Minestrone Romagna Style by John Spottiswood

This is the way minestrone is made in Romagna. It's not a lot of prep time, but you simmer the soup for a long time until all of the vegetable flavors mellow into one mild but delicious soup. The subtle flavors of this soup are even more delicious the next day, so it is a good dish to prepare in advance of guests arriving for a…

Basil Dipping Oil by Bob Vincent

This is an easy and quick dipping oil. It is a nice dipping oil for freshly baked breads. I did not add salt, pepper or other ingredients that may seem appropriate. The oil is basically pesto sauce without, pine nuts, cheese and garlic. It makes a great base for a tasty bruschetta with tomatos and mozzarella when tomatos are at…

Ricotta and Greens or Spinach Pasta by John Spottiswood

This is another excellent dish that takes advantage of delicious and healthy greens. This is a Sicilian dish that I absolutely love. Our kids all went back for seconds. It's also quite beautiful...the lousy picture I took does not do it justice. A healthy and yummy treat! This is also adapted from Red White and Greens by Faith…

Chilled Italian Zucchini Appetizer by John Spottiswood

This is a fantastic recipe that I adapted from Marcella Hazen. She recommends serving this at room temperature, but I've had a similar broccoli appetizer at a great local Italian restaurant and they chill it, so I thought I would too. I think it would be great either way. If it's hot out, and a chilled appetizer would be nice, then…

Spinach and Ricotta Balls - Gnudis by John Spottiswood

I've been looking for tasty ways to cook spinach and wild greens because they are so healthful. This one is fantastic. These are called Gnudis in Florence because they are "nude", e.g. missing the pasta on the outside. These are sort of like a spinach ravioli without the pasta. If that doesn't sound all that flavorful to you, wait…

Bread Soup by Judy Rodgers

Here is an easy-to-remember recipe for delicious, hearty Tuscan-style bread and vegetable soup. It calls for equal amounts of each vegetable, and then you build the soup starting with the firmest vegetables, finishing with the tenderest ones. You can certainly adjust, or estimate, the amounts of any or all ingredients, but if you’ve…

Asparagus risotto by Alida

I find cooking asparagus in a risotto makes the dish particularly creamy. As for any risotto you have to add a nod of butter at the end. In Italy we call this "mantecare" which means stirring the butter into the risotto after it has been cooked. This will make it creamy and translucent and will add extra flavour.

Amaretti and Pumpkin Gnocchi by Evelyn Scott

(Gnocchi di Amaretti e Zucca)

Giadiniera Italiana by Evelyn Scott

This is a great side dish

EARLY SUMMER VEGETABLE SOUP WITH MINT PISTOU by Draeger's Cooking School