makers...

Italians and Coffee

The local bar owner has a shot of caffeine for every occasion...

Italy: The Cafe Society

Italians have coffee drinking down to a fine art...

Italy's Wine Industry

Quality is the key to the appeal of Italian wines...

Lamb in Italian Cooking

Spring lamb offers a mouth watering main course or appetiser and we've included recipes for Abbacchio and Costolette in parmesan....

Lardo: Fat Isn't a Dirty Word in Italy

Pig fat in the form of lardo is a sweet, creamy taste sensation that reflects the care and attention Italians pay to both their food and the livestock that provides it....

Mastering the Art of Making Gelato

Students are heading to a university in Emilia Romagna to learn the secrets of Italy's world famous frozen dessert. Their aim? To return home and begin a new career running their very own gelateria....

Minestrone

In Italy, vegetable soup means minestrone...

Monte Bianco: Iconic Chestnut and Chocolate Cake

Named after the largest peak in the Alps, Monte Bianco is a natural wonder of the Italian dessert trolley....

Mushrooms and Truffles in Italian Cooking

Mushrooms and truffles offer the earthiest of pleasures on a plate...

Music Italian Style

How to hit the right notes when entertaining Italian Style....

Nutmeg and Cinnamon Italian Style

Nutmeg and cinnamon have savoury and sweet functions...

Olive Oil Production

Olive oil is big business in Italy. There are key factors which lend their own characteristics to olive oil's flavour, such as harvesting time and temperature....

Onions, Carrot and Celery

Great dishes are all about preparing the vegetables properly...

Parmigiano Reggiano: Parmesan and its Uses

Why parmigiano is a cut above the rest...

Parsley and Sage in Italian Cooking

The verdant delights of parsley and sage...

Pecorino

Pecorino is a grating cheese that packs more of a punch...

Pesto Sauce

Pesto is the pride of Liguria...

Pizza

The art of pizza making is as dramatic as the delicious result...

Pizza Margherita

Margherita, the undisputed queen of the pizzeria...

Pizza Quattro Stagione

Quattro stagioni offers four pizzas in one...

Polenta and How to Cook it

Polenta means a molten yellow mass of goodness...

Pork in Italian Cuisine

Pork offers an abundance of delicious dishes in Italian cuisine, from pancetta to meatballs. Here are some great recipes ideas....

Quiz: How Well Do You Know Italian Food?

Put your reputation as a knowledgeable Italian food lover on the line by rising to the challenge and providing all the right answers....

Quiz: How Well Do You Know Pizza and Pasta?

Pizza and pasta are responsible for making Italian cuisine arguably the best loved food in the world. But how tasty is your recipe and ingredient knowledge? Try these 25 questions for starters....

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Pasta Shapes

Know your linguine from your lasagnette? Then how about putting your money where your mouth is with a friendly bet about who can score the most in this 15 question pasta quiz....

Ragu Bolognese

Ragu bolognese is the quintessential Italian pasta sauce...

Regional Italian Foods

Italy's rich tradition of cuisine means that whether in the north south, east or west, you are never far from a good meal....

Restaurant Food Spellings: I Say Panino - You Say Panini

Some of the liberties taken with the Italian language by restaurants and cafes are a little hard to swallow. Especially when authenticity is supposedly the basis of their business plan....

Risotto Milanese

Risotto Milanese is the king of Italian rice dishes...

Ristorante, Trattoria, Osteria: What's the Difference?

Price and level of service distinguish the three main types of eatery to be found in the towns and cities of Italy. What all three have in common is an ability to deliver memorable dishes...

Rosemary and Thyme Italian Style

Roasts for Rosemary and Thyme for braises. Italians love rosemary and thyme, read on for some ideas of how to use these ubiquitous herbs....

Seafood or 'Frutti del Mare' in Italian Cooking

Thousands of miles of coastline provide Italy with its fruits of the sea...

Serving Dishes and Equipment

Dinner parties Italian-style need not overwhelm the dishwasher...

Should Grated Cheese Always Follow Pasta?

As a basic rule the decision to add cheese as a garnish comes down in principle to whether the sauce is based on products sourced from the land or sea....

Smartphone Apps for Italian Food Lovers

The popularity of Italian food has not gone unnoticed by publishers anxious to ensure their app takes pride of place on as many smartphone screens as possible. Here's a guide to some of them....

Some Italian Shellfish Dishes

Take the plunge with some seafood specialities...

Spinach in Italian Cooking

Spinach is a tasty and versatile vegetable...

The Importance of Food in Italian Culture

Food inhabits every aspect of Italy's daily life...

The Perfect Slow Cooker Ragu

An authentic Italian recipe for a delicious ragu that's perfect cooked in the slow cooker....

The Rise of l'Alta Cucina in Italian Cuisine

Taking cuisine to new heights of artistic interpretation is the goal of l'alta cucina...

The Slow Food Movement: Case Study

Fears that food was increasingly seen as merely a fuel rather than an important aspect of family life contributed to the creation of the Slow Food movement in Italy almost 25 years ago....

The Structure of an Italian meal

Time and energy are required to create an Italian evening to remember...

The Top Italian Beers

Fancy a beer with your arrabbiata?...

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is the perfect way to end the evening meal...

Tomatoes and the Italian Culture

Tomatoes are one of the stars of Italian cooking...

Top 10 Italian Cookbooks

Whether you are starting out on your culinary journey, or eager for specialist insight on individual regions, there is a multitude of tasty tomes covering Italian cuisine. Here is a top 10 worth leafi...

Types of Olive Oil

When it comes to olive oil, it's got to be extra virgin every time...

Using Basil in Italian Cooking

Basil is the quintessential Italian herb; used in dishes from insalata tricolore to pesto....

Using Fennel and Oregano in Italian Dishes

Fennel and oregano possess distinctive accents of the Mediterranean...

Utensils and Equipment for Cooking Great Pasta

it pays to have the right kitchen equipment to cook pasta...

Veal and Its Use in Italian Cooking

Veal is the basis for some of Italy's most famous dishes. Here's how to make breaded veal, Osso Bucco and Saltimbocca....

Which Italian Cheeses to Serve?

Italy has a rich tradition of master cheesemaking - here are some ideas of which cheese to expect, where and how to serve....

Which Rice to Use for Risotto?

The science of risotto is an absorbing subject...

Why Buy Italian Sauces in a Jar?

Simplicity is the key to Italian food - just fresh, high-quality ingredients combined with a little care and attention. Which is why it takes no longer to prepare your own sauce than it does to open a...

Why Capri is the Place to Enjoy Torta Al Limone

The island of Capri will be a more tranquil place this summer thanks to restrictions on the use of noisy machinery. Which is good news for those who like their dessert garnished with a little peace an...