Mary Ann Esposito makes Minestrone Genoa style. Also, Osvaldo's "secret" ravioli's with mushrooms.
Lasagne is an ancient food. The Romans were dishing it out during the heyday of the Roman Empire. A 14th-century cooking manuscript directs the cook to boil the lasagne noodles (made without eggs) in capon broth and then layer the noodles with grated cheese. In my version, freshly made noodles are layered with thin, lengthwise slices of eggplant and topped with tomato sauce.
My children have fond memories of making little dough bears from sweet bread dough at Christmastime. Early on the day we made them, I would get out everything we would need to bring the bears to life and give them personality: currants for the eyes, coarse sugar for the body, and pieces of colorful ribbons to tie as bows around their necks. What a time we had! I still make the sweet-tasting dough at holiday time, but I don’t have my children beside me to help. Still, every Christmas morning, I lay an army of little bears on the table and Beth and Chris are bambini once again.
Gracie's Pepper Rolls / Panini di Pepe alla Grazia Gracie La Puma, a good friend of my family’s, never arrived empty-handed on her frequent visits to our house; there was always just-baked bread or cookies “for the kids”. Her spicy, black pepper-flecked rolls were my favorite. I could never eat just one; I doubt you will either. I recently called her to get the recipe for those rolls. She is almost 90 years old, but her familiar voice came riveting over the phone as if she were standing right next to me. “Honeee, justa putta somma farina ina the wella; adda leetle yeast anda water and putta as mucha anice anda pepper youa wanta. Goda blessa honee. Howsa you maddar?”
Pork in Balsamic Vinegar / Maiale con Aceto Balsamico Umbria, the central region of Italy, is noted for its porchetta, or suckling pig, grilled on an open spit with fresh rosemary until the skin crackles and is almost bronze-colored. When I was studying the food of Umbria, I was inspired by the many ways pork is prepared, including this dish, which uses pork tenderloin. It is so easy to prepare and it can be cooked up to 3 days ahead. The marinade, which includes balsamic vinegar, gives the pork a flavor that is hard to beat.
When I was in Perugia, the capital city of the landlocked region of Umbria, I took a baking class from Signorina Carla Sandri, owner of Sandri’s Pasticceria. First on the day’s schedule was the making of the “eels of Trasimeno”, Trasimeno being the largest lake in central Italy, and a favorite vacation spot for Perugians. I didn’t dare ask how eels could fit into the category of pastry. I soon found out that these eels were made from almonds, candied fruit, and egg whites, shaped to look like the real thing. This is a very old recipe traditionally served at Christmas.
Fennel and Orange Salad This Sicilian salad is colorful and unusual. My grandmother used to tell us that when there was nothing to eat in Sicily, there were always tarocchi, or blood oranges, so called because of their deep red color. Blood oranges are available in late June and early July, but when I can’t get them, I use navel oranges.
Umbrian Griddle-Baked Flat Bread Flat bread cooked on a dry skillet is reminiscent of some of the first unleavened breads. In Umbria this has evolved into torta sul testo or bread baked in earthenware. I use a dry electric skillet. If you have a stove top griddle, that will work well too. Torta sul testo is often served with a stuffing of bitter greens such as spinach or broccoli rape; or serve them warm without a stuffing, accompanied by Pecorino cheese, and oil cured olives for an antipasto.
This fashionable dessert is made all over Italy but is said to have origins in the north. The importance of using the right ladyfingers is critical to the dessert. They must be dry and hard.
While most professional chefs in Italy are men, the one area that remains the domain of women is pasta fatta a mano, pasta made by hand. In most Italian restaurant kitchens, it is the women who produce the thinnest, sometimes almost translucent, sheets of pasta with only several forceful passes of the rolling pin – it takes me quite a bit longer. The matterello, or rolling pin, is thin and about two feet long, and the pasta dough yields in elastic submission to its sturdy shaping. My friend Maria, who makes all the pasta for Tre Vaselle in Torgiano, loves my version of a hand-rolled and stuffed pasta, which is first poached and then baked. I serve this spectacular dish as a first course or as a main course. You can make the filling and sauce a day ahead and refrigerate them until ready to use.
Taralli (Italian Crackers) Honey Balls / Struffoli It just wasn’t Easter in our house without struffoli, little fried puffs coated with honey. What was so memorable about them was not so much their sticky exterior but their special pyramid shape on the serving platter.
Mary Ann buys enough pasta to feed an army at Joe Pace’s Italian Grocery Store in Boston, MA. But she opts to cook her pasta in a skillet instead of a spaghetti pot, topping it with a delectable, porcini mushroom sauce.
