Authentic Italian Cooking Recipes

If you know anything about Italian cooking then you would know that there are literally thousands of delicious recipes to choose from. There are a few in particular that are the real authentic Italian cooking recipes however, and which should definitely be included on any Italian food lover's menu.

Spaghetti With Meatballs

Spaghetti with meatballs is obviously an Italian cooking staple. This is a dish that originated in the heart of Italy but which is now widely loved around the world.

You can vary the recipe according to your own personal tastes, but the standard recipe calls for 500g lean minced beef, 2 tablespoons parsley, 60g salami finely chopped, 60g parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoon tomato puree, 1 egg beaten, 15g butter, 1 onion finely chopped, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 440g can of tomatoes chopped, 125ml beef stock, 125ml white wine, 1 teaspoon caster sugar, and 250g spaghetti.

To prepare you want to combine the beef, parsley, salami, parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of the tomato puree in a bowl. Then you need to mix in enough of the egg to bind the mixture, and form this into small balls. Cook these for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned and set aside.

The next step is to melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the onion, basil and oregano, and cook this for a couple of minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, remaining tomato puree, beef stock, white wine and vinegar, and simmer this mixture for about a half hour, stirring occasionally. The mixture will become thicker as it heats, and then you want to cook the spaghetti in a separate pot until tender, drain, and stir the meatballs into the tomato sauce and serve on a bed of spaghetti.

Risotto

Another popular Italian cooking recipe is risotto. This Italian cooking recipe calls for 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 cup minced onion, 2 tablespoons minced shallots, 2 cups rice, ½ cup dry white wine, 6 cups chicken or beef stock, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons butter, ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, and freshly ground pepper.

To prepare you start by sautéing the onions and shallots in olive oil until golden, add the rice and stir to coat with oil. Then you want to add the wine, ½ cup of the chicken stock heated and salt. Stir this well and cook, stirring frequently, until all of the liquid has been absorbed. You want to continue to add the chicken stock in ¾ cup increments until it has all been used and then remove this from the heat, whip in butter and half of the grated cheese. Finally you want to season it with salt and pepper and serve immediately.