Easy Italian Recipes

Rich Flavors and Big Wines

Piedmont shares borders with France and Switzerland—and shares many culinary traditions with them as well, from its world-renowned wines to its famed white truffles and rich butter-and-cheese sauces. Instead of first-course pastas, locals favor soups, broths, and, because Piedmont is a leading rice-growing area, risotto, often prepared with the region's red wines. Meat and game abound in landlocked Piedmont, with fish—primarily trout—playing a lesser role. A long-standing tradition of home gardening brings an abundance of fresh vegetables to the table—from cardoons and fennel to asparagus, cabbage, and peppers—most famously in bagna cauda. The region's great wines include a pair of robust aged reds, Barolo and Barbaresco, both made from the Nebbiolo grape, and the sweet, sparkling Asti Spumante. Vermouth was also invented here, and Piedmont is home to the vermouth producers Martini & Rossi and Cinzano, among others. Locals love their cookies, cakes, and coffee. Famous for its cafès, Turin is renowned as a center of coffee roasting and of chocolate making, especially gianduia, chocolate blended with the region's prized hazelnuts (filberts).

Culinary Signature: White Truffles

Like the famous black truffles of Périgord, the tartufi bianchi of the Alba province and the Langhe region are among the world's most precious culinary treasures, routinely selling for thousands of dollars per kilo at the region's truffle markets. They grow underground and are harvested by truffle hunters who work with trained sniffing dogs, often late at night to avoid revealing their best locations. More refined and delicate than black truffles, white truffles are never cooked. Instead, they are shaved raw over a finished dish at the last minute, its rising heat releasing their earthy aroma and ethereal flavor. October is peak season for fresh white truffles, and they are highly perishable, but their flavor can be enjoyed year-round in preserved pastes, sauces, and infused oils.

Regional Specialties

Bagna cauda a sauce of garlic and anchovies, served not with raw vegetables for dipping Gnocchi alla bava potato dumplings in a creamy Fontina cheese sauce

Brasato al barolo beef or veal braised in Barolo wine

Bollito misto tender boiled beef and other meats served with mostarda (condiment of fruits flavored with mustard seed) or salsa verde (piquant herb sauce)

Grissini long, thin bread sticks

Fonduta Italian version of Swiss fondue, made with Fontina cheese

Zabaglione a dessert of whipped egg yolks, sugar, and Marsala

Photo: The white truffle of Alba. The area around Alba, in Piedmont, is the home of the white truffle, found nowhere else in Europe