Onions, eggplant – and cocoa? Mary Ann combines these three distinct ingredients to create a sweet and sour Sicilian antipasto delight that’s great for eating and for gift giving.
Mary Ann joins forces with Ciao Italia fan, Maria Esposito Castaldo. Together they prepare Maria’s potato gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce. Mary Ann returns to her own kitchen to create pumpkin gnocchi and other memorable dumplings.
Mary Ann’s grandmother’s eggs were wrapped in dough then deep-fried and topped with tomato sauce. They also found their way into a rich, vegetable “Poor Soup” a meal her grandmother made when she ran a boarding house. Both dishes guaranteed to keep stomachs filled and smiles on faces.
Mary Ann shows that although schiacciate means flat bread all across Italy, each region’s toppings vary greatly. So much so that you can’t tell one from the other except for one common characteristic: they all taste divine.
Mary Ann and her cousin, Costanza lose track of time while visiting a museum filled with Italian art. As a result, Mary Ann has to race back home and make dinner from scratch, turning what looks like ho-hum leftovers into a meal fit for royalty.
Mary Ann explains the history behind the origins of the Italian casserole, which was created to evade Renaissance “gluttony laws.” Pork, sausage, leeks and fresh herbs encased in delicate dough make this 14th century Italian casserole as timely today as it was then. Plus, you won’t get arrested for eating it!
The temperature’s rising and Mary Ann takes to the outdoors for an Italian cookout that includes three kinds of sizzling grilled meats and a chilled rice salad packed with sun-dried tomatoes, tuna, and olives. For dessert, it’s panna cotta; a molded cream custard topped with a fresh plum sauce. Pavarotti sings "O Sole mio" by Eduardo di Capua in London's Hyde Park, 30th July 1991.
Mary Ann visits a Pasta Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts to track down this famous food’s history. Then she goes nella cucina to roll out hand made pasta dough over the taut steel wires of her grandmother’s pasta cutter, the Chitarra, whose strings resemble a guitar. The dish is topped with a succulent tomato and lamb ragu.
Mary Ann visits her old friend and rival cook, Emilio Maddeloni at his delicatessen in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to taste his pasta and bean stew. Then she creates her own version of pasta fazoo, as well as a sausage and lentil dish that can be cooked all day in a crock-pot and enjoyed for dinner that night.
Mary Ann tries to find fresh figs for her fruit tart, but fails miserably. Looks like the canned stuff for sure, but Cousin Costanza comes to the rescue in the final reel, just in time for Mary Ann to top her spectacular dessert tart con frutta fresca.
Mary Ann prepares some of her mother’s favorite recipes to prove that sometimes the only thing that can cheer you up is eating a favorite food from childhood. Mary Ann’s include “Patches and Peas,” and a hearty casserole filled with macaroni and beef, called a Timballo di Maccarun.
Mary Ann visits a stone oven pizzeria where pizza gets practically flash-cooked in a 600-degree oven. She tries her hand at it then goes nella cucina to make a variety of pizzas of her own, including Pizza alla MariAnna.
Mary Ann uses orzo with a savory Beef and Barley Soup. Then she shows a new version of a classic risotto with Barley and Mushrooms. Mary Ann then makes a salad with orzo.
Mary Ann visits Guy's late summer garden to harvest ripe and tender eggplants to make hearty couscous with eggplant and a whole wheat pizza with grilled eggplant.
Mary Ann prepares mouthwatering q spinach and cheese Tart in a savory pumpkin seed crust and pepperoni pizza pretzels.
Mary Ann and First Lady of New Hampshire and pediatrician Dr. Susan Lynch, prepare chicken cacciatore, fennel/avocado and orange salad, and low fat yogurt sundaes.
Mary Ann prepares a hearty beef shin tomato ragu over short cut pasta, followed by a delicate ricotta cheese sauce, and a citrusy Sicilian lemon and olive oil sauce for fish.
Mayor of Boston Thomas M. Menino and Mary Ann celebrate their Italian American heritage by preparing a Christmas Eve banquet called "The Feast of the Seven Fishes."
Mary Ann and young friend Rachel Carew join forces to satisfy their sweet tooths by preparing an upside down peach tart and a rich and creamy ricotta cheesecake in amaretti cookie crust.
Stuffed Swiss Chard, mushrooms, grilled Ramps, Prosciutto di San Daniele and Gorgonzola DOP cheese and onions and peppers Molise-style are prepared.
