Can all pasta be trusted? Is lasagna fresh? And what’s the deal with Italian places
trying to become the next fried heaven for fried foods? When it comes to Italian food,
it can be hard to separate the al dente from the al don't – until now.
Pasta is the queen of Italian cuisine. And the rough estimate of 350 Italian
pasta shapes speaks volumes about its role in everyday life. Pasta
isn't supposed to be an overly pretentious or complicated dish.
While noodles in various forms exist worldwide, Italians have perfected the
art of pasta making. Traditional Italian pasta is made from pure durum wheat flour,
which makes it sturdier so it holds its shape and retains its chewy texture after cooking.
Pasta is one of the more reliable options at Italian restaurants. Ideally,
all pasta is made on-site, which is usually the case if it's the house specialty. And you
can often select a pasta shape and sauce combination for a semi-customized meal.
Lasagna can be a great meal. This baked pasta classic has long been one of the best-known
Italian dishes, but it may work better homemade than as a restaurant order. The problem with
lasagna is that it's usually made in large, deep trays and has to be cooked all at once.
Restaurants don't bake it from scratch when you place your order. Instead,
most kitchens portion out a pre-baked batch and reheat it as required. If you're lucky,
you'll get freshly baked lasagna with a warm, gooey center. More likely,
the batch has already chilled and your serving will require significant time in the oven to
heat evenly. It's a tricky balance. Your lasagna might have a nicely melted top but a stiff and
cold center. And the same thing happens with pre-baked single portions. The heat needs time
to penetrate through all those layers, and time is an issue in busy restaurant kitchens.
Lasagna is also a good way for restaurants to cut costs.
"Once again, my life has been saved by the miracle of lasagna."
Adding more bechamel and skimping on the meat – which is pricier – isn't conducive to a good
dish. The bottom line is: make sure you trust the establishment if you really want to order lasagna.
Gnocchi is a collective name for various dumplings typical of traditional Italian
cuisine. Though we mainly think of them as boiled, thumb-sized morsels made with mashed potatoes,
different regions use different ingredients and cooking styles. They can be fried to attain a
crisp crust or baked into a gnocchi casserole. Gnocchi alla romana is a popular dish from Rome
that doesn't resemble its potato-based cousins. This version is made with semolina and shaped
into thick disks, sprinkled with cheese, and then broiled. Another close culinary cousin is
ricotta-based gnudi, a very light dish you may find at your local Italian restaurant.
Gnocchi are great because they give you a neutral base to pair with various sauces. They freeze well
if stored properly. You can rest assured that you don't have to worry about being served a
cold dish. So if pasta isn't your thing or you're up for another Italian specialty, gnocchi are a
great alternative that should delight you with their chewy texture and versatility.
Italian cuisine is incredibly diverse and region-specific,
and many dishes typical in the north will be difficult to find in the south.
"I will have the spaghetti, with a side salad. If the salad comes on top I will send it back."
Similarly, ingredients aren't equally represented throughout the country. With such an abundance
to choose from, it's hard to understand how some phony Italian-passing dishes deserve a
spot on an Italian menu — especially if the restaurant claims to be authentic.
We have nothing against spaghetti and meatballs, but the dish doesn't belong to traditional Italian
cuisine, nor should it be promoted as such. The same goes for the Americanized version of
fettuccine Alfredo with added cream and often with meat. Even the basket of garlic bread
you typically find at Italian restaurants in the U.S. has no counterpart in Italy.
If you want real Italian cooking, look for restaurants with authentic menus filled
with genuine Italian dishes. And don't forget to listen to the waiter's advice, as they'll likely
recommend the best pasta and sauce pairing or suggest the freshest items of the day.
As you can guess from its official name, ossobuco alla Milanese most likely originated in Milan. It
consists of a thick piece of cross-cut veal shank slowly braised in a tomato-based sauce along with
a mix of diced carrots, celery, and onions. It usually includes thyme and bay leaf for seasoning
and an obligatory splash of wine. The meat is cooked on low heat until it is butter soft and
the marrow can be scooped out of the bone. The final step is an herbal gremolata sauce
made with chopped parsley, garlic, and lemon zest to balance out all those heavy flavors.
Ossobuco is not always a staple restaurant dish, but if you see it, it's a good sign that
the place knows traditional Italian cooking. There are no shortcuts to a good ossobuco,
so you can expect that the kitchen has spent time and effort building
up the flavors and slow-cooking the meat. Because it's so time-consuming,
ossobuco is always a good restaurant order as we rarely find time to cook it at home.
Ossobuco is traditionally served with a Milanese saffron risotto. Even if you
find time for the long and slow braise, cooking risotto on top of it might be an
overwhelming task. You're better off ordering this hearty classic at a reputable restaurant.
A Caprese salad is a star Italian dish, but it shouldn't be your go-to order in
all seasons. The classic recipe consists of a simple combination of sliced mozzarella
layered with thick slices of fresh tomato. The plate is garnished with fresh basil leaves,
drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt. Because it only uses a few ingredients,
the various elements must be of exceptional quality.
This salad screams summer. In Italy, tomatoes are seasonal and reserved for hot summer days.
Although they're available year-round, you'll rarely find a winter tomato that
compares with its sweet, ripe, and juicy summer counterpart. The same goes for mozzarella,
given that it's one of the main elements of the dish and should provide a ton of flavor. You want
the freshest and juiciest mozzarella, preferably the top-notch buffalo mozzarella from the South,
which is unfortunately not the standard you will find in a generic restaurant Caprese.
