Questions tagged [italian-cuisine]

Questions with this tag should be about traditional ingredients, preparations or dishes from Italy - such as focaccia, risotto or tiramisu. Questions about ingredients common to Italian style cooking, but which aren't about a specific Italian dish, should not use this tag.

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9 votes
2 answers
3k views

What do PY, L, and E mean on the label of this olive oil product?

On the back of Filippo Berio extra virgin olive oil, PY20/21 L2022.03.28 E2024.03.28 What do the first two mean? How do the three tell the quality of the oil?
28 votes
2 answers
8k views

Why doesn't Greek cuisine use a lot of spices, compared to neighbors?

According to what I know almost all countries in the Mediterranean which surround Greece use a lot of spices in their cuisine. Greece itself has been occupied by such countries for hundreds of years. ...
7 votes
3 answers
3k views

Are Feroli (italy) and Olimp (Greece) legitimate brands of extra virgin olive oil?

Are Feroli (italy) and Olimp (Greece) legitimate brands of extra virgin olive oil? I could not find any information on the Internet that has been censored in China. They are being sold on PDD, one of ...
68 votes
29 answers
562k views

In a tomato sauce recipe, how can I cut the acidity?

It seems that every time I make a tomato sauce for pasta, the sauce is a little bit too acid for my taste. I've tried using sugar or sodium bicarbonate, but I'm not satisfied with the results.
2 votes
1 answer
634 views

Can alternative greens like kale or spinach be used in place of escarole in the Italian Wedding Soup recipe

Can alternative greens like kale or spinach be used in place of escarole in this Italian Wedding Soup recipe, and if so, how might this change the flavor of the soup?
3 votes
1 answer
335 views

Is there an official name for the pasta in between carbonara and cacio e pepe?

Traditionally, the four pastas of Rome are carbonara, cacio e pepe, alla gricia, and amatriciana. You get alla gricia from a cacio e pepe by adding guanciale (pork jowl), and adding egg on top of that ...
12 votes
3 answers
3k views

Is flouring meat necessary in stews (specifically ossobuco)?

I'm specifically wondering this in the context of ossobuco, but this probably goes for a range of stew recipes. Every ossobuco recipe I've come across tells you to dredge the meat in a (light) coating ...
4 votes
2 answers
257 views

Browning non-meat protein sources as the basis for pasta alla genovese

I am making a vegetarian pasta alla genovese. The sauce is made by first browning sofrito and tough meats, then braising for several hours with an abundance of onions until those onions carmelize. The ...
4 votes
4 answers
3k views

Is there a difference between coca, focaccia and pizza?

I've made a number of pizza's and coca's lately and I thought about making a focaccia... When reading about coca, focaccia was mentioned, and when reading about focaccia, pizza was mentioned. I have ...
0 votes
2 answers
160 views

Too much yeast and collapsing

Assume a no-knead focaccia with 1.33% dry instant yeast and 100% hydration has a bulk fermentation of 2/3 hours at room temperature. Then it's spread on a dish, let rise for about another hour, and ...
3 votes
5 answers
2k views

How to break mince beef apart for a bolognese, and then brown it

I am able to break mince beef down into a much less coarse material, by putting the raw mince into hot water in a pan, then breaking it apart easily with a spoon. See an example here It appears ...
2 votes
5 answers
4k views

Is there a way to make bacon a decent substitute for pancetta in Italian dishes?

I live in a place where Pancetta is really hard to find, and when I do, it's completely overpriced. When I make some Carbonara or Gricia, both recipes from where I come from, I have to improvise it ...
24 votes
6 answers
24k views

Onion and Garlic, a no-no?

I had an Italian flatmate once who was on the brink of lynching me when he saw I used garlic and onion in one dish. He said that - at least in Italian cuisine - thats an absolute no-no. You can use ...
17 votes
3 answers
6k views

Does authentic Italian tiramisu contain large amounts of espresso?

I see a lot of tiramisu recipes that soak savoiardi in pure undiluted espresso coffee. Usually the recipe asks for a cup or more of espresso. As a person who regularly makes and drinks espresso, this ...
30 votes
13 answers
20k views

Fish and cheese: An unbreakable rule?

I always wondered about this seemingly static rule: Never add cheese (especially, but not limited to parmigiano reggiano) to a dish with fish. Italians would never, ever add parmigiano reggiano ...
15 votes
10 answers
47k views

Is there a way to safely can pesto sauce?

