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I was thinking about scaloppine with marsala and as I looked up recipes online, I found it described both as scaloppine AL Marsala and scaloppine ALLA Marsala. Which is the correct Italian spelling? Or are they both correct but mean different things?

i'm looking for a handful of suggestions as to the best italian restaurants and/or chefs in chicago....have never been to chicago before and need the recommendations for....a group of italians! and myself. all suggestions and descriptions greatly appreciated! cheers, marlena

Philadelphia Inquirer reports Tony Luke's plans to roll out a whole line of his products nationwide including steaks, roast pork, broccoli rabe and rolls into supermarkets, home shopping TV and an online store. I'm not too sure how a frozen roast pork will be but I guess if I couldn't easily get the real thing, I'd try one. He's working with Rastelli Foods on the launch. The article goes on to mention his plans for more shops including a new one in NYC to replace the one that apparently failed.

Hi just rewatched Heston B's perfect Risotto program with a brief interlude with Cracco. Does any Italian speaker actually know the correct ratios of the Basmati & cream & procedure, as it it just isn't working for me in my Thermomix. Does he toast the Basmati first etc, etc? What to do!

I have come up with the brilliant idea of making roast beef for Easter - I am no big meat eater and my meat cooking skills are rather lacking. My idea is a blast from the past when I used to work at a little deli about 25 years ago and they would take a big slab of beef and cover it chunky salt and cook it for god knows how long - then chop off all the harden salt and boy oh boy was it good in roast beef sandwiches (which I never liked except the ones from this place) I suppose a 1 or 2 kg chuck of meat will be plenty - what cut of meat should I get? (in italian - also in english just as an extra tidbit of info Will the salt method work on a small piece of meat or will I end up with a big salty disaster?

Welcome to the Italy Cooking forum, where we discuss all cooking and sourcing related topics specific to Italy for the benefit of both residents and visitors to the region. In this forum, you'll find topics about recipes, preparations, local markets, sourcing, farming and regional ingredients found in Italy. Not a Society member? You’re welcome to read the eG Forums to your heart’s content, but you will have to join the Society in order to post. You can apply to join the eGullet Society here. If you are new or need some refreshers, here is a quick start list of things you should know: You'll see blue text in many posts such as this: Some great reading material. These are links that take you to new pages when you click on them with your mouse. Indeed, most blue words in eG Forums have links connected to them. Move your mouse around this page to find out! If you want to talk to someone well versed concerning technical issues, visit our Technical Support forum. We ask all members to read the Membership Agreement carefully. You agree to it every time you log onto eGullet.org, and your volunteer staff look to it when making decisions. All topics in eG Forums are dedicated to the discussion of food and food only, which keeps things focused and interesting. All off-topic posts, those that do not discuss food, are subject to removal. So that you can better understand the other guidelines that keep discussions on track and the quality high, please read our eGullet Society Policies, Guidelines and Documents forum for guidance in understanding how we handle Copyright issues, external links, Member Organized Events, among other things. In the lower left hand corner of each post, you will see this button: If you see anything in a post that does not comply with the Membership Agreement, or spot something that appears to be a duplicate topic, or appears to be in the wrong eG Forum, click on the "!Report" button to send a message to the forum hosts; we'll take it from there. Please do not post on these matters in the topic you are reporting. Our members’ questions and comments make this forum interesting, exciting and useful – we look forward to your contributions. We urge you to Search before you post, for your question may have already been answered or a topic discussed before. It looks like this in the upper right hand side of your screen: Click on this link to go to an overview of searching options, including an Advanced Search Engine here. You can add a new post to the end of the topics you find, and if they aren't quite right, feel free to start a new topic. The eGullet Forums and other programs are made possible by contributions from society donors and sponsors. If you are not yet a donor, here are Ten Things You Can Do to Help the eGullet Society. In addition to the eG Forums that we all enjoy, we also have a Scholarship Program, publish a literary journal called The Daily Gullet, conduct classes in our culinary academy The eGullet Culinary Institute, and feature then archive exciting conversations with professionals in the Culinary Arts like this eGullet Spotlight Conversation with Dorie Greenspan. If you have any questions, click on the PM button on the bottom left side of any post by a volunteer in that forum. We'd love to hear from you! Remember, the eGullet Society is staffed by volunteers, who will get back to you as soon as they can. If you would like to post photos, they must be uploaded into ImageGullet. Click here for an in-depth tutorial on using ImageGullet. If you have an original recipe you’d like to post, we ask that you enter it into RecipeGullet rather than posting it in the forums. Remember that you can always link from the appropriate topic to the recipe in RecipeGullet (and from the recipe to the topic). All recipes should comply with the RecipeGullet copyright and use policy. Finally, relax and have fun! eG Forums has become the home away from home for many members, and we hope you will find your experience here enriching and gratifying!

I've heard plenty of times that when cooking dried pasta you should never break the pasta prior to putting it in the pot. Is there any logical reason for this? I've searched the Internet and found references to "Don't do it!" but nothing that gives any rationale. Every other piece of advice regarding cooking pasta makes sense, and I would assume that after millions (billions?) of people cooking pasta for hundreds of years the conventional wisdom would be true. Can anyone prove or disprove this theory?

