Italian

This caponata can be served warm or at room temperature. This recipe makes for a great appetizer—spread on toasted baguette slices.

Sardines are one of the ocean’s most sustainable superfoods. Because they tend to fall apart, save half for topping the dish just before serving.

Substitute pine nuts for the walnuts if you'd like. To serve with pasta, stir in ½ cup pasta cooking liquid to the pesto until smooth and toss to coat, or serve as a topping for chicken.

Risotto only sounds intimidating—if you can stir, you can make it. Poaching the eggs ahead of time should quell any lingering performance anxiety.

Be sure to balance bold notes. In this pulled-back panino, Kuziemko uses a sharp provolone to cut the fat and the slightly sweet flavor of the copper, and honey to temper the spicy-bitter broccoli rabe pesto.

Using chicken thighs instead of breasts ensures juicy cutlets, and the best chicken parm recipe you'll ever make.

Frittatas are excellent served warm or at room temperature, which means that it’s a perfect do-ahead dish.

Orecchiette ("little ears" in Italian) are the perfect shape for cupping the kale and breadcrumbs.

This pasta sauce is thickened with pureed chickpeas, and it's finished with a fresh garlic-and-rosemary oil, which adds great flavor and an even better aroma.

This ricotta gnudi recipe is delicious with pomodoro sauce, or try them with brown butter and sage. Think of them as cheesy dumplings.

Any short, tubular pasta will work with this meaty ragù. We used sedanini ("little celery") on the cover, but easier-to-find rigatoni and penne are great, too.

A caffeine-free twist on the classic Italian espresso–ice cream dessert.

A malfatto (Italian for "badly made") is a tender dumpling with rustic character. (Think gnocchi, but bigger.)

Adapted from The River Cafe Classic Italian Cookbook by Rose Gray, Ruth Rogers, and Michael Joseph. Copyright Rose Gray 2009.

Adapted from The River Cafe Classic Italian Cookbook by Rose Gray, Ruth Rogers, and Michael Joseph. Copyright Rose Gray 2009.

Like any good bellini recipe, this one from the iconic River Café keep it simple: peaches, lemon, sugar, and Prosecco.