Jota soup (Jota, region Friuli Venezia Giulia)

The jota is a soup typical of the town Trieste (region Friuli Venezia Giulia). There are different versions of it, many of them also include potatoes. Traditionally this dish should be prepared to be served on the following day, after it has "rested". In this case you should boil it again and wait until it has cooled down a bit before serving.

Pasta with cauliflower sauce (Pasta chi vruocculi arriminati, region Sicily)

This recipe takes its name from the verb “arriminare”, which means to stir, to mix in the Sicilian dialect, as you have to mix the cauliflower with the pasta and other ingredients.

Ingredients (4/6 servings)

Maccheroni (type of pasta) – 600 g

Cauliflower – 1 kg

Raisin - 100 g

Pine nuts – 100 g

1 onion

6 marinated anchovy fillets

1/2 packet of saffron

olive oil

salt and pepper 

Beef knees salad (Insalata di nervetti, region Lombardia)

Here’s another summer recipe from Northern Italy, you would usually have as a starter.

Ingredients (4/6 servings)

5-6 beef knees with nerves

1 small carrot

½ onion

½ stalk of celery

rosemary

marjoram

laurel

white wine vinegar

white wine

extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper 

Tuna beef (Vitello tonnato, region Piemonte)

This is a typical summer recipe from Northern Italy that you would usually have cold from the fridge. It is very easy to make and absolutely delicious.

Ingredients (4/6 servings)

Low fat beef meat - 1kg

tinned tuna (in olive oil, if possible) – 200 g

4 anchovies

2-3 tbsps of capers

2 boiled eggs

1 carrot

1 onion

1 stalk of celery

1 laurel leaf

1 lemon

1 tbsp of vinegar

extra virgin olive oil

salt

Lemon ice cream (Sorbetto al limone, a popular Italian refreshment)

The sorbetto is a kind of ice-cream which doesn’t contain milk and is usually made of water, sugar and fruit juice. You usually have a sorbetto al limone (lemon sorbetto) after your meal to favour your digestion or on a hot summer afternoon with friends or family.

Ingredients (4 servings)

4 lemons

1 egg white

250 g of sugar

1 small liqueur glass of vodka 

Dried tomatoes (Pomodori essiccati, region Puglia)

In Southern Italy some people buy ripe tomatoes at the greengrocer’s or pick them from their own vegetable garden and dry them in the sun. If you can’t do this, just buy a package in a good supermarket or in a shop selling Italian food.

Ingredients

extra virgin olive oil

white wine vinegar

water

garlic

parsley

chopped chilli

capers

anchovies

glass jars 

Sicilian caponata (Caponata, region Sicily)

Ingredients (4 servings)

4 aubergines (eggplants)

4 ripe and firm tomatoes

100 g of black de-stoned olives

50 g of salted capers

1 onion

1/2 stalk of celery

1 clove of garlic

apple cider vinegar

extra virgin olive oil

salt