In a tangy twist on a classic chicken recipe, a whole (organic free-range) chicken is rubbed inside and out with aromatic herbs, then baked with freshly squeezed lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil for a light and flavorful Italian dish. Paired with roasted potatoes, this dish makes for a perfect meal.
Italian
Brain Food: Sicilian Scrambled Eggs
This quick and easy Italian recipe is loaded not only with nutrients, but also with the robust flavor of fresh basil, pungent garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil.
Flank Steak Tagliata with Salsa Verde
Tagliata is Italian for sliced steak. You’ll find it on nearly every Italian restaurant menu. But it’s easy to make at home, and a great choice for an unfussy meal. (Sometimes it’s also a good way to make one steak feed two.) Flank steak makes a great tagliata. It’s relatively inexpensive and easy to cook.
Lemon Ricotta Cake with Sweetened Whipped Cream and Berries
Because there’s not much flour in this batter, the crumb is chewy, sort of like a cross between a custard pie and a buttery cake. The cake is very thin but a good platform for the whipped cream and berries.
Winter Tomato Sauce
This is a slow-cooker adaptation of Marcella Hazan’s famous 3-ingredient marinara sauce. The butter makes the sauce plush. Good-quality canned tomatoes are a useful pantry staple year-round but especially in winter when fresh tomatoes seem a lifetime away.
Lidia Bastianich’s Polenta Torta with Gorgonzola and Savoy Cabbage
Lidia Bastianich's polenta torta is delicious with Gorgonzola and cabbage, but you can vary the filling however you wish. The dish is ideal for a crowd. You can assemble the tart the day before and then bake it the day of your gathering, and it also reheats well.
