A Guide To Italian Cooking For Making Easy Dinner Recipes

Traditionally, Italian constitutes three or four courses. In this cuisine, the meals are seen as the chance to spend time with family and friends instead of immediate sustenance; thus, the daily meals are longer than in other cultures. During holidays, family feasts can last for hours.

Antipasto is the first snack served before the meal. As soon as the guests arrive, the antipasto is arranged in a buffet style with small plates and flatware, so your guests can help themselves as they mingle. Usually two loaves of Italian bread in 1-inch-thick slices is placed in a bread basket. Along with this either a selection of three to five cold cuts such as capicola, prosciutto, mortadella, ham and turkey; or bowls filled with red roasted peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, green and/or black olives, pickled eggplant and mushrooms stuffed with ricotta and sausage are served. Also a beverage station with wine, beer and soft drinks, is served so as to make the guests feel themselves at home, while preparing the main course.

First Course, or "primi," consists of the soup, risotto or pasta. Minestrone is a broth-based soup that contains pasta and vegetables. Cod or mussel soups is best for seafood lovers. Ribollita is a hearty stew-like Tuscan soup of beans, cabbage and day-old bread. Along with this, a good bowl of pasta, vegetable lasagna or spaghetti with marinara, clam sauce or calamari sauce is also served.

Second Course, includes fish or meat. This meal is usually served alone. If you want to add a side dish, however, you can add a simple one. A vegetable stew or grilled or roasted vegetables are delicious and look beautiful on a plate. A mixed salad of fresh herbs and vegetables completes this course. It is served undressed, and the guests are offered carafes of extra virgin olive oil and wine vinegar, some salt, freshly ground pepper and grated Parmesan cheese. In this way, they can dress and season it to their liking.