This topic on whole wheat pasta has shown that there are some very strong opinions on it. The consensus seems to be not to bother. Gluten and I have a very antagonistic relationship, and if we're going to socialize, I want to get as much out of it as possible. So now I'm wondering about spelt, which would be a better option for me anyway. Has anybody tried any of the dried spelt pastas available? Any brands you can recommend?

I want to tackle Italian next in my bag of tricks. I know the basics, have made pasta with the help of a machine, and can do the American version of sauce etc. Where do I start to learn proper technique, especially pasta, and classic recipes. All suggestions are welcome.

I received an email this morning from Gambero Rosso adveristing one cooking class for la pizza alla pala and one for la pizza tonda. Other than the obvious difference in shape, do they differ from one another in any other respect?

Does anyone here have exact weight measurements for making pasta with Farina 00 flour? The chef that I work for only wants yolks, 00 flour, and salt as the ingredients. He told me to just add the yolks to the flour in a robo coupe till it forms a dough but I've found that if I add too much yolk, the dough starts to buckle and warp as I roll it out. Any suggestions?

Hello Everyone - I am a new member trying her hand at joining this forum. When in France and Turkey this year, I bought some beautiful white dried beans. If anyone has any interesting ideas/recipes as to how to use those, I would be most grateful. Although of french origin, I enjoy italian cooking, therefore my request in this part of the eG forum.

Hi All- Does anyone have a cuisinart DLP3 pasta maker? I purchased one used but there was no owners manual. I am so excited about using this machine but evidently this model has been discontinued. I'm hoping the reason is that cuisinart found a way to make pasta attachments for its core machine and not because the machine made bad pasta. Can anyone share with me a pasta recipe I can use with this machine? I have several cookbooks with recipes for hand made pasta or pasta made with a hand crank, nothing for this. I am famiiar with the hand crank and feeding the pasta through ever narrower rollers. This machine looks like a food processor and has disks for feeding the pasta through, there are no rollers. Thanks for any help or observations.

Howdy. I am translating a menu from Italian to English. One of the dishes is "Entrecote ai ferri ..... generally it seems that ai ferri is translated as grilled but that just seems wrong to me ( but what do I know??) ai ferri should be when they just throw the meat in a very hot pan ... punto e basta... What is the correct term in English? Seared? --- what about alle piastra? One more thing - a lot of things, tagliolini for example are tagliolini in any language - do you think it is helpful or stupid to put in parenthesis (long thin strips of noodles) or do I just assume that EVERYONE knows what they are?

I haven't been thrilled with any of the whole wheat pasta I've tried. Any recommendations for a good brand of dried whole-wheat pasta? If I can find it at the local grocery store, great -- but not necessary.

Hey Kids, I have a friend looking for an old (I mean OLD) Italian resty. Not all remodeled and shiny. He loves mid-century and doesn't mind peeling plaster. Any ideas?

Hey all, I don't usually post on the New York board as I am more of a Jersey guy, but I figured that some of the best Italian cheesecake has to come from New York. My grandfather is turning 80th at the end of this month and this is his favorite dessert. Does anyone have a GREAT recommendation on a place that ships Italian cheesecakes? He lives in Florida. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks in advance, -Al

I made this twice with poor results. Filling leaking out etc. I need to know what meat cuts work best and any filling recipes would be a bonus. I don't mind the time it takes to make them, I just want better results. Thanks, Jim

Hi all, I tried posting this on the spirits board and, though I garnered plenty of reads, I got no responses. So perhaps this is the better forum to ask. We will be visiting Rome (for the first time, I'm embarrassed to admit) for a week or so in mid-November. One of the "souvenirs" I've decided that I'd like to return with are some bottles of liqueurs (or other spirits) that are rare or impossible to find here. My preliminary list includes the following: Alpestre Borsci Elisir S. Marzano Ebo Lebo Genepy Mirto di Sardegna Nucillo e curti Petrus Verdemela I'm posting to ask for your experiences and recommendations. I don't have much knowledge of Italian spirits, though I'm pretty open to trying just about anything, taste-wise (though I must confess I do not have a taste for grappa). What should I add to/subtract from the list? Thanks.