Yogurt and apricots; pears in marsala sauce; watermelon and feta cheese.
Torta margherita alla crema di caffe; chocolate mousse.
Bulgur salad; cauliflower and broccoli salad; radicchio salad.
Chicken thighs in beer; chicken breasts stuffed with spinach and gorgonzola.
Roasted pineapple with ricotta cream filled with pistachios; ricotta-stuffed cherry tomatoes.
Jumbo sea scallops in shells; scallops with spinach.
Sweet potato gnocchi; chicken cutlets in white wine; chiffon cake with lime curd.
Fig and prosciutto pizza; figs with whipped cream; amaretti-stuffed figs.
Chicory tart with onions, Umbrian-style; eggplant stew with polenta squares.
Sicilian-style baked pasta casserole with pork ragu, peas and tomato sauce blended together in a bechamel sauce.
Penne with cauliflower ragu; fettuccine with arugula pesto; pasta with fried zucchini.
Osso Bucco with Gremolata Sauce; Buckwheat Pasta; Baked Radicchio and Gorgonzola Cheese; Sbrisolona
Stuffed pork tenderloin; roasted squash with hazelnuts and sage sauce; raspberry mascarpone budino pudding.
Cream of cauliflower soup; creamy mushroom soup; creamy leek, carrot and potato soup.
Panini; frittata sandwich; Little Easter sandwich.
Pasta alla gricia; Roman-style pasta; pasta all'amatriciana.
Farro crespelle; farro casserole; farro meatballs.
Sicilian mussel soup; scallops in vinaigrette; Vasto-style clams.
Lobster-filled ravioli; gluten free fettuccine with basil pesto.
Pear and apple tart; pistachio tart.
Little cheese plates; little cheese balls; tuna and eggs; spinach sfogliatelle; asiago quenelles.
Pizza Margherita classico; pizza Margherita moderna; pizza napoletana marinara; pizza allo genaro nasti.
Red pepper torte with pepper sauce; sweet peppers with garlic and mint; red pepper spread.
Biscotti di Parmigiano-Reggiano; panini napoletani.
Grilled swordfish skewers; Amalfi-style shrimp.
Corzetti pasta; pesto-based minestrone; red wine-infused rabbit; jam-filled tarts from Rapallo, Italy, called gobelletti.
Mary Ann is in Florence Italy with students that are learning how to make fresh pappardelle pasta and serve it with rabbit in a mushroom and wine sauce.
Slow-cooked tuna steaks with tomato relish; stuffed fish with nuts and spinach; scallop ceviche.
Tuscan bread; crostini for three toppings -- tomato/basil/garlic, chicken liver and sage and tuna fish and caper.
Torta al taglierini, a pastry noodle-topped chocolate cake; chocolate cake with nuts.
Sunday dinner featuring risotto and pork in milk; chocolate cake.
Pepi Winery in Napa, Calif.; braised beef dish in red wine; chicken stuffed with spinach and fontina cheese cooked in white wine.
Maddalena raspberry cookies -- two buttery wafers filled with raspberry jam; almond crisps.
Struffoli, deep fried, honey-coated sweet dough balls; deep-fried sugar-dusted cenci.
Zucchini pyramids; cod and potato casserole; baba.
Prosciutto di Parma-wrapped fruit with Parmigiano-Reggiano, Parmesan cheese and almond wafers; spicy fava bean spread.
Deep-fried Tuscan meatballs made with meat, mushrooms and parsley; baked meatballs.
Fish stew filled with swordfish, shrimp, scallops, monkfish and squid.
Cassata; pistachio pudding-filled amarena cake.
Bucatini all'amatriciana; chicken cacciatore; mascarpone cheesecake.
Unique wine in Montevetrano, Italy; bruschetta topped with orange marmellata and lardo; springtime soup made with wild greens; torta filled with cocoa, ricotta, eggplant and lemon marmelata.
Scialo Bros. Bakery in Providence, R.I., makes torrone, a nut-filled nougat candy.
Almond lemon torta with strawberries; almond paste cheesecake topped with apricots.
Onion and sweet pepper, asparagus and potato frittata; spaghetti omelet without eggs.
Mint flavored rice with chicken; Milanese risotto; rice and vegetable pie.
Guinea hen; traditional Umbrian spiedo misto of meat, poultry and pork.
Corzetti in garlic and olive oil sauce; pansotti, almond-stuffed ravioli in butter sauce.
An autumn-themed menu includes minestrone, stuffed turkey breast with prosciutto di Parma and apple caramel bread pudding.