I grow basil and I have enough that I would like to can some pesto sauce. I have tried to find a way to can it but I keep hitting a wall. I would like to give a few cans of pesto to people for ...
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Which pasta shape can I make without any equipment?

I would like to try to make fresh pasta. However, I do not have equipment like rolling pins and pasta machines. Is there any pasta shape which I can make without this equipment?
10 votes
3 answers
4k views

Why do we dimple a focaccia?

When I was making a focaccia earlier today, I realised that I've never been told why we dimple them before baking. A quick Googling didn't reveal anything, so I'm asking here: why do we make dimples ...
5 votes
4 answers
40k views

Does tiramisu firm up in the fridge?

I am making my first tiramisu, using this recipe from Gourmet (with high ratings on Epicurious). My mascarpone mixture looks terribly soft to me. As per recipe, I foamed 4 yolks with 80 ml sherry (I ...
0 votes
3 answers
54k views

How do you prevent your lasagne from being watery?

As you can see there is a lot of liquid that assembles at the sides. This lasagne has bechamel and marinara sauce. The bechamel is reduced, with a chunky (but watery) red sauce. The lasagne sheets ...
3 votes
7 answers
19k views

Pasticcio vs Lasagna

What's the main difference between this two dishes, Pasticcio and Lasagna? I think pasticcio has ham and I think both have béchamel sauce. They both need to be baked (as far as I know) but honestly, ...
2 votes
7 answers
13k views

How to make softer biscotti?

I made this biscotti recipe yesterday - Fruity Christmas Biscotti. It contains plain flour, baking powder, mixed spice, golden caster sugar and eggs. The recipe also calls for raisins, dried cherries ...
1 vote
5 answers
15k views

How do you cook lasagne noodles?

Do you throw it all out in a tall pan at once or by batches? In what pan should you cook it? Do you put them on top of each other in the pan? Do you place them horizontally or vertically? With oil ...
1 vote
1 answer
159 views

Getting the right dough for semolina-water pasta

I'm making pasta from scratch pretty much every day now. Any time I cook long noodles, they break up once I toss them gently in the sauce after boiling. What could I improve to make them stronger? ...
18 votes
8 answers
159k views

Should I use whole eggs or only yolks in Spaghetti alla Carbonara?

I tried to cook spaghetti alla carbonara and searching out I found out that some recipes use whole eggs and some only the egg yolks. Which way gives the better result?
0 votes
1 answer
3k views

How are strained tomatoes different than tomato sauce? [duplicate]

I cook a lot of Italian dishes. My wife likes tomato sauce, but can't stand chunky tomato flesh. And so I have learned to make these dishes with strained tomatoes. Recently I came across a recipe ...
4 votes
4 answers
2k views

What's the French equivalent of Italian "panna da cucina"?

I've been living in France for a while yet have been unable to find something similar to Italian panna for pasta use. Does anyone know if such thing exists in here?
12 votes
2 answers
63k views

What varities of chili peppers are most commonly used in Italy

I've been reading some Italian (written in Italian, by Italians) cook books and web sites and I find that many recipes call for peperoncini. I thought I knew what these are, but according to this ...
0 votes
2 answers
888 views

Focaccia dough perhaps not able to get at room temp before baking

The classical Focaccia Genovese proofs three times. First in bulk (right after partition if making more than one) Then flattened and topped with coarse salt in order not to let a film form that would ...
3 votes
4 answers
7k views

How do you prevent pesto (basil) from becoming bitter?

Here is my go to pesto recpie: Serious Eats Pesto. It has been a hit but lately whenever I make it, it has a bitter aftertaste to it. It's not as pungent or umamied, but bitter and leafy. I use the ...
21 votes
6 answers
9k views

What is this Italian Cookie called?

I'm looking for a recipe for an Italian cookie that I remember having as a child. The cookie is shaped like a gnocchi or cavatelli but is much bigger, about 1.5 inches long and slightly larger than a ...
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

Can I leave cut (but airtight wrapped) aged pecorino at room temperature for a couple of hours?

I bought it for a friend and want to give it to them but I will have to travel with the aged pecorino cheese for a couple of hours at room temperature before giving it to him. Is it safe to do so? It ...
0 votes
1 answer
78 views

What’s the simplest known Italian vegetable stock recipe? [closed]

There may be many recipes for vegetable stock in Italian cuisine, but which is the simplest requiring the fewest ingredients?
10 votes
1 answer
16k views

How should red wine be used in Spaghetti Bolognese?

