Italian Cooking - True Italian cooking is arguably one of the most delightful cuisines in the world. Italian cooks take their food selection, preparation and enjoyment very seriously. Every meal is a family celebration, each course enjoyed with lots of conversation. A meal in Italy is purely delightful.
Italian cooks insist on the very freshest foods. Perhaps more than any other culture, Italian cooking focuses on the season. Many Italian cookbooks present chapters of recipes by season. Italian cooking is very visual as well. The Italian cook pleases both eye and palate.
Catherine dè Medici brought fifty cooks with her when she traveled to France to marry Henry II! Nonetheless, she was influenced by French cooking techniques and their incomparable sauces. Today, the French influence is still found in regions of Italy which border France.
Italian cooking, in all other regions of Italy, remains much as it has for centuries. Each region has foods not found in other areas.
In southern Italy, you’ll find olive oil, tomatoes, peppers, pasta and eggplant to be the staples of their cuisine. Fish and shellfish dominate the coastal regions. Northern Italy, with its’ large dairy stocks, favor butter rather than olive oil, with an emphasis on polenta and breads, compared to pasta in the south.
Fresh mozzarella cheese is abundant in southern Italy, made from water buffalo milk. There is no more tasty cheese than fresh water buffalo mozzarella! Pair this with tomatoes and basil for a wondrous treat.
Italian cooking aims for simplicity, relying on the quality and freshness of the local and seasonal foods to speak for themselves. Fish are often simply grilled, splashed with olive oil and dressed with a wedge of lemon. Italian cooking methods and techniques allow the exquisite and delicate flavors of the food to come through in all their glory, not disguised or amended with overpowering sauces.
Italian cooks have dozens of variations of pasta suitable for any dish. Long, flat, ribbons, spirals and curls are some of the common shapes. Italian cooking matches the pasta to the ingredients. Spirals and curls are designed to capture a thick or meaty sauce, while the long flat types are best with delicate thinner sauces.
Italy lays claim to about 450 different types of cheeses. A virtual cheese lover’s heaven. Then there are mushrooms, truffles, olives and the most spectacular selection of produce you could hope to find.
With such a diversity of seasonal fresh foods, it’s indeed a wonder that Italian cooking is never “overdone”. Instead, you find an almost infinite set of combinations comprising each region’s cuisine, producing so many unique and simple dishes.
Bread is an art in Italian cooking, and is served with each meal, balancing texture and taste in a symphonic orchestration with its’ companion foods.
If you can’t visit Italy now, surf the net for authentic recipes. Italian cooking is simple, fresh, full of flavor and one of the heart-healthiest cuisines on the planet!
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Rotisserie Cooking (1)
...using this method but chicken, lamb and pork do seem to suit it best. Placing vegetables such as peppers between the pieces of meat all adds to the taste. There are classic traditions in...
Slow Cookers (2)
...Here are some reasons to tempt you. You can cook chili, soup, a roast, corned beef and a host of other dishes in this handy appliance. The best of the slow cookers many virtues is the...
Barbecue Sauce Recipe (3)
...and have experimented in the kitchen for years. I have developed several recipes. My most famous accomplishment is a barbecue sauce recipe. Several years ago my husband and I were hosting...
Chocolate Brownies (4)
...Of course, you must love chocolate, and after all, it’s good for you; it’s considered a major food group by adolescents and women of all ages. You can’t ever go wrong bringing...
Chocolate Cake Recipe (5)
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Chocolate Fudge (6)
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Easy Dinner Recipes (7)
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Greek Recipes (8)
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Healthy Lunch Recipes (9)
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Beef Jerky Recipes (10)
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Cereal Boxes (11)
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Chocolate Covered Strawberries (12)
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Coffee Machine (13)
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Dunkin Donuts Coffee (14)
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Ice Cream Machine (15)
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Italian Cooking (16)
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Jobs For Cooks (17)
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Low Acid Coffee (18)
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Books For Cooks (19)
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Easy Dinner (20)
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Kitchen Scale (21)
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Low Fat Cooking (22)
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Simple Recipes (23)
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Electric Ice Cream Maker (24)
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Kitchen Gadgets (25)
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Cake Decorating Magazine (26)
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Chocolate Cake Recipe (27)
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Chocolate Chip Cookies (28)
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Healthy Dinner Recipes (29)
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Kitchen Equipment (30)
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Low Carb Cooking (31)
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Southern Living Cookbook (32)
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Baby Feeding (33)
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Barbecue Sauce Recipe (34)
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Barbeque Ribs (35)
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Bbq Sauce (36)
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Beef Jerky Recipes (37)
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Belgian Chocolate (38)
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Birthday Cake (39)
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Birthday Candles (40)
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Bottled Drinking Water (41)
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Broiler Pan (42)
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Burr Coffee Grinder (43)
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Cake Designs (46)
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Camping Cookware (47)
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Ceramic Coffee Mug (48)
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Cereal Boxes (49)
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Chef Choice Knife Sharpener (50)
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Chef Hat (51)
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Chicken Dinner (52)
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Chile Pepper Magazine (53)
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Chocolate Apples (54)
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Chocolate Brownies (55)
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Chocolate Cake Recipe (56)
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Chocolate Chip Cookies (57)
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Chocolate Covered Potato Chips (58)
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Chocolate Covered Strawberries (59)
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Chocolate Factory (60)
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Chocolate Fondue Fountain (61)
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Chocolate Peanut Butter (62)
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Coffee Can (63)
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Coffee Machine (64)
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Coffee Of The Month Clubs (65)
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Coffee Shop (66)
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Cooking Courses (67)
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Cooking For 2 (68)
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Creme Brulee Torch (69)
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Crock Pot Soup (70)
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Cuisinart Grind And Brew Coffee Maker (71)
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Custom Coffee Cup (72)
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Dunkin Donuts Coffee (75)
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Easy Dinner (76)
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Food Containers (77)
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Food Poisoning (78)
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Fresh Seafood (79)
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Frying Pan (80)
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Gaggia Coffee Machine (81)
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George Foreman Indoor Outdoor Grill (82)
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German Chocolate Cake (83)
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Grocery Shopping (84)
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Healthy Breakfast (85)
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Hot Peppers (91)
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Ice Cream Franchises (93)
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Italian Cooking (95)
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