A Christmas Eve banquet includes baccala, skillet fried shrimp, tuna, smelt, swordfish, calamari and clams.
Pizza carnevale; orange-flavored ricotta cheesecake.
Ricotta gnocchi with rabe and pignola nut sauce; stuffed breast of veal with fontina cheese, polenta and wild mushrooms.
Spaghetti with clams; clams minestrone.
Potato gnocchi; spinach and ricotta cheese gnocchi with mint and nutmeg.
Sicilian Almond Lemon Cake from the heart and soul of Sicily. Also includes Candied Lemon Slices.
Focaccia
Nona Galasso's Homemade Chicken Broth, Meatball and Chicken Soup
Gelato made with a Sicilian twist; Neapolitan-style ice cream cake; double fudge chocolate semifreddo cake.
Canederli with speck, a dumpling-like recipe from Italy's Trentino-Alto Adige region.
Deep-fried cheese fritters filled with prosciutto di Parma and montasio cheese; yota, a hearty bean soup with sauerkraut.
Artichokes stuffed with farro, parsley, mint and pecorino Romano cheese; frittata with mint.
Making mozzarella and burrata cheese; burrata salad; grilled scamorza; tomato caprese salad.
Eggplant with candle pasta; peppers and potatoes, made with spicy, dried Senise peppers.
Lentils and leeks with sausage; preparing roasted chickpeas.
Balsamic vinegar glazed pork butt; Swiss chard and potato pie.
Founder of "Tuscan Brands" Joe Faro shows the ins and outs of one of this "Tuscan "Markets. He shows how to make one of his Tuscan Restaurant's signature dish with Mary Ann.
Mary Ann gives Ascolana olive a Marche regional touch for a winning appetizer.
Features grilled recipes including Grilled Chicken with Herbs; Grilled Veggie Kabobs; and a classic side dish of Pan-cooked Fennel.
Making pesto with a marble mortar and pestle using basil, olive oil and pine nuts; handmade pasta handkerchiefs with pesto sauce.
Casalinga with fettuccine; minestrone; spicy pepperoni pretzels.
Deep-fried honey-drizzled ravioli-like sebadas made with homemade dough and filled with Pecorino Romano cheese, orange zest and mint.
Sauce made with garden fresh plum tomatoes; braciole, sausage and meatballs.
Using a pasta machine to make cavatelli, then cooking it in a spicy broccoli rabe sauce.
Using a chitarra to make spaghetti; a slow-simmered lamb ragu.
Asparagus fritters; Sicilian eggplant parmesan; oven-roasted lamb stew.
Beef stew with polenta, a classic dish from the Val d'Aosta region of Italy.
A Venetian seafood menu features baked calamari, clams and scallops with risotto.
Tomato risotto; Milanese veal cutlet drizzled with clarified butter; polenta cake.
Strega Nona's pizza; calzones.
East meets West when Mary Ann prepares an Italianized version of this classic Asian vegetable by making Bok Choy with Speck Alto Adige and Asiago Cheese. Then, all roads lead to Vignarola, the classic Roman dish that celebrates springtime by featuring fresh peas, beans, and artichokes.
Mary Ann prepares a Neapolitan Fish Soup, sizzling Swordfish Sicilian-Style.
Mary Ann deconstructs the cannoli to produce a stunning dish.
Francesca Marconi makes a chowder in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Mary Ann prepares a two-course masterpiece integrating the classic Neapolitan pasta.
Renee Plummer prepares a Sunday Supper at her house. Dishes include her Sunday Sauce with Meatballs and Lambchop Lollipops.
Mary Ann prepares a Fennel and Fig salad, Tuscan Bean Salad, and a Little Gem Salad.
Mary Ann recreates the Pasta Trapanese.
Mary Ann recreates distinct spaetzle recipes which are unique in Alto Adige.
Mary Ann prepares a Ligurian Potato Loaf and a Sage Pie.
Mary Ann's got a secret that gives Modica's Chocolate Cookies their unforgettable taste.
Paolo Laboa tells his favorite Ligurian recipes with Mary Ann.
Mary Ann creates Neapolitan Stuffed Artichokes.
Mary Ann creates Mimosa Cake
Mary Ann shows how to make delicate Mascarpone cheese.
Jay Curzio invites Mary Ann to help him prepare his Osso Buco with Polenta.
Mary Ann prepares Tomato Gratin and Tomato Tart
Mary Ann prepares three shrimp recipes.
Mary Ann prepares her Tuna-Stuffed Red Peppers, Baked Chicken Thighs, and a Herb Salad.
