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Posts in Salads and starters

Summer Corn + Basil Risotto

Summer Corn + Basil Risotto

American corn the cob meets Italian risotto in this luxurious summer dish.

Vegetables and Sides, Salads and starters, Risotto and PolentaFrancesa BruzzeseAugust 14, 2023summer, savory, american recipes, veggies, chicken meat fish

Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini Fritters

While 2020 may have turned out to be the year no one could have predicted, I'm willing to bet that pandemic or not, nothing will stop your garden from churning out more zucchini than you know what to do with, just like it does every summer (some things never change!). Here’s one way to use them up!

Vegetables and Sides, Vegetarian, Salads and startersFrancesca BruzzeseJune 18, 2020veggies, american recipes, summer, appetizers and side dishes Comment

Corn and Zucchine Salad with Feta

Corn and Zucchine Salad with Feta

Who said corn had to be on the cob?! This corn salad with ribbons of zucchini, a handful of salty feta, and a flowery zucchini blossom or two will make you rethink your usual summer corn recipes.

Salads and starters, Vegetables and SidesFrancesca BruzzeseJuly 31, 2019american recipes, appetizers and side dishes, easy, summer, veggies Comments

Vignarola

Vignarola

Pure edible springtime — peas, artichokes, and fava beans cooked until silky in lots of olive oil, make up vignarola, a Roman classic.

Salads and starters, Vegetarian, Vegetables and Sides, Roman, Vegan, EasterFrancesca BruzzeseApril 16, 2019appetizers and side dishes, easy, italian recipes, savory, spring, veggiesComment

Carciofi alla romana

Carciofi alla romana

A Roman classic — braised, steamed artichokes with garlic and parsley.

Salads and starters, Vegetarian, Roman, Vegetables and Sides, Vegan, EasterFrancesca BruzzeseMarch 29, 2019Rome, appetizers and side dishes, italian recipes, savory, spring, veggiesComment

Homemade Ricotta

Homemade Ricotta

Happy (belated) New Year, everyone! After 2 weeks in the U.S I'm back in Rome and in the throws of jetlag -- so much so that the barista greeted me with buonasera when…

Salads and starters, EasterFrancesca BruzzeseJanuary 9, 2019appetizers and side dishes, easy, italian recipes, savory Comments

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Homemade Soft Pretzels

As much as I love distinctly Italian taralli and pizza bianca, there is perhaps no other snack that is more nostalgic, more familiar, or more delicious to me than the classic pretzel.

Bread and Pizza, Salads and startersFrancesca BruzzeseOctober 6, 2018american recipes, appetizers and side dishes, autumn, savoryComment

Fried Eggplant, Tomato, and Peach Salad

Fried Eggplant, Tomato, and Peach Salad

A salad that is a glorious mix of different textures, flavors, and temperatures — juicy sweet tomatoes and peaches, crisp refreshing cucumber, plus dreamy mozzarella di bufala and the star of the show, cubes of crispy, golden brown eggplant.

Salads and starters, Vegetables and Sides, VegetarianFrancesca BruzzeseSeptember 3, 2018american recipes, appetizers and side dishes, easy, savory, summerComment

Corn fritters

Corn fritters

One of the (many) things I learned when I first moved to Italy was that in the month of August, everything slows down, shuts down, and eventually…

Vegetables and Sides, Vegetarian, Salads and startersFrancesca BruzzeseAugust 15, 2018american recipes, appetizers and side dishes, easy, savory, summer, veggies Comment

Panzanella Primaverile

Panzanella Primaverile

Springtime panzanella, a recipe that lets panzanella loose a little earlier than expected, using all the lovely produce that comes alive in the Spring, — asparagus, peas, and radishes.

Salads and starters, Cucina conversations, Vegetables and Sides, Vegetarian, Vegan, EasterFrancesca BruzzeseApril 30, 2018appetizers and side dishes, cucina conversations, easy, italian recipes, savory, spring, veggies Comments

Carrot Salad with Chickpeas, Pistachios, Tahini

Carrot Salad with Chickpeas, Pistachios, Tahini

Miles away from your usual boring pile-of-lettuce salad, here we have a heap of crisp carrots, their sweetness balanced nicely a lemon-y dressing, complemented by crispy, crunchy chickpeas and earthy pistachios..