The classic Spaghetti Bolognese recipe adds red wine right at the beginning to the fried minced beef until its all absorbed with little liquid remaining. In theory, this makes sense to me in enhancing ...
0 votes
1 answer
571 views

How to quickly fill cannelloni tubes with relatively dry mixture [duplicate]

We got some cannelloni delivered by mistake so I'm going to be making this for the first time. Having cooked many other pasta varieties, the sauces look fairly straightforward. However, this ...
17 votes
7 answers
8k views

Traditionally, is prosciutto never to be cooked?

In a discussion about pancetta and prosciutto in sauces (specifically, bolognese), a friend said that "Traditionally, prosciutto is never to be cooked." I have not heard that before. I ...
2 votes
3 answers
348 views

Aside from saving gas or electricity, why cover the pot?

There are some recipes that insist that you have to cover the pot when cooking. For example, in this video recipe for Bolognese sauce (at 7:36). I understand that this might save gas or electricity by ...
3 votes
3 answers
2k views

Should I salt the water when boiling store-bought dry potato gnocchi?

Should I salt the water when boiling dry gnocchi? I have seen some recipes where they do salt the water, but also advice on some websites recommending not to do so. Most information on the internet ...
22 votes
4 answers
20k views

I never succeed in thickening sauces with pasta water. What am I doing wrong?

Every cook praises how starchy pasta water is great for thickening sauces and helping the sauce cling to the noodles. But no matter how much pasta water I add, it never thickens the sauce.Yesterday I ...
7 votes
5 answers
33k views

Why is bolognese cooked for so long?

Most bolognese recipes advise to simmer the sauce for 4 hours, some even advise to simmer longer than that. Until I heard about that, I had a recipe, which was a total of maybe 45min of cooking, ...
10 votes
1 answer
12k views

What is the difference between a Sfogliatelle and a Lobster Tail (Pastry)

What are the differences between Sfogliatelle and a Lobster Tail (Pastry). There is conflicting information about them being either different or the same pastry. Additionally, I'm curious of other ...
13 votes
11 answers
42k views

What vegetarian substitute for prosciutto could I use in Carbonara?

Instead of prosciutto, I used capers to try and maintain the salty aspect. It worked ok, but something about the capers and cheese didn't seem right. Any other suggestions? Also, to round out the ...
9 votes
7 answers
58k views

How to add more toppings to frozen pizza?

I generally buy frozen Pizza Margherita in store for making a quick lunch if I am running out of time. However, I don't really like the taste of the baked Pizza because it is just Tomato and Cheese. I ...
4 votes
3 answers
3k views

What is the most common mozzarella used in Italian pizza

That's a curiosity I have after visiting Italy. I ate pizza all the time but I couldn't differentiate the variety of mozzarella on them. What is the most common mozzarella used on their pizza? ...
0 votes
0 answers
983 views

White dots on pizza or focaccia after baking

Sometimes I prepare a pizza dough that is a "direct" knead, no fancy preparations, works with all-purpose flour, rises in a couple of hours with regular yeast, about 70% hydration, olive oil ...
2 votes
2 answers
4k views

My ciabatta dough hasn't risen after 2 hours!

I mixed my ciabatta dough 2 hours ago, and it's barely risen at all. I put it in a greased plastic container in the hot water cupboard, and marked the level to know when it "tripled in volume". The ...
1 vote
2 answers
524 views

Why are my homemade Manicotti Shells doughy?

I handmade fresh pasta sheets for my manicotti recipe. Without cooking the pasta sheets in boiling water I stuffed the sheets (shells) with the cheese filling, topped with tomato sauce and cooked ...
4 votes
6 answers
30k views

What can I substitute for Guanciale?

Guanciale is something I've never seen in the UK. What can I use as a substitute? Or, alternatively, is there somewhere I can source this in the UK? Note: I'm thinking of experimenting with an ...
1 vote
1 answer
885 views

Can I make baccala (Italian salted cod) at home relatively easily?

I would like to make some Italian baccalà dishes. However, I am unable to get my hands on baccalà. Also I have a box of frozen cod fillets sitting in the freezer that I don't want to waste. Can I make ...
2 votes
2 answers
257 views

Lack of structure in a no-knead pizza

I hope this question is not too vague but let me try anyway. I followed a NK recipe for a pizza with the following baker's percentages 100% flour with 13% protein and W300/320 according to the ...

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