Italian

Mortadella is a super-high-quality baloney. In fact, it’s probably the most delicious baloney you’ve ever had. At one of my dinner parties I was serving mortadella and one of my guests said, “Hey, this baloney has nuts in it!” And it does: Mortadella is full of pistachios and chunky bits of fat, both of which make it super-flavorful. My mortadella pâté is puréed, mixed with whipped cream, and topped with pistachios—think of it as baloney mousse.

In New York there is no shortage of Italian bakeries, and as a rule I try to poke my head in as many as possible to peek at the offerings. Italians are creative masters, and of course it’s always the Italian rainbow cake that first catches my eye. Probably I’m just hypnotized by a cool color palette, like a puppy watching TV. When choosing your preserves for this one, spend a little extra on the good organic stuff. The success of your cake depends on it! If you are allergic to almonds, omitting the extract won’t compromise your cake.

Making your own tomato-based sauce to dip your cheese straws into or to spread on your pizza is super-easy. At the bakery, we usually toss something together with whatever spare veggies and tidbits we have lying around. The foundation, however, goes a little something like this.

When I go to New York, I often eat at Serafina Restaurant, which makes an amazing lemon spaghetti dish that is so good that I was again inspired to get the recipe. The chef kindly obliged. This version is a little simpler and creamier than the original. As with most other pasta dishes, you want the sauce to be ready before the fettuccine is so that the hot noodles absorb the creamy, lemony sauce (the longer it sits, the less saucy it will be). Note that the broth and cream will need to simmer for a good long time so that they are well reduced. Be sure to grate the lemons before you juice them. This is wonderful served with grilled chicken brushed with Steak Grill Sauce (page 164).

This is one of the dishes I turn to when unexpected guests drop in. The sauce comes together in less time than it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta, but the results are always impressive. Begin the sauce as soon as you put the water on to boil, because it’s better if the sauce is ready before the pasta, rather than the other way around.

This drink transforms a standard Champagne cocktail into something a bit more zesty and floral. Bright orange in color, Aperol is a light aperitif with a unique bittersweet taste that blends beautifully with fruit and bubbly. Making watermelon juice is a snap; simply pop a wedge of seedless watermelon (without rind) into a blender, turn it on for two seconds, turn it off, and you’re done.

I’m crazy about the deep nuttiness of fregola (Italian couscous) and I’m always looking for new ways to show it off. When cooked in the style of a risotto, fregola gets really creamy and is a change from typical Arborio rice. Fresh corn turns this creamy risotto into summer goodness. The familiar flavors are boosted by the addition of shrimp and a topping of creamy melted leeks, which also makes a fabulous side dish on its own.

This dish was inspired by my friend and mentor Frank Crispo. To satisfy those deep creamy-pasta cravings, you’re not gonna get more decadent than carbonara sauce. Pasta bathed in butter, oil, eggs, bacon, and cheese—it’s a rich dish but enjoy it; you don’t eat this every day.

This light summery riff on an Italian classic, pasta e fagioli, is as basic as it is tasty. I love the temperature contrast of hot pasta and beans with cool tomato salad, though you can also serve this peasant dish cold as a pasta salad.

Slow-Roasted Boneless Short Ribs give new life to the idea of leftovers. Here, they’re transformed into the perfect Sunday supper of ribbon pasta with succulent meat sauce. Once you prepare the short ribs, this dish takes relatively little time to make, yet your guests will be seduced by this sugo. The sauce will make more than you need, which you’ll thank me for later. Store the remaining sugo in a covered container in the fridge or freezer. There is nothing worse than gloppy, oversauced pasta. Proportion is important; the pasta should be lightly coated in sauce, not drowning.

My kids, Ella, Lulu, and Harry, love making pizza at home and getting their hands in the dough. You don’t need a special oven to make great pizza at home, although I recommend purchasing a pizza stone from your local kitchen store to ensure a crispy and crunchy crust. While you are at it, pick up a pizza paddle too. They often are sold as a set and run only around $30, so they’re not a major investment. The pizza dough in Basics is extremely versatile and can be topped with basically anything you can come up with. Here I wanted to come up with a vegetarian pizza that was so packed with interesting flavors, no one would miss the meat. Radicchio and arugula provide a slightly bitter balance to the melted and wondrous cheeses.

This rustic salad makes a substantial starter or a light lunch, and is especially nice when it’s hot out. As with so much in Italian cuisine, the recipe is very simple; the key is the quality of the ingredients. The main attraction is featuring local heirloom tomatoes in peak season, which is summer to early fall in most places. Luckily, in Miami, we get locally grown tomatoes all winter long! It honestly doesn’t matter how many varieties of tomato you use; the most important thing is that the tomatoes are ripe, juicy, and sweet.

Similar to ratatouille, this Sicilian classic is a vibrant stew made with eggplant, roasted bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, raisins, and olives mixed together with lots of good olive oil. It’s one of those dishes where the final product exceeds the sum of its parts. Fruity olive oil is essential to the success of this dish; it is the facilitator of all the ingredients. Caponata can be served warm or at room temperature, as an antipasto, a side dish, or a topping for Crostini (page 27) or pizza.

If you’ve never tasted gnudi before, you’re missing out! Gnudi are small dumplings made with ricotta and Parmesan cheese mixed with flour and seasonings. The result is a delicate cheesy-pillowy morsel that literally melts in your mouth. They are absolutely incredible simply boiled and served with brown butter and sage, but I like to take things one step further by frying these little guys. Fried gnudi are an unusual, addictive party snack that feeds a crowd and is not at all difficult to make at home. I would describe the taste as a cross between gnocchi and a French fry. There’s nothing better than that!

Super addictive, these delicious soft breadsticks are laced with garlic, cheese, and herbs on the inside and out. They make a fun handheld snack that’s a real crowd-pleaser. Serve them with Provençal Vinaigrette (page 240) or Lemon Aïoli (page 126) or just by themselves. Feel free to get creative and play with the ingredients, adding kick with chili powder or paprika, or for a Latin twist, try using cilantro, cumin, and cinnamon.