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Definition: Gnudi
Gnudi (pronounced "nu-dee") is a type of gnocchi made from ricotta cheese and a little bit of flour. The result is a dumpling that some describe as "nude" ravioli, or filling without the pasta — that is to say, light, fluffy, and creamy.
If you like gnocchi, chances are you'll be a fan of gnudi, too.
Fast & Easy Dinner: Gnocchi With Chard and White Beans
If you think gnocchi is a dish that can only be enjoyed in restaurants, think again! These days most grocery stores offer packaged gnocchi in the fresh or regular pasta sections. Why not make this staple a part of your busy-cook pantry?
Definition: Gnocchi
Gnocchi (pronounced "nyoh-kee") means "lumps" in Italian, and refers to a thick, pillowy dumpling. Available fresh, frozen, or dried, the pasta is made from a dough based on potatoes, flour, farina, or semolina, which is rolled into long cylinder shapes, cut into bite-sized pieces, and sometimes decorated with forked ridges. They are boiled, baked, or sautéed, then served in a tomato, pesto, cheese, or butter-based sauce.
Definition: Branzino
A silver-skinned fish found in European sea and saltwater lakes, branzino goes by many names, including European sea bass, spigola, loup de mer, róbalo, and lubina.
The fish, which ranges in size from one and a half to three pounds, has a firm, white, delicate-flavored flesh and few small bones. It's a prized fish in Italian, Spanish, and Greek cuisines, and is often prepared grilled, baked, poached, steamed, or braised whole.
Name That Dish!
When making the Italian soup that's pictured below, one could throw in a rind of Parmesan cheese to enhance the flavor. With its ribbons of fluffy eggs, do you know what it's called?
Simple Tip: Use Parmesan Rinds to Flavor Soups
Good-quality cheese is expensive and if I'm going to purchase a wedge of imported Italian Parmesan cheese, I like to use the entire chunk — including the rind. Luckily, I learned a long time ago that the rinds can be used to season soups and stews. Once you've grated all the cheese off, wrap the rind tightly in plastic wrap and throw in the freezer.
Name That Dish!
In honor of World Vegetarian Day, try to identify this classic, meat-free baked Italian dish.
Fast & Easy Dinner: Italian-Style Spaghetti Squash
If you've never cooked with spaghetti squash, I highly recommend you give it a try. Once it's roasted in the oven, the flesh comes off in strands that resemble spaghetti. Treat it as you would pasta and toss with a simple vegetable saute and you've got a carb-free, vegetarian-friendly meal.
Happy Hour: 2007 Feudo Principi Di Butera Nero d'Avola
When selecting wine from a menu, sometimes I like to choose a varietal I've never heard of. Take Nero d'Avola for example. Up until recently, I didn't know this red grape (that's been grown in Sicily for hundreds of years) even existed.
Definition: Speck
An Italian cured, smoked meat native to the Alto Adige, a region that straddles Northern Italy and Southern Austria. To make speck, a boned pork leg is cured in salt, and spices like laurel and juniper, then intermittently slow-smoked, using pine or juniper wood for several months.
Deep red in color with heavily marbled traces of fat, speck is served thinly sliced as an appetizer, or used in to flavor cooked dishes.
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