The Italian Chef

Pistachio Gelato

Phil Torre — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:16:49 +0000

We are having a bit of a heat wave here in Connecticut this week. I figured what better way to fight the heat than to try out a new flavor of gelato. I wanted to make a Sicilian style gelato, so I decided to go with a very popular flavor in Sicily, pistachio. Sicilian style...

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Prosciutto e Melone

Phil Torre — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:57:40 +0000

Sweet ripe cantaloupe wrapped in paper-thin prosciutto. One of Italy’s simplest and most perfect combinations. Prosciutto and Melon is a simple and classic Italian combination. Quality ingredients are key here, use good imported Prosciutto di Parma or if you want to try something different, Prosciutto di San Daniele from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy....

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Pasta alla Norma

Phil Torre — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:05:36 +0000

Pasta alla Norma is one of Sicily’s most celebrated dishes, a simple combination of pasta, tomato sauce, fried eggplant, and ricotta salata that has become a symbol of Sicilian cooking. The dish comes from Catania, on the eastern coast of Sicily. The name is said to be a tribute to Norma, the opera composed by...

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Branzino di Lina in Cartoccio

Sal Torre — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 19:29:56 +0000

Many of my favorite memories of visiting Sicily over the years revolve around food. The way a meal could stretch for hours. The way my aunt would disappear into the kitchen and come back with something extraordinary made from almost nothing. My late Aunt Lina lived in Motta Santa Anastasia, a small town in the...

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Ricotta Cheesecake

Phil Torre — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:43:32 +0000

Desserts were not the strong suit of my father’s restaurant. You ate there for the pasta dishes and the Italian entrees. Dessert was an afterthought. Like many Italian-American restaurants at the time, we had premade desserts we got from a vendor like spumoni and tortoni. We did stuff our cannolis fresh, and made desserts like...

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Pasta al Forno with Sausage

Phil Torre — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:48:50 +0000

Pasta al Forno simply means baked pasta, and unlike a lot of Italian dishes, there is no single definitive recipe for it. Every region has its own version, every family has their own take, and almost any combination of pasta, sauce, and cheese can find its way into a baking dish. Some versions are elaborate:...

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Sole Francese

Phil Torre — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:18:13 +0000

Sole Francese was a constant on my dad’s menu and has always been a popular Italian-American favorite. Who can resist a golden egg-battered fillet smothered in a lemon butter wine sauce? The majority of the recipes here on ItalianChef.com were on the menu at my father’s restaurant or came from him when he was still...

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Chicken Cacciatore

Phil Torre — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 15:43:49 +0000

The trend in Italian restaurants today to be new and innovative has unfortunately forced some excellent traditional dishes such as Chicken Cacciatore off the menus. This is a shame, because if you ask me, great food should never go out of style. Chicken Cacciatore, which translates to “hunter’s chicken,” is a rustic Italian dish that...

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Pasta al Tonno (Pasta with Tuna)

Phil Torre — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 16:00:02 +0000

Pasta al Tonno is the ultimate Italian pantry meal. A can of tuna, some garlic, olive oil, parsley, and a box of penne – that’s all you need. This is the kind of pasta you make on a busy weeknight when you haven’t had time to shop but still want something that tastes like a...

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Chicken Piccata

Phil Torre — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 15:37:06 +0000

Chicken Piccata is one of those Italian-American classics that proves you don’t need a long ingredient list to make a delicious meal. Thin chicken cutlets, a bright lemon-butter sauce, briny capers, and a splash of white wine, that’s it. This was a staple at my Dad’s restaurant and it’s still one of my go-to weeknight...

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