EVOLUZIONE DEI CACHI According to Hathor, persimmons are now officially ripe in Umbria and perfect for breakfast, mixed into yogurt. This got me thinking, especially after finding an excellent essay on the subject of Italy's persimmons and the different words Italians use for the fruit, depending upon their location; Kyle Phillips mentions "pomi" and "diospri" in addition to "cachi". Here's the thing. We've been engaged in a rather long-winded and now, rather discursive and repetitive discussion of traditional Italian food and what happens when you deviate from the familiar repertoire. Some of us also miss the collaborative cooking threads that were inspired by Kevin72's year-long project. It might be fun to start another. So, why not contribute a new dish to the formidable ranks of Italian regional specialties, using an ingredient that is very common in Italy, but rarely cooked in that country? At least, this is what Kyle Phillips says. I'll let someone else correct me if need be. The point is to make a dish that is clearly informed by Italian tradition, yet deviates in a fresh, new way. As much as certain high-minded discussions of the relative merits of "national" cuisines tick me off, I have to admit that I'd give the gold star to the French when it comes to pastry. Gelato and the blissful combination of hazelnuts and chocolate redeems Italy, but I am entirely sympathetic with the tradition of ending a meal w a beautiful piece of fruit and a handful of nuts. Dense, jammy crostate are not usually my cup of tea. So, making a dessert presents the most interesting challenge, as far as I'm concerned. However, why not keep possibilities open-ended just in case someone finds a perfect way to encase the fruit inside a rice ball, or dare I say, unite it with prosciutto e Parmigiana? Mostarda's way too obvious, don't you think? Keep in mind the fact that Italians only have astringent varieties of persimmons, i.e., the kind that need to ripen until very soft before consumption. So, anyone interested? A deadline can be established once interest is determined and we can make certain that ripe persimmons are available to participants.

Hi, Any suggestions for unsticking unsauced clumped together cooked pasta that's been stored for a while in the fridge? Any suggestions for preventing cooked pasta from clumping if it's not used right away? I tried adding oil to the warm pasta, but after it cooled down the macaroni still clumped together. Maybe I didn't use enough oil? Shel

I know this has been discussed, but rather than rehash old threads I thought it was time to revisit. Having recently moved my usual rotation of restaurants has moved as well. In addition, places change. So, my usual sojurn to Jersey City to Casa Dante has now become a longer trip, but this place to me has always been worth the drive. I just can't seem to get it into my usual rotation due to the distance, drive, friends, etc. I always liked Cafe Italiano (Englewood Cliffs), but I haven't been there in a good couple of years -- and I really have to try the Cliffs Steakhouse next door before a return trip to Cafe Italiano. I was going there both pre and post liquor license. The chef, and I think there might have been a change somewhere along the line, always had some nice specials that were well implemented. I specifically remember a seafood risotto with a very nice sauce that was excellent. I haven't been there in quite some time, but David's (Cliffside Park) was a place I always enjoyed -- small, always packed, but excellent food. I lived around the corner when I first moved to the area, and then after moving it will still a "neighborhood" place. This is another place I really want to get back to. E & V -- guilty again, haven't been since a business lunch a while back, and another "really need to get back to" place. A bit of a sleeper for me has been Granita Grill (Westwood) -- BYO, quiet, nothing super-fancy, but good, tasty, quality food. A few have fallen off my list as well -- changes, for the bad, ownership, management, chef, etc. (don't need to go there, LOL). Anyone been to LuNello's in the new location (not so new anymore)? So, what about some other places? Neighborhood kind of places? Even the big names in your area. I think many know about the big names, that seem to be all over. What about some of the neighborhood places -- all over -- Northwest Bergen, Passaic, Essex, etc. If enough people post we could have a ton of neigborhood places all over the place. Thanks. Eric

For a variety of reasons I've found myself on airplanes a lot recently, and as light airplane fare have been reading some detective books by Sicilian author Andrea Camilleri. One thing that is very interesting about Italian popular fiction is that the authors often spend significant time describing what the characters are eating, and the characters are often great lovers of food. Camilleri's stories are set in the Sicilian town of Vigàta, and his protagonist, commissario Montalbano, eats fish and seafood almost exclusively (one gets the impression this is true of most everyone there). Many wonderful dishes have been described, and I find myself in serious need of guidance and inspiration in making these dishes and others like them for myself. Ideally what I'd like is a Southern Italian fish and seafood cookbook. Failing that, a comprehensive Italian fish/seafood cookbook or a fish-heavy Sicilian cookbook would be just the thing. Recommendations?

This needs to be read:The Times online Any comments? By the way, GLIS GLIS is known as GHIRO in Italian

Hi, I am hosting a dinner party this coming Saturday. One of the dishes planned includes home-made bowtie pasta. The dough is just all purpose flour and eggs. I did a test run last week and the bowties turned out great. I made them at night and left them out, under a tent of plastic wrap, for about 18 hours, before they went into the boiling water. But here's what I'm worried about: for the actual dinner, I'm probably going to need to make a couple hundred or more bowties. It's a fairly time-intensive process (hand shaping each one) so I'd rather do a third Wednesday, a third Thursday, and a third Friday, or something along those lines. I have no idea, however, how the already shaped bowties will hold up if I make them as early as Wednesday, and don't drop them in water until Saturday afternoon. Thoughts? Can I just refrigerate in covered container for 3+ days? Will the shape hold? Is there anything I should do to prevent it from drying out, or turning to slime? I don't have much experience refrigerating pasta dough; every other time I've used my pasta machine I've cooked the pasta within a day and a half of making it. Also, alternatively, would it make sense to cook it before Saturday, and just refrigerate the cooked-product? Par-cooked, maybe? Sorry if this is a simple question, over-complicated. I just don't want to find out on Saturday that Wednesday's bowties have turned to brittle, or to slime.