Mary Ann captures the unique cuisine of Sicily by preparing three classic recipes, starting with an appetizer, Roasted Squash Salad. She follows it with a triumphant Roast Pork Loin Sicilian Style with fennel and potatoes. For dessert, it's chocolate glazed, cinnamon and clove-spiked Sicilian Chocolate Spice Cookies.
Jasper White invites Mary Ann to lend a hand preparing two of his signature dishes; Golden yellow Fettucine with Mussels, Saffron, and Cherry Tomatoes, followed by crispy, crunchy Almond-Crusted Fish.
Pizza dough takes on new meaning when Mary Ann layers it with tomato sauce and sliced caciocavallo cheese, then folds it and folds it again to create a Sicilian favorite.
Chef Ryan Joyce and Mary Ann prepare kale and cannellini bean bruschetta, a herb-stuffed lamb braciole, and chocolate budino.
Mary Ann champions the humble cauliflower by showing creative ways to change it from ho-hum to wow. Her roasted cauliflower has a spicy, red-pepper, oregano, and tomato paste rub that adds an unexpected punch when it comes out of the oven like burnished gold. Then it's time for spaghetti with cauliflower, graced with garlic, anchovy paste and red peppers.
Cheese is more than cheese when it's burrata. This fist-sized nugget of fresh mozzarella filled with cheese shreds and rich cream is the starting point for Mary Ann's kitchen creations. She starts with roasted vegetable and burrata salad, then moves on to a colourful, garden-fresh chickpea pasta with burrata, peas, and prosciutto.
Mary Ann rolls out the red carpet when she rolls up her favourite stuffed veal rolls, Sicilian style. Filled with a marvellous medley of fresh breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, slices of caciocavallo cheese and grated pecorino romano cheese, into the oven they go.
Neapolitan Fish Chowder, Scallops with Spinach, Baked Fish with Lemon and Olives
Tuscany-inspired prato almond cake, dried plum and balsamic vinegar tart.
Fried Ricotta with Salad Tomatoes on Crostini, Ricotta Gnocchi, Ricotta Cheese with Honey and Almonds, Asiago and Speck Gnocchi Sauce.
Pappa al Pomodoro, Beef Tagliata con Patate Duchesse.
Cauliflower Crust Pizza, Fried Cauliflower, Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes.
Fazzoletti "Handkerchiefs" pasta tossed with a classic Ligurian Pesto Sauce, Fazzoletti with raspberries, blueberries, and sliced strawberries, with sweet ricotta cheese.
Cannelloni with Lamb Ragu, Crespelle with Vegetables.
Mussels and Aioli Sauce, Mussel and Potato Salad.
Neapolitan-style stuffed red peppers, Pepperonata casserole, Sicilian Pepper Salad.
Tuna Meatballs with Caponata, Tuna with Cous Cous.
Carnival Turnovers filled with chickpeas, chocolate, cinnamon, citron, honey, and toasted almonds. Panzerotti Palermo Style fried turnovers stuffed with mozzarella "pearls" and tomato sauce.
Fig and Zucchini Bread, Fried Zucchini Roman Style, Zucchini Meatballs.
Pesto, Tagliatelle with Pesto, Vegetable Strudel with Saffron Sauce.
Cialdoni: a baked, almond covered version of cannoli from Agrigento, Sicily.
Multipurpose doughs deliver a mountain of different vanilla and chocolate biscotti combinations. Amaretti di Mombaruzzo, a light almond cookie.
Spaghetti Procida, a zesty Naples seaside pasta treat. Lemon Salad
Chicken with Speck Alto Adige, Quick Chicken Cacciatore, Chicken with Lemon and Herbs.
Focaccia Bread with Rosemary & Sea salt, Focaccia Appetizer, Focaccia Panzanella Salad, Focaccia with Poached Fruit and Sweetened Ricotta Cheese.
Farfalle with kale sauce. Farro Fettucine Pasta with creamy sauce of burrata cheese, spring onions, fresh marjoram, and finely chopped and toasted walnuts.
Farro Cake. Farro Salad.
Sardinian Style Fish Casserole. Rice and Asparagus Soup.
Tortelli Mugelina Style. Won Ton Tortelli.
Arugula Salad with Pears and Asiago. Summer Rice Salad. Red Salad.
Tortelli Maremmani with Carrot Cream and Black Truffle. Chocolate Lava Cake.
Cabbage Rolls. Cabbage and Bean Croquettes.
Homemade Potato Gnocchi with Truffle Sauce. Homemade Tomato Soup. Kobe Beef Meatballs.