Italian

If you can’t buy char-grilled zucchini, you can make your own; use a mandoline or vegetable peeler to thinly slice one large zucchini lengthways, then cook the slices on a heated oiled grill plate until browned lightly and tender. Pizza bases can be bought at any regular supermarkets. Note

Risotto cakes came about as a way of using up left-over risotto. It is far easier to shape the cakes when the mixture is cold. It is worth lining oven trays with baking paper to stop the cakes sticking. Note

Try using a variety of mushrooms such as flat, cup, button, portobello, oyster and enoki, keeping small mushrooms halved or whole and large types sliced. Cooking the potatoes whole with the peel on keeps the potatoes dry and fluffy-doing this helps to create lightly textured pillows of gnocchi. Note

Limoncello is an Italian lemon-flavoured liqueur made from the peel only of fragrant lemons, which is steeped in clear alcohol then diluted with sugar and water. Store unfilled macarons in an airtight container for about a week. Fill macarons just before serving. Note

Vitello tonnato is a well-known Italian veal dish accompanied with a tuna mayonnaise. It is usually served cold or at room temperature, making the perfect appetiser for a Christmas lunch.

Any similar-sized pasta shape such as casarecce, rigatoni or penne would be suitable for this dish. Note

To save time, buy shelled and deveined prawns and calamari rings from your local fish supplier. Some major supermarkets also have a fresh seafood section. Note

We used small (15cm/6-inch diameter) packaged pizza bases for this recipe. Note

Porcini, dried Italian mushrooms, are available from delicatessens, gourmet food stores and some supermarkets. Some butchers sell a pork and veal mixture, this is fine to use here. Buy 625g. Note

It’s easy to make pesto from different herbs or green leaves and with other nuts. A great combination is baby rocket and pistachio (it goes beautifully with chicken). A few other enticing blends include fresh coriander leaves with chilli instead of nuts, or sun-dried tomatoes processed with olives and walnuts. Note

Choose freestone peaches as it will be easier to remove the seeds. Note

Saltimbocca is a classic Italian dish that literally translates as "jump in the mouth". It is usually made of beef or veal, and rolled with proscuitto and sage leaves.

Tortiglioni, a straight tubular pasta with grooves on the exterior, works well when baked with a chunky sauce, such as this one.

Panettone are easy to find around Christmas time, at other times they may not be as readily available. You can use brioche instead, adding a handful of sultanas, or thick-cut fruit bread. Note

Create delicious Italian pasta at home with this beautiful ricotta and silverbeet gnocchi. Served in a fragrant tomato sauce, it's the ultimate comfort food for a cool evening in.

A light and healthy salad that is full of bright colours and big flavours.

You could use pecorino cheese as a substitute for kefalotyri cheese. Note

For a vegetarian twist on an Italian classic, look no further than this delicious spinach, pesto and parmesan lasagne, for a quick and easy dinner.

Derived from an Italian word meaning `garden’, giardiniera is an Italian dish of pickled vegetables. Note

You can soak the beans early in the day before you want to serve them, then at night make this recipe; reheat the beans for breakfast the following day. Note

Rigatoni, a ridged, tube-shaped pasta, is ideal for baked dishes because it is wide and the hearty fillings cling to the indentations around the edges. Note

A beautifully bright and colourful rainbow salad packed full of beetroot, asparagus, orange and avocado.

This Italian-style seafood, bean and tomato stew has a delicious combination of flavours and textures.

These delightful little pastry treats mean 'little tubes' and are a staple of Sicilian cuisine.

A quick and easy authentic Italian pasta with sausage meatballs and cannelloni.

We cooked this recipe in two ovenproof dishes,­ each dish will serve three. We have deliberately used dried, uncooked pasta in this dish. The texture of the final dish is a little chewy, but still tender. Note

Pre-baked, packaged pizza bases first appeared in supermarkets during the 1980s. They come in various sizes, some with cheese already in the mix. You need to purchase a large barbecued chicken weighing approximately 900g to get the amount of shredded meat required for this recipe. Note

Some butchers sell a pork and veal mince mixture, which is what we call for here. If it is not available as a mixture, buy 500g pork mince and 500g veal or lean beef mince. This recipe is suitable to freeze at the end of step 4. Note

Substitute pork with chicken. This recipe is best made just before serving. Note

A light and zesty Italian-style dish that is a great summery dessert.

Variously called sfinciuni or sfincione in Sicily, we call it delicious - a double-decker pizza with its aromatic filling hidden between the layers.