Salads and starters, Vegetables and Sides, Vegetarian, VeganFrancesca BruzzeseFebruary 28, 2018american recipes, appetizers and side dishes, easy, savory, winter Comment

Polpette di melanzane

Polpette di melanzane

Pure aperitivo fare, bite-sized and appetizer-like, packed with sharp salty Pecorino, mellow eggplant, and lots of fresh bright parsley, then fried until crisp and deep gold on the outside and cloud-like and pillow-y on the inside. A few of these plus a glass of wine (or, in my case, Prosecco) will get your appetite going guaranteed.

Salads and starters, Cucina conversationsFrancesca BruzzeseAugust 30, 2017appetizers and side dishes, cucina conversations, easy, savory, summer, veggies Comments

Late Summer Fig Salad

Late Summer Fig Salad

This is one of those salads that defies the boring-pile-of-lettuce-stereotype, a salad that I do (and you could) eat happily. We've got salty rich prosciutto, peppery arugula, summer-y basil, smoky crunchy hazelnuts, heavenly mozzarella di bufala, and glorious, radiant figs, the star of the show, all tied together with a a sharp-sweet mix of honey, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.

Salads and startersFrancesca BruzzeseAugust 25, 2017appetizers and side dishes, autumn, easy, fruit, italian recipes, savory, summer Comment

Insalata di Fagioli e Tonno

Insalata di Fagioli e Tonno

A heat-free dish, light and refreshing and lemon-y, filling enough for dinner, and good for you, too, which gives it extra brownie points. Its just what you want for dinner in your air conditioning-less kitchen in the middle of a boiling Summer, and takes about 5 minutes to make.

Salads and starters, Meat Chicken FishFrancesca BruzzeseJuly 7, 2017appetizers and side dishes, chicken meat fish, easy, italian recipes, savory, summerComment

Torta Pasqualina

Torta Pasqualina

Italy’s traditional Easter Torta Pasqualina, or rather: a fluffy ricotta filling, mixed with lots of spinach for color and an arguable dose of nutrition (this is basically health food, people) generous helpings of salty rich Parmesan and Pecorino cheese, and, best and prettiest of all, four whole eggs baked right into the top of the pie, bright golden yellow like a circle of miniature suns.

Cucina conversations, Salads and starters, Vegetarian, Savory pies, Breakfast and Brunch, EasterFrancesca BruzzeseApril 12, 2017appetizers and side dishes, cucina conversations, italian recipes, pies and tarts, savory, spring, veggies Comments

Carciofi alla giudia

Carciofi alla giudia

A Roman classic, or rather artichokes fried until tender on the inside and gloriously crispy on the outside, akin to a potato chip, luxuriously olive-oily, and perfectly addictive with a sprinkle of salt.

Salads and starters, Vegetables and Sides, Vegetarian, Roman, Vegan, EasterFrancesca BruzzeseMarch 20, 2017Rome, appetizers and side dishes, italian recipes, savory, spring, veggiesComment

Fennel, Orange, and Olive Salad

Fennel, Orange, and Olive Salad

A salad that is a whole party of textures, flavors, and colors that would put the usual pile of iceberg lettuce to shame: here we've got paper-thin, super crisp anise-flavored fennel, sweet juicy oranges, buttery, crunchy pine nuts, sharp, biting red onion, and salty rich olives, served over a bed of leafy greens, tossed with a splash of fruity olive oil and sunny orange juice.

Salads and starters, Christmas, Vegan, Vegetables and Sides, Vegetarian, Thanksgiving, EasterFrancesca BruzzeseJanuary 18, 2017appetizers and side dishes, citrus, easy, fruit, italian recipes, savory, winter Comments

Taralli al peperoncino e origano

Taralli al peperoncino e origano

Positively addictive, crunchy, crispy, redolent of olive oil and wine — these homemade taralli are my very favorite snack.

Salads and starters, Bread and Pizza, Christmas, VeganFrancesca BruzzeseJanuary 9, 2017appetizers and side dishes, italian recipes, savory Comments

Greek Panzanella

Greek Panzanella

Classic Tuscan panzanella meets the Greek salad.

Vegetarian, Salads and starters, Vegetables and SidesFrancesca BruzzeseSeptember 2, 2016american recipes, appetizers and side dishes, easy, savory, summer, veggiesComment