Cook like a real Italian! Impress your family and friends with these restaurant-style classic Italian recipes. Not only are these recipes easy to make, but they are also the real thing!

Fried Zucchini

Serves 6 – Prep time 40 minutes – Cooking time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 zucchini, cut into ½-inch slices
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Olive oil (about 1 cup)
• Salt
• Paprika

Directions

1. Mix together breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic powder, pepper, parsley, and oregano, and place in a shallow dish.
2. Dip zucchini slices into beaten eggs then into bread crumbs.
3. Press gently, and roll to cover all sides. Place zucchini slices on a clean plate in a single layer.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet to medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, fry each zucchini until golden crisp, about 3–4 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Drain on paper towels.
5. Sprinkle zucchini with paprika, and serve with tomato sauce for dipping.

 

Fettucine Carbonara

Serves 6 – Prep time 25 minutes – Cooking time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• Fettuccine pasta, 16-ounce package
• 6 slices pancetta (Italian bacon)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ⅓ cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
• ¼ cup fresh Romano cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Begin cooking bacon in skillet; when nearly crisp, add garlic, and cook until translucent. Drain.
3. Mix together olive oil, eggs, cheeses, and parsley. When pasta is done, drain, and return to cooking pot. Add in the egg mixture and toss to coat. Stir in bacon and toss. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

 

Classic Lasagna

Serves 8–10 – Prep time 90 minutes – Cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the béchamel

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• ½ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

For the tomato sauce

• 2 cans whole tomatoes, (32 oz.)
• 3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ small onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 4 basil leaves
• 1 bay leave
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the lasagna

• 12 lasagna noodles
• 1 pound ground turkey, browned
• 1 pound mozzarella, shredded
• 8 ounces parmesan, grated
• Béchamel sauce
• Tomato sauce

Directions

1. Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat until melted. Stir in flour to make a roux, and whisk until light golden brown, about 7 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan. Do not boil. Add the hot milk to the flour, a cup at a time, whisking continuously until smooth. Cook 10 minutes whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Add black pepper to taste, and nutmeg. Stir in parmesan cheese.
3. For the tomato sauce, in a large pot, melt butter and add the onion. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add garlic, celery, and carrot, and cook about 5 minutes more. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaf.
4. Cover and simmer over low heat for about an hour. Run the sauce through a food processor when done cooking to eliminate any vegetable chunks. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking pan. Cooked lasagna noodles according to package directions.
6. To assemble the lasagna, begin with 1 layer of pasta on the bottom of the oiled dish. You will be making 4 layers, so divide the ingredients proportionately. Next add the red sauce, béchamel sauce, parmesan, and mozzarella. Repeat 3 times, ending with cheese on top. Cover and bake lasagna for 30 minutes. Allow to rest 15 minutes prior to serving.

 

Chicken Parmesan

Serves 4 – Prep time 35 minutes – Cooking 15 minutes

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• ¼ cup dry breadcrumbs
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, pounded to ¼-inch thickness
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 4 slices provolone cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler in the oven.
2. Combine parmesan, breadcrumbs, and herbs in a shallow dish. Set aside.
3. Pound out chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In another dish, beat egg white. Dredge chicken in egg white then in bread crumbs, pressing to adhere.
5. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Fry each chicken breast, in batches, about 3 minutes on each side until golden. Place chicken in a single layer in an oven-proof dish.
6. Pour tomato sauce over chicken, and add 1 slice of provolone cheese to each. Broil until cheese is melted.
7. Serve immediately over your favorite pasta.

 

Traditional Panna Cotta with Berries

Serves 4 – Prep time 6 hours 20 minutes or more – Cooking time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2½ tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 gelatin leaf
• 1 vanilla bean pod – scraped seeds

For the topping

• 1 ½ cup fresh berries of your choice
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• Mint leaves

Directions

1. Place gelatin leaf in a saucepan with cold water. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and just before it starts to boil, remove the saucepan from the heat and squeeze gelatin. Add milk to a small bowl. Add gelatin to the milk. Stir gelatin with a spoon until dissolved.
2. Combine fresh cream with the sugar and vanilla seeds in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to boil, stirring frequently.
3. When it boils remove it from the heat and add milk-gelatin mixture. Mix well and pour into 4 ramekins. Place in refrigerator, overnight, or at least for 6 hours.
4. Prepare the topping; Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high. Bring to simmer and continue simmering for 5 minutes; add berries and stir well. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes and set aside to cool.
5. To remove panna cotta from the molds, place the ramekins in a bowl of boiling water for 1-2 minutes. With a knife, delicately unmold the sides, reverse and place on a plate. Drizzle with prepared berries topping. Decorate with mint leaves.

 

**All these recipes are from Gabriella Lepore’s cookbook Mangia! Classic Italian Recipes. To get yourself a copy of the book, click on the cover or here.

To download a copy of the recipes, click here.