Cooking with Cositutti - Our Recipes
The recipe may be the best place to reassure the human gesture of sharing. Not just to keep loved ones fed and nourished, but beyond that, as a gesture of the instinct to imagine, to create and perfect, to continue in the countless iterations, to work on a recipe until its variations are explored, its textures, flavors, aromas and physicality are worked on in pursuit of a new and valued item for presentation to the table. This constant endeavor is repeated over and over and over again and has passed down since the beginning of upright man. (Kitchen Inspirational )
After eating in Italy with our Italian family and friends I’ve come to realize the pivotal place food has in the Italian culture. Italians take time and effort to prepare a well-laid table where there is beauty and grace in the smallest detail. These recipes are from a variety of sources. Many have been passed down by our Lombardian cousins and relatives in the Veneto in the oral tradition of the great kitchens of Italy. Several are from favorite ristoranti, trattorie and cooking schools and friends that are part Seeing and Savoring Italy taste and travel series. Some are written in the narrative style to include the experiences we have had eating and traveling on road trips with our Italian family and friends. All with the belief that preparing a well-laid table to share with your family and friends in a relaxed and tranquil manner is a lost pleasure that must be found again.
Many of our recipes can also be found at the Market Notes Menu - Cooking with Us
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New Recipes Coming Soon!
A collection of recipes from generations of Italian cooks I have know and favor here and in Italy.
Holiday Balsamic
Always a hit. A particularly stunning addition to a charcuterie board.
Risotto Milanese alla Nonna
Seeing and savoring Lombardia in Northern Italy would not be complete without a plate of risotto alla Milanese. In this part of Italy rice, prepared as riso or risotto, is favored over pasta with notably French influences in the cooking and butter often used as a cooking fat. This recipe is from my mother-in-law, Marian by way of her mother-in-law, Epifania Trevisan.
The idea that if something works well there's no reason to change it might be applied to this recipe. It's one of the foundational recipes of the "casalinga" kitchen. The idea of simple food simply prepared using the best ingredients has been a hallmark of Italian cuisine. The measuring of the ingredients for this recipe are according to my observations with Nonna as she cooked a "occhio” by eye.
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Fonduta is a recipe from the Italian Alps that has its origins in the traditional Swiss fondue, but differs in the presence of egg yolks, instead of wine or liquor. A typical winter dish, it is served with cubes of bread, assorted salami, fried polenta or potatoes, and/or crudités like carrots, celery or radishes. Enjoy with a glass of Italian Sauvignon from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.
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Canederli, Italian bread dumplings from Italy's Sudtirol , can be served in broth, as a side to stews or eaten alone with butter and grated cheese or lots of gravy.
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A crispy cross between a bagel, pretzel, and breadstick made with extra virgin olive oil and white wine. Boiled then baked. Originally from Puglia, a delicious snack served with Italian cheese and a glass of wine.
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This pasta is made with a Gorgonzola cream sauce and La Favorita Black Olive Crema giving the dish the subtle color of fallen ashes*. La Favorite Black Olive Crema makes this dish unbelievably simple to make yet the result is a dish you’d be happy to have in an upmarket Italian restaurant!
What makes this an exceptional crostini is choice meat, a good quality balsamic, fresh herb cheese and an Italian baguette or stirato, a form of ciabatta that is cut into lengths and then stretched just before baking.
An easy but impressive starter or a very nice addition to a charcuterie board.
A warm olive oil fondue with a heavenly aroma ,flavor and history that dates back to the Middle Ages. Said to be a favorite of Pope Francis, bagna cauda was first eaten in the field by Piedmontese vineyard workers to ward off the mid-winter cold.
An Italian inspired strawberry cupcake (tortina) made with aged balsamic vinegar that is just a little bit different and a little bit more awesome because of it.