#italian-cuisine

#italian-cuisine

"Growing up, the business was always part of our daily life. It wasn't just work-it was a family tradition passed down through generations."

Everybody talks about San Marzano tomatoes, and of course we love those tomatoes, but there can't be that many actual San Marzano tomatoes grown in some arena to feed the world and all the commercial ones you see in the jars and cans around the countries.

Dessert trolleys were banished to storerooms during Covid due to rigorous health guidelines, but many restaurants have since retrieved them, allowing them to glide between tables once more.

In Italy, food is never just food. It's memory, identity and, sometimes, a full-blown argument. This season, we explore how the past continues to shape the present, one region and one extraordinary meal at a time.

Bianca's is rooted in the osteria tradition and Adolfo's Italian heritage but takes a more global and instinctive approach to the menu.

Sfincione remains the perfect starter, a flower-shaped focaccia loaf that's become Funke's signature. Dusted with oregano and flaky salt, then veiled with the thinnest, most fragrant olive oil, it's a true delight.

Gianmarco's Restaurant is a Birmingham staple founded by a father-and-sons trio who have brought generations of Italian family recipes to the city for nearly 20 years. The upscale yet welcoming spot is known for handmade pastas, fresh seafood, and signature dishes, such as veal Parmesan and house-made gnocchi, all served in an intimate, old-world setting.

The 12-month-aged cheese is milder and more moist, resembling a sliceable cheese like cheddar, while the 26-month cheese is drier with crunchy salt crystals.

The act of scooping up leftover sauce, oil, or butter from your dish with bread is so ingrained into Italian culture that there's actually a name for it: Fare la scarpetta, which translates to 'make the little shoe.' The bread, which is dragged around the plate to collect every last bit of flavor, is a cherished part of the dining experience in Italy.

Tuna carpaccio arranged in a circle arrived first, the slices beaming ruby like sun through stained glass. Radicchio leaves had been dressed with kefir and gorgonzola, the tart and the sweet funk offsetting the bitter. Clams, splashed in bright and herby broth, were paired with a narcotic mound of thin fries.

That functions as a sort of highly flavoured and fatty stock cube that can be added to soups and stews. The best place to keep your precious rinds is in a plastic bag or airtight container in the freezer, which also preserves flavour and stops them drying out, until they're pulled out and added directly to whatever needs a boost, or to make one of the nicest, most delicately flavoured and cheesy broths.

Chef Sabrina Tinsley and her husband, Pietro Borghesi, were on a mission to offer northern Italian food, specifically from the Emilia-Romagna region of the country, and that's exactly what they have done. Emilia-Romagna is where some of Italy's most iconic ingredients are produced, including Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto di Parma, and mortadella.

The behind-the-scenes look at the kitchen shows how the chef prepares the meatballs - first by chopping and stuffing frozen veal into a meat grinder. White Italian bread, milk, and egg - classic meatball ingredients - pair with sheep's milk cheese, scallions, caramelized onions, Italian seasonings, and more to form the base of the meatballs.

The "best" meatballs do not exist, at least according to Elvira, who is not technically a nonna. Though she did fit a particular American idea of the "nonna" with her stern rebukes about the tiny departures I took from her meatball recipe. She had hurried over to her daughter's friend's home on a Thursday night with short notice when she learned that a journalist would be in Rome trying to find the absolute best way to make Roman-style meatballs.