Ingredients:

1. 2 to 16 Fresh Picked Zucchini Flowers
   
2. Beer
   
3. All-purpose Flour
   
4. 2 Egg Whites 
   
5. Sea Salt
   
6. Oil For Frying
   

Use a soft brush to clean the zucchini flowers and carefully remove the inner stamen. Leave at t least 2 inches of stem intact to aid in dipping and frying. In a small bowl, add about 1/2 cup of flour and a pinch of salt. Add enough beer to the flour, whisking until smooth, until you have created a batter the consistency of cream. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then carefully fold into the beer batter until mixed. Heat the frying oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan until it reaches 375 degrees F. checking it with a kitchen thermometer. Sprinkle the flour onto a plate. Dredge the stuffed zucchini flowers in the flour, then dip them into the batter until lightly coated, holding the flower over the bowl for a few seconds letting the excess batter drip off. Carefully lower the stuffed zucchini flowers into the hot oil in batches. Fry for 3-4 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on a plate topped with a few layers of kitchen paper. Repeat the process with the remaining stuffed zucchini flowers until they are all fried. Serve on a platter with a sprinkling of sea salt on top. Serve immediately.

Courtesy of: Deborah Mele

Ingredients: For Sauce1 pound red ripe Italian tomatoes
1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
1 grated carrot
2 ounces porcini mushrooms, soaked
1/2 pound sliced cremini mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup red wine
2 cups tomato sauce
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper

1. Prepare a tomato sauce by blanching tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes. Drain and peel. Chop and reserve.
   
2. Cook sausage. Drain off fat.
   
3. Saute onion, carrot, drained porcini, cremini mushrooms and garlic in the oil until onion is transparent.
   
4. Add cooked sausage. Add wine and let it evaporate. Add prepared tomatoes and hot pepper flakes. Cook at medium heat for 10 minutes.
   
5. Add tomato sauce and cook for 20 minutes. Chop parsley and add. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 more minutes. Reserve.
   

Classic Polenta Ingredients:4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup fine cornmeal
1 cup course cornmeal
1/4 cup whole milk

1. Heat water in a deep pot. Add salt and butter. Slowly, in a steady stream, add cornmeal while constantly whisking. Lower the heat to low, being very careful not to let mixture burn.
   
2. Switch to a wooden spoon and continue to stir until polenta mixture comes away from the sides of the pot. Add milk and stir until mixture pulls away from the pot again. Usually it takes 45 minutes to cook.
   
3. Pour the cooked polenta on a wet marble slab. Smooth the polenta with a spatula (dipped frequently in hot water) to a 1-inch thickness. Cover with foil and reserve.
   
4. Slice polenta with a piece of string. Place on an oiled baking dish. Cover with sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.
   

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Serves 8.

Frico is a cheese fritter made by heating grated Montasio cheese in a skillet until it crisps with other ingredients, in this case potatoes.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

· 10 ounces (250 g) fresh or moderately aged Montasio cheese, thinly sliced
· A scant pound (400 g) potatoes, peeled and cut in matchsticks.
· 1/4 cup unsalted butter or olive oil

Preparation:

Heat the fat in a skillet and saute the potatoes for a few minutes, or until they begin to soften and brown, then add the cheese and continue cooking, shaking the pan every now and then so the cheese gets to the bottom of the potato mixture; once the bottom of the mixture has begun to brown carefully slide it out onto a plate using a spatula (you don't want to break the Frico), then invert the frico back into the pan so you end up with the browned side up (as you would if you were flipping a frittata). Continue cooking the Frico for a few minutes more, until the underside is also brown; it should have a crunchy skin and a soft inside. The total cooking time of the cheese will be about 12-15 minutes. Serve it with polenta on the side.

Note: If you cannot find Montasio, use young Grana Padano cheese.

Yield: 4 servings frico with potatoes.

A special treats from Piedmont are the Lady’s Kisses. 

Delicate little treats made of 2 cookies joined together by a drop of chocolate.

Ingredients

5,3 oz (150 g) of butter

 ½ cup (110 g) of sugar

 1 ¼ cups (150 g) of flour

 the grated zest of 1 orange (organic is better) 

 5,3 oz (150 g) of dark chocolate

 5,3 oz (150 g) of peeled almonds

1 big pinch of salt

The first thing to do is chop the almonds together with the sugar, until you have a fine powder. Then, in a bowl, put the flour and the butter, which must be slightly soft, but not too soft. Now knead the flour with the butter, being careful not to take a long time... and once folded, add the rest of the ingredients: the almonds with the sugar, the grated zest of an orange, the vanilla and a big pinch of salt.
So once kneaded, I remind you not to work the dough for too long, since there's a lot of butter in it, wrap in cling film, flatten it to make it cool down better, and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or even more.
2-3 hrs. 
When you take the dough out of the fridge, it will be nice and firm, so roll it quickly into many sticks, because it's better to handle it as least as possible with your warm hands. Cut the sticks into pieces weighing about ¼ oz (6-8 g) each and roll them into balls which should be about as big as a hazelnut. After forming the balls, put them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 
After half an hour, we're ready to bake our cookies in a static oven at 320° for 20 minutes or until the cookie base turns slightly golden brown. If you're using a fan oven, bake at 275°.
20 min. -- 320°F (160°C)
When the cookies are ready; let them cool down and meanwhile melt the chocolate in a bain marie or in the microwave, as you prefer. When the chocolate is not so liquid anymore, but quite thick, fill an icing bag, and put a drop on the flat side of each cookie and cover with another cookie... always with the flat side, of course. And our lady's kisses are ready.
 I remind you that they can be prepared either with almonds or hazelnuts; if you want to store them, use a closed tin box and keep it in a fresh place.

