Top Italian Restaurant Recipes

Bella Italia! Famous for art, romance, beautiful landscapes, culture, style and above all for it its fabulous cuisine. Best known for pizza and pasta, Italian cuisine is indeed much more varied, offering delicious meat and fish dishes, cheeses as far as the eye can reach and excellent desserts. Authentic Italian food is broadly speaking rather simple, making use of basic ingredients like olive oil, tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil and oregano.

A typical Italian meal is a lengthy process, with several distinct courses: Antipasto (Appetizer), Primo (First Course), Secondo (Second Course) accompanied with a side dish and bread, Fromaggio e Frutta (Cheese and Fruit plate), Dolce (Dessert), Caffe (Coffee), and Digestivo (Liquor for digestion).  

Antipasto is a smaller sized dish, usually just a little something to quicken the appetite. One among the many tasty appetizers is Bruschetta (pronounced “brusketta”), sliced, toasted Italian bread brushed with good quality olive oil, then rubbed with garlic and covered with pieces of fresh tomato and basil.

Another great appetizer is Insalata Caprese – slices of sun-ripened tomatoes and mozzarella, drizzled with fine olive oil and garnished with fresh basil leaves.  

In Italy, soup, pasta, polenta and risotto are all considered fist courses, served in smaller sizes than the main course. Minestrone, a thick, hearty vegetable soup, most often with the addition of pasta or rice, is a truly Italian dish. This rich in vegetable soup is not only healthy and delicious, but is also great for a meatless day.  

In Italy, pasta is not made to be a mere carrier of the sauce, but pasta and sauce should complement each other. Italian pasta comes in all sizes and shapes: Canneloni, Farfalle, Gnocchi, Lasagne, Linguine, Macaroni, Penne, Spaghetti, Tortellini. Choosing the right pasta shape can often enhance a particular sauce through flavor and texture. For example, thicker pasta shapes like fettuccine are perfect for heavy sauces such as alfredo sauce, a luxurious blend of cream, butter and Parmesan cheese.  

Following the first course, it’s time for the second course (main course) which usually consists of either meat, poultry or fish, sometimes even vegetarian dishes. A platter of vegetables or salad mostly accompanies the main course.

A Dolce ends a typical Italian meal. Desserts range from a bowl of fruit, Italian cookies (biscotti) to cakes. Tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert and ideal for anyone who enjoys Italian cuisine. Made of savoiardi (lady fingers) dipped in coffee and mascarpone cream, Tiramisu literally means “pick me up” and is a definite must-eat.