Gnocchi are a varied family of dumpling in Italian cuisine. They are made of small lumps of dough, such as those composed of a simple combination of wheat flour, potato, egg, and salt. Variations of the dish supplement the simple recipe with flavour additives, such as semolina flour, cheese, breadcrumbs, cornmeal or similar ingredients, and possibly including herbs, vegetables, and other ingredients. Base ingredients may be substituted with alternatives such as sweet potatoes for potatoes or rice flour for wheat flour. Such variations are often considered to be non-traditional.
Lasagna is a type of pasta, possibly one of the oldest types, made of very wide, flat sheets. Either term can refer to an Italian dish made of stacked layers of lasagna alternating with fillings such as ragù, béchamel sauce, vegetables, cheeses, and seasonings and spices. The dish may be topped with grated cheese, which becomes melted during baking. Typically cooked pasta is assembled with the other ingredients and then baked in an oven. The resulting baked pasta is cut into single-serving square or rectangular portions.
Carbonara is a pasta dish made with eggs, hard cheese, fatty cured pork, and black pepper. It is typical of the Lazio region of Italy. The dish took its modern form and name in the middle of the 20th century.
Semolina is the name given to coarsely milled durum wheat mainly used in making couscous, pasta, and sweet puddings. The term semolina is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains as well.
Fettuccine Alfredo is a pasta dish made with fettuccine, butter, and Parmesan cheese. As the cheese is mixed with freshly cooked, warm fettuccine and ample butter, it melts and emulsifies to form a smooth, rich cheese sauce coating the noodles. Originated in Rome in the early 20th-century, it is now popular in the United States and other countries. Cream is commonly added to American versions, which are often served as a main course with optional chicken, shrimp, salmon or other ingredients on top or on the side.
Fettuccine is a type of pasta popular in Roman cuisine. It is descended from the extremely thin capelli d'angelo of the Renaissance, but is a flat, thick pasta traditionally made of egg and flour. At about 6.5 mm, it is wider and thicker than, but similar to, the tagliatelle typical of Bologna, which are more common elsewhere in Italy and is often used as a synonym. Spinach fettuccine is made from spinach, flour, and eggs.
Tortelloni are a stuffed pasta common in northern Italy, with a shape similar to tortellini, but larger and with a cheese-based filling. They are traditionally stuffed with ricotta, Parmesan, leafy herbs or vegetables such as parsley or spinach, egg and nutmeg.
Agnolotti is a type of stuffed pasta typical of the Piedmont region of Italy, made with small pieces of flattened dough folded over a filling of roasted meat or vegetables. Agnolotti can be di magro or di grasso depending on their filling of vegetables or meat.
Arrabbiata sauce, known in Italian as sugo all'arrabbiata, is a spicy sauce for pasta made from garlic, tomatoes, and dried red chili peppers cooked in olive oil. The sauce originates from the Lazio region of Italy, and particularly from the city of Rome.
Parmigiana, also called parmigiana di melanzane, melanzane alla parmigiana or, in the United States, eggplant parmesan, is an Italian dish made with fried, sliced eggplant layered with cheese and tomato sauce, then baked. The origin of the dish is claimed by the Southern regions of Calabria, Campania, Apulia and Sicily. Other variations found outside Italy may include chicken, veal, or another type of meat cutlet or vegetable filling.
Strozzapreti are an elongated form of cavatelli, or hand-rolled pasta typical of the Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Marche and Umbria regions of Italy as well as in the state of San Marino. The name is also used for a baked cheese and vegetable dumpling, prepared in some regions of Italy and on the French island of Corsica.
Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Roman times and later spread around the world together with waves of Italian diaspora. Some of these foods were imported from other cultures. Significant changes occurred with the colonization of the Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize and sugar beet—the latter introduced in quantity in the 18th century. It is one of the best-known and most appreciated gastronomies worldwide.
Gratin is a culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg or butter. The term may be applied to any dish made using this method. Gratin is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind. A gratin is baked or cooked under an overhead grill or broiler to form a golden crust on top and is often served in its baking dish.
Casoncelli are a type of stuffed pasta typical of the culinary tradition of Lombardy, in the northcentral part of Italy.
Venetian cuisine, from the city of Venice, Italy, or more widely from the region of Veneto, has a centuries-long history and differs significantly from other cuisines of northern Italy, and of neighbouring Austria and of Slavic countries, despite sharing some commonalities.
Gnudi, also called malfatti, are gnocchi-like dumplings made with ricotta cheese and semolina instead of potato flour. The result is often a lighter, "pillowy" dish, unlike the often denser, chewier gnocchi. Gnudi is the Tuscan word for "naked", the idea being that these "pillowy" balls of ricotta and spinach are "nude ravioli", consisting of just the tasty filling without the pasta shell.
The traditional cuisine of Abruzzo is eclectic, drawing on pastoral, mountain, and coastal cuisine. Staples of Abruzzo cuisine include bread, pasta, meat, fish, cheese, and wine. The isolation which has characterized the region for centuries has ensured the independence of its culinary tradition from those of nearby regions. Local cuisine was widely appreciated in a 2013 survey among foreign tourists.
Stracciatella, also known as stracciatella alla romana, is an Italian soup consisting of meat broth and small shreds of an egg-based mixture, prepared by drizzling the mixture into boiling broth and stirring. It is popular around Rome, in the Lazio region of central Italy. A similar soup, called zanzarelli, was described by Martino da Como in his 15th century manual The Art of Cooking. Other variants exist.