Courtesy from Sonia and GialloZafferano

Grissini are generally pencil-sized sticks of crispy; dry bread originating in Turin and the surrounding area in Italy, in English are called breadstick. They are often placed on the table in restaurants as an appetizer, although they are usually larger than pencil-sized. They can also be combined with more luxurious ingredients. 
For your convenience, in our store we have GrissinBon Fagolosi Rosemary with Extra Virgin Olive oil.



Ingredients: 
 1/2 cup warm water
 1 package active dry yeast
 1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
Directions
Total time: 55 minutes, plus rising time
Servings: Makes 4 dozen breadsticks

In a large bowl, combine the water with the yeast, sugar and one-half cup of the all-purpose flour. Set aside for 10 minutes, until bubbly.
Stir in the remaining all-purpose flour, wheat flour, olive oil and salt and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Wash out the bowl and coat it with a thin layer of olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow rising in a warm place for 1 hour.
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into four pieces on a floured surface. Roll out each piece into a rectangle, 4 by 12 inches. Cut the dough lengthwise into one-third-inch-wide strips. Place the strips about one-half-inch apart on a greased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough. Allow the grissini to rise until puffed, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Bake the grissini, in batches, on the top shelf of the oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool on a rack and continue until all the grissini are baked. Cool, then store in a sealed bag, being careful not to break them.

Courtesy from http://www.sparkrecipes.com/ 

Ingredients

1 lb mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled, whole
4 T butter salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 oz penne (about 2 1/2 cups dry pasta)
3 oz Bel Paese cheese, thinly sliced or cubed - or any creamy, mild cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream or half and half

Preparation: How to make the Pasticcio di penne alla valdostana:

Saute' the mushrooms with the whole garlic clove in 2 tablespoons of the butter over a high heat. Add salt and pepper, lower the heat and cook for 3 minutes. Discard the garlic. Cook the pasta as usual. Drain and dress with the remaining butter.

Butter an ovenproof dish and cover the bottom with a layer of penne. Distribute about a quarter of the mushrooms and the sliced cheese evenly over the pasta and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan. Add another layer of pasta and cover with mushrooms and cheese as before.

Repeat until you have used all the ingredients, finishing with a layer of sliced cheeses. Pour over the cream, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake, covered the pasticcio di penne alla valdostana with foil, in a preheated oven at 400° for 10 minutes.

Bake uncovered for a further 10 minutes, or until a light crust has formed on the top. Remove the pasticcio di penne alla valdostana from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Adapted from: Gastronomy of Italy Anna Del Conte Prentice Hall Press

Ingredients

· 1 1/3 pounds (600 g) Fontina
· 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
· 6 egg yolks
· 1 1/2 cups milk

How to make the Fonduta Valdostana:

Dice the fontina and put it in the upper half of a double boiler with the milk; season the mixture with a pinch of salt and let it sit for about an hour. Then heat it gently, stirring with a whip, until you obtain a dense, cheesy cream.

At this point incorporate the yolks, one at a time, and then the butter to the fonduta (fundue).

Divy the fonduta up into 6 previously heated bowls and serve with toasted bread.

Recipe courtesy of Enrico Massetti

Ingredients

4 veal chops
4 oz. Fontina
1 egg, beaten
white breadcrumbs
3 oz. butter
salt
pepper
white truffle (optional)

How to make the COSTOLETTA ALLA VALDOSTANA:

Butterfly the veal chops, leaving them attached to the bone. Flatten them slightly and place slices of Fontina in between each two pieces of meat. Add salt and pepper to taste and pound the edges together with a mallet.

Dip in the beaten egg and the breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in a skillet. When hot, place the veal chops in and cook for 2 min. on each side, then 3 more min. in the oven at 450°F. Remove from oven and place in serving platter. Add to the costoletta alla valdostana a shaving of white truffles over and serve.

Recipe courtesy of The Italian Trade Commission.

Serving(s): 4 to 6
Ingredients

1 leg of lamb, about 3-1/2 to 4 pounds (anything larger is approaching mutton)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 or 5 garlic cloves, sliced
4 to 5 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves only
2 lbs  waxy potatoes, cut into 1-inch slices or medium dice
1/4 cup  extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cups  white wine

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400F. Season the lamb all over with salt and pepper. With a sharp knife, make incisions in the meat and push a slice of garlic and a little piece of rosemary into each. Toss the potatoes with some of the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the potatoes in a roasting pan and put the lamb on top. Pour the rest of the oil over the meat. Roast for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350F, add the wine, and continue roasting for 17 to 20 minutes to the pound, about 1 hour more depending on size, until the meat is very tender. Turn the potatoes once or twice if necessary to ensure even browning. 

Variation: You may put slivers of 5 or 6 anchovies into the incisions along with the garlic and add 1/4 cup capers to the pan during roasting to add flavor to the juices. Or use a veal roast in place of the lamb for vitello al forno.

Source
Excerpted from Rome, at Home by Suzanne Dunaway. Copyright © 2004 by Suzanne Dunaway. Excerpted by permission of Random House. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.