Italian Food

Just about everyone likes Italian food. On this site you'll find information and some recipes to enhance your enjoyment of this wonderful cuisine.

In case you don't already know, Italian food is not at all difficult to make, even if you're not Italian! If you are Italian, like I am, it comes naturally. Why? Because most Italian food recipes are handed down from generation to generation.

If you don't have a family to hand such recipes down to you then you will be able to find some excellent Italian recipes on this site and of course on other food sites. You can find recipes that other people have been using for years.

It's worth understanding that Italian food is a lot more than just learning to make spaghetti sauce (which the Italians call gravy), it's about an entire way of preparing and cooking food.

Of course the best Italian food is that which is home made. This is especially true if you have Italian roots as you will have been brought up with certain recipes, whether they are based on meat, fish or pasta.

Some people think that Italian food is not a healthy choice; this is inaccurate. Actually the Mediterranean Diet is now one of the more popular diets being followed! The Mediterranean Diet entails eating whole grain bread, pasta, rice, vegetables and other staples found in the typical Italian home.

A typical Italian-American may eat lots of red meat but Italians who live in parts of Italy, especially in the Southern area of the country, eat very little red meat. Not surprisingly they suffer from less heart disease and cancer than those in the United States. It's worth thinking about.

Enjoy exploring the site, learning about Italian food, it's history and style, what constitutes Gormet Italian Food, what the Italians use for finger food and so many other topics.

Your First Recipe

If you do not know any Italians, you can find recipes for Italian food in cook books or online. You can also experiment with seasonings to make your very own Italian food. Try this simple recipe for Chicken Tetrazini:

• In a pan with just a table spoon of olive oil, brown a thinly sliced clove of garlic and one small onion. Cook until the union is tender and brown and then add cut up peppers, mushrooms and chicken cubes. Add spices and herbs such as oregano, salt, pepper and basil. Cook all the way through and set aside.
• In a pot, boil water and add pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain, rinse and combine with the meat and vegetables.
• In another pot, melt half a stick of butter and add 6 heaping teaspoons of flour. When blended, add two cups of cold milk. Continue stirring over heat until it thickens. Remove from heat and add one coddled egg and half a cup of shredded Parmesian cheese. Mix in with the meat, vegetables and pasta put in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for about 10 minutes.

This is my own recipe and is easy to prepare - I am no great chef. The best part is that although it may seem complicated at first, it only takes about 20 minutes of preparation time and 10 minutes of cooking. In 30 minutes, you can have an authentic Italian food meal!