Italian

This succulent dish is an adaptation of a recipe that Dario Cecchini, the most famous butcher in Italy, shares with his clients (his shop is in Panzano, near Florence). Vin Santo, Tuscany's celebrated dessert wine, lends its sweet, nutty flavor to the dish. Sautéed spinach would be a colorful side.

In Italian, saltimbocca means "to jump in the mouth." The flavors in this veal dish do just that. To save time, ask the butcher to pound the scaloppine for you.

In Venice, this salad would most likely be made with local crab from the lagoon.

Puntarelle are the inner hearts of cicoria catalogna, a kind of chicory — and one of the greatest treats of springtime in Rome. The hearts are trimmed out of the large heads and cut into thin shreds that curl up when immersed in ice water. Since puntarelle are not easy to find in this country, a mix of Belgian endive and celery serves as a wonderful substitute: Together, they have the same addictive bittersweet-crisp quality.

Pasta and ChickPea Soup with Clams Roman osterias served this dish every Tuesday. It's an unusual way to combine ingredients from land and sea in one recipe. Follow with a green salad for an easy lunch or dinner.

Velvety risotto shows off the flavors and textures of young spring produce.

Begin any informal dinner party with these fun Roman-style crostini.

Sformato di Cavolfiore e Broccolo con Balsamella di Spinaci In typical trattoria fashion, this dish serves as the meal's antipasto, which is followed by the pasta course. What to drink: A light, dry red from Carmignano, a Tuscan wine district known for its blends of Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Try: Capezzana Barco Reale di Carmignano.

Fried artichokes have long been associated with the Jewish Ghetto in Rome. Briefly blanching the artichokes makes it easier to bend the leaves outward into the shape of a flower.

Top-quality veal really makes a difference in this dish; meat should be cut from the leg for scalloppine.

This Sicilian-style salad is more heavily dressed than other green salads, so that there's extra oil and vinegar to soak up with bread.

Maccheroni e Melanzane This is a pasta dish that is served in Sicilian homes and home-style restaurants, rather than upscale places. The recipe calls for perciatelli or bucatini, which is what Italians consider maccheroni.

This is a popular street food in Sicily, especially in Palermo, where warm panelle are served between two pieces of country bread.

Caponata This recipe makes a lot of caponata, so you'll definitely have leftovers. But it keeps well and is so addictive you'll be happy to have extra on hand.

Add more color to this dish by using a mix of red, yellow, and orange tomatoes.

These sweet-crisp cookies can be baked days ahead and, because the recipe is so generous, you can send your guests home with some.

If you're using reactive metal molds for your panna cottas, make sure there are no rust spots — the acid in the buttermilk and the fruit will react to the exposed rust and cause the panna cotta to discolor. We had the best luck with molds made of nonreactive materials such as stainless steel, glass, and ceramic.