Menu & Courses: The Italian Way

Let's talk of the typical Italian menu and how it is normally organised.

First of all, yes, our lunches and suppers are different from the English way...I mean, yes, we tend to eat more, or at least differently. But the important key for healthy menu is to keep the portions relatively small and then you'll see that the Mediterranean diet is quite balanced.

A full Italian menu can be: Starter, First Course, Second course with Side Dish, Cheese Board, Dessert, Coffee, and of course the so called After Coffee, which is normally a liqueur, only for the adults ;) !
This is nowadays the festive menu, at Xmas or Easter, maybe for a special Sunday we might have something like that, for sure we don't eat that much everyday!

Starter or Antipasto: when I ask for a starter here in England normally I get a soup or a Bruschetta (bru-ske-tta). Well, in Italy the story is different. You can have many, many different things. The most typical is probably a plate of cured meet, like Salame or Prosciutto with some gherkins or vegetable sott'olio (it means 'Under Oil' and it could be sun dried tomatoes,  artichokes, mushrooms, etc...). Other things can be terrines, savoury quiche, stuffed puff pastry and many other lovely things that I will show you in my blog.

First Course or Primo/Primo Piatto: welcome to the world of pasta!
For us the first course is normally pasta or rice, so carbs. I'm sure that you already know many different pasta recipes, but I'll show you some more here, or at least I will show you my favourite, in a proper Italian way, I'm not saying in a better way, just as I cook and prepare my pasta. Then, if you prefer your way, more than welcome to continue to use your recipes. I'm not stubborn at all and I do appreciate when people invent and follow their own taste in the kitchen! A special mention goes to the Italian version of cooking rice, or Risotto. I'm from a northern region in Italy where risotto is probably even more appreciate than pasta...some super typical recipes are coming! and don't be scared, risotto is not that difficult to prepare!

Second Course or Secondo/Secondo Piatto: in general at this stage you have your proteins (meat or fish).
I love meat and fish, actually my favourite things are a very raw steak or some very good poached salmon...but I will show you something more than that!

Side Dish or Contorno: and here you have your vitamins! Normally it can be just a very simple salad, tossed vegetables, mash, etc...you will get some sides as well here....quick and easy, which can also substitute a lunch on your desk if you prepare a good portion and take it to your office a baguette or a little dessert!

Cheese Board or Tagliere di Formaggi: I'm sorry, I do need to apologise as I always do with my friends here in London. Yes I'm Italian but...I hate cheese. I don't eat cheese, I don't usually cook with cheese. Just a few exceptions: Mozzarella (fresh, cooked like on a pizza it becomes cheese, so it's too strong for me), Ricotta and Primosale: these 3 are fresh cheeses, so they don't really taste as cheese, more like milk.. and Parmigiano (Parmisan) in little quantity only on my Pasta or Risotto.  But please, ask me any question if you have, I read quite a lot about Italian food and I can give you advice with some help from my "cheesy" friends!

Pudding/Dessert or Dolce/Dessert: ok, is dessert a French word? We are both using it, France is in the middle between us, it makes sense...Dolce in Italian means sweet, there we go, at the end of the meal would you ask for more? I love baking, even if I'm not actually a sweet tooth. Be prepared to find many cakes, biscuits, muffins, puddings, etc... on my blog.

Coffee or Caffè: well almost an addiction for us...I'll make some videos about how we prepare and drink it, because yes, it's different. Don't get me wrong, I can't live without a kettle now and the pleasure of a big cup of instant coffee it's just one of the things that I won't lose from my experience in UK. But I'll show you the Italian way. PS. Cafè (the place) it's called Bar in Italy. We don't have coffee chains in Italy, and normally you have a Bar where you go every morning and the Barista (Bar man) asks you "The usual?" because he remembers all the clients' orders. That's nice, and I've been missing my "personal" relationship with my barista from my little town :)