I will be honest, I never was terribly fond of dried legumes, and apart from slow cooking the occasional bag of dried cannellini beans, or adding dried lentils to a pot of soup I often grabbed a can precooked beans to use when needed in a recipe. Yes, I admit that even I stooped to... The post Rediscovering Dried Legumes appeared first on Italian Food Forever ..read more

Spring is one of my favorite seasons in Italy, as we have an abundance of vibrant fresh vegetables available. The market stalls are overflowing with tender fava beans, a variety of different artichokes, baby peas, and crisp asparagus spears. Unfortunately, due to the Pandemic, we are living through, we were unable to travel to Italy... The post Creamy Lemon & Asparagus Risotto appeared first on Italian Food Forever ..read more

Although we rarely eat meat or poultry anymore, I must admit that I do crave chicken from time to time. I would be quite comfortable never eating red meat again, but about once a month I like to prepare a chicken dish of some type. We recently had our niece visiting from Canada, and I... The post Chicken With Mustard Mascarpone Sauce appeared first on Italian Food Forever ..read more

A colorful, crunchy salad made heartier with the addition of canned beans. The post Chickpea, Tomato, & Cucumber Salad appeared first on Italian Food Forever ..read more

Biscotti have taken the world by storm. These subtly sweet, crisp cookies can be found in different countries around the globe, although they can be traced back to Italy as far back as the fourteenth century. In fact it is said Christopher Columbus carried these cookies on his voyages because they were so sturdy, and... The post The Ever Popular Biscotti appeared first on Italian Food Forever ..read more

The countdown is on…..I leave for Italy soon, so my meal planning involves trying to clean out my refrigerator and freezer before we leave. I had some frozen shrimp in the freezer, and some nduja leftover in my refrigerator that I decided would be a great combination in a pasta dish. If you are not... The post Pasta with Nduja, Shrimps, & Cherry Tomatoes appeared first on Italian Food Forever ..read more

Nothing is more comforting than a bowl of soup to warm you from the inside out. Add some crusty Italian bread, a crisp green mixed salad and some fruit for dessert to create a complete meal. To vary this soup, you can add 1 cup of chopped canned tomatoes for a cup of the beef... The post Beef Barley Soup appeared first on Italian Food Forever ..read more

With the arrival of warmer weather, we tend to eat a lot more salads in my house, and I love mixing things up by using unusual grains and vegetable and fruit combinations. I think forbidden rice is a fantastic ingredient to use in salads. As well as having a very cool black color, since black... The post Forbidden Rice Salad With Mango, Asparagus, Peppers, & Pomegranate Arils appeared first on Italian Food Forever ..read more

Mustard is not an ingredient that plays a large role in Italian cuisine, so when I first heard about this recipe, I was intrigued. In northern Italy, many dishes are inspired by German or Austrian cuisine, where mustard is prevalent. We lived in Milan, Italy, for eight years and visited northern Italy often. We were... The post Creamy Mustard Pasta With Sausage & Spinach appeared first on Italian Food Forever ..read more

My husband opened a new restaurant in Naples, Florida, last November. Since then, he has rarely been home for dinner, so I have been cooking large meals much less frequently. I make a few dishes one day a week and then enjoy leftovers for a few more days. Cooking for one isn’t as enjoyable as... The post Crispy Fried Shrimp With Meyer Lemon Aioli appeared first on Italian Food Forever ..read more