Warm sabayon must be served immediately. Note

The same amount of ingredients used to top a 30cm pizza will top four mini pizza bases. Note

We used a greek feta, which crumbles well and has a sharp taste. Note

Use focaccia, bagels, bread rolls or any other kind of bread. Note

A rich and delicious spinach and three cheese cannelloni that is a truly Italian dish.

If seedless white grapes are out of season, simply purchase white grapes and seed them yourself. The high sugar content of this dessert will ensure the gelato remains soft and will not freeze solid. Note

Deliciously tender pork, fennel and olive ragout that can be done in a pressure cooker in no time.

You need to buy half a large barbecued chicken (450g) for this recipe. Note

I sometimes make vegetarian minestrone but it’s never as tasty as this version, which relies on a really rich beef stock. Taking the trouble to make good stock makes all the difference to the end result. Note

A sweet, tangy and refreshing sorbetto that is perfect for a summer's evening.

We used large (25cm diameter) packaged pizza bases for this recipe. Note

We used agnolotti, but any vegetarian-style pasta will work well in this dish. We used a white cheese from the Castello range; it has a mild, slightly tart, flavour. As it matures, it becomes creamier, and develops a fuller flavour. Note

This is a delicious and budget-friendly family meal; substitute lamb or chicken sausages to suit your family’s tastes.

For this recipe we used small (15cm diameter) packaged pizza bases for this recipe. Note

A quick and easy Italian-style pizza with roast garlic and crispy potato.

To segment the lemon, use a small sharp knife to cut the top and bottom from lemon. Cut off the rind with the white pith, following the curve of the fruit. Holding the lemon over a bowl, cut down both sides of the white membrane to release each segment. If you don’t have an ovenproof […]

The pasta cases can be made, cooled and removed from the pans one day before the party. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. The bolognese sauce can be made two days ahead; keep it covered in the fridge. Assemble the baskets up to 3 hours before the party. Note

Spaghettini is a very thin spaghetti. It is available from Italian grocery stores and most large supermarkets. Note

You can substitute any pasta for the penne in this recipe. The Italian name of this pasta (penne) means ‘pen’, a reference to the nib-like, pointy ends. Penne comes in both smooth (lisce) or ridged (rigate) versions, and a variety of sizes. Note

We used large (25cm diameter) packaged pizza bases for this recipe. Fontina is an Italian cows-milk cheese that has a smooth but firm texture and a mild, nutty flavour. Mozzarella can be substituted for the fontina. Note

Danish salami is a smoked, delicately spiced salami; you can use another variety if you wish. Note

This tart is best made on the day of serving. Note

Pappardelle are flat, wide, pasta ribbons; ­sometimes they have scalloped edges. Tagliatelle or fettuccine can be substituted. Note

It is easier to spread the sauce on the pasta squares while they are flat on a board. Note

Spiced chicken breasts with a flavourful blend of onions, tomatoes, capers, white wine and broad beans.

We used moscato, a low alcohol, lightly sparkling Italian wine. To line the pan smoothly with plastic wrap, dampen it first. This recipe needs to be prepared a day ahead. Decorate close to serving. Note

You can buy packaged pizza bases in two sizes: the large ones we’ve used here measure 25cm across; smaller ones measure 15cm across and come packaged in pairs with a total weight of 225g. Use six of the small ones to make individual pizzettas. Note

This traditional Spanish frittata combines salty chorizo and fresh veggies to create a flavour-packed dinner dish the whole family will love.

sicilian creams are best assembled close to serving. Any liqueur can be used to flavour these biscuits, e.g. Galliano, Grand Marnier, Cointreau or Amaretto. Note

Cooking the pizza in a covered barbecue gives it a wonderful smoky flavour similar to a wood-fired oven. If not using covered barbeque, pizza can be cooked in the oven. Place toppings on dough and bake until browned and crisp. There is no need to turn the dough over using this method. Note

Italian sausages are coarse pork sausages generally sold in plump links. They are usually flavoured with garlic and fennel seed or anise seed and come in two styles, hot (flavoured with thai red chilli) and sweet (without the added heat). They are available from speciality butchers and delicatessens. Note

Use a mandoline or V-slicer to cut the potatoes into paper-thin slices. Note

Calves liver should be cut into paper-thin slices then quickly seared because too much cooking will destroy its soft, delicate texture. Your butcher will slice the liver thinly for you. Note

Pizza fingers can be prepared the day before; put the toppings on, then cover them with plastic wrap and store them in the fridge. Bake when ready to eat. Note

There's nothing more rewarding than making your own pizza dough like a true Italian.