The salad could be a good choice in the summer, but make sure that you
can trust the restaurant on the quality of the products it puts on the plate.
In its simplest form, Italian ragù is a sauce made with meat. And yes,
the legendary Bolognese counts. The recipes vary depending on the region and local tradition,
but you'll usually find ground beef, pork, or a combination of both. The base is usually
made with a traditional Italian sofrito — a combination of diced onion, celery,
and carrots — cooked with meat, a bit of tomato purée, seasonings, and herbs.
"My mother used to sometimes put a pig's foot in this."
A splash of white or red wine is sometimes added for flavor and depth.
Ragù is a slow-cooked dish that requires a lot of time on low heat,
so you can expect all those flavors to incorporate well. The recipe is also
difficult to mess up. The list of ingredients is usually short and it doesn't call for any
unusual cooking techniques. The only trick is to let time do its magic. Meat sauces reheat well,
too, so expect the same with Italian ragù; your order will always arrive nice and warm.
In the rare case that you're served an underwhelming ragù,
ask for grated cheese — preferably fresh and not those dry shavings — and sprinkle
it over top. There's nothing that can't be fixed with cheese.
The chances of finding a properly made restaurant risotto are unlikely.
The technique is very strict and explicit, and there aren't really
any shortcuts if you want it to be good. The type of rice is crucial.
"There are three main types: arborio, carnaroli, and vialone."
The cooking process is time-consuming. Risotto requires regular stirring,
so the pan must be constantly watched. Bad risotto can be soupy or too thick. And a chef
must know when risotto needs to be taken off the stove to prevent it from turning into mush. All
these steps leave plenty of room for mistakes, which makes risotto a very tricky proposition.
The first sign that your risotto hasn't been made fresh is the speed with which it comes to your
table. If you see a plate in front of you in under 10 minutes, you can be sure the chef didn't follow
all the steps. In a worst-case scenario, they used pre-cooked rice and just added garnishes.
In other words, be careful where you get your risotto.
This delicate dish is easy to mess up — so choose your restaurant wisely.
Forget flavorless breadsticks and chewy garlic bread; focaccia should
be your bread of choice at any Italian restaurant. It goes well with everything,
whether you pair it with your favorite antipasti or order it to mop up saucy braised dishes.
There are several different types of Italian focaccia, but the one we most associate with
the name is the Ligurian leavened version. A classic focaccia recipe includes flour, yeast,
water, salt, and olive oil. The dough bakes into a soft, moist bread that stays fresh.
The olive oil provides plenty of flavor and gives the bread a nice crispy crust. The best
thing about focaccia is that it's commonly dressed up with toppings. For example,
you might enjoy an olive or fresh rosemary to provide an additional flavor boost.
Focaccia is often made in-house, and, in the best-case scenario, your order will arrive
while the bread is still slightly warm. As there are many focaccia aficionados, this bread has a
fast turnaround. Consider yourself lucky if you find it on the menu, then order it immediately.
Italian cuisine doesn't shy away from deep-fried dishes. The most popular option is fritto misto,
a combination of different vegetables or seafood coated in a light batter and fried
until golden. This dish is usually served as a starter but is also a great snack.
It's generally hard to go wrong with fried dishes — any ingredient that's
battered and fried will probably taste good — but there are perils that come
with the order. Frying is a great way to cover up lower quality ingredients,
so you can never be sure what you are getting. While no one wants to eat sad limp veggies,
freshness is especially important when it comes to seafood, as one bad piece can really mess you
up. Also, the quality of the frying oil has a great influence on flavor, so be discerning
about which Italian restaurant you go to if you're planning to order a fried dish.
If pasta is the queen of savory Italian dishes, tiramisu must be the king of
Italian desserts. Though it is not an ancient recipe — it originated in the
second half of the 20th century — tiramisu has become a favorite in the dessert department.
Today it's found at most Italian eateries, and it should be one of your go-to orders.
Tiramisu isn't an overly complicated dessert. It consists of coffee-soaked ladyfingers coated with
a light and airy egg custard and generously dusted with unsweetened cocoa powder to add
a touch of bitterness and balance out the sweetness. Because it's loved by many,
tiramisu is a common restaurant order, which means you rarely see a stale or days-old version.
Its popularity inspires any respectable restaurant to perfect the recipe and ensure
quality and flavor are on point. Tiramisu can be whipped up in no time and is refrigerated,
so you don't have to worry about contamination. And most important,
it's so delicious it would be a shame to skip it after a nice meal.
You might think that labeling pizza as a dish to avoid at a restaurant is blasphemous,
but there are good reasons to be careful where you get it and who's making it.
Pizza is arguably Italy's greatest export. Though we often think of it as a simple,
quick, on-the-go dish, Italians take their pizza seriously. They've perfected the craft,
but the same level of dedication is rarely replicated outside Italy. You'll encounter
many versions that can't compare, both in the quality of the dough and the toppings.
Your safest option is to go to a pizzeria rather than a generic Italian restaurant.
Remember that pizza wears many different hats, so while you might expect a thin and
crisp Napoletana, the restaurant might serve a thicker Roman style. To avoid disappointment,
check the menu ahead of time. Do your research because there are
great pizzerias outside of Italy where you can get a real, high-quality pie.