4 servings 2 cups Carnaroli, Arborio or Vialone Nano rice 1 pound fresh ripe tomatoes 1 small onion, minced 3 tablespoons extra vergine olive oil 4 cups vegetable broth 1/4 teaspoon saffron 3 tablespoons grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano 8 leaves fresh basil salt black pepper, freshly ground Risotto d'estate Summer risotto Risotto should be all'onda when it is ready. This phrase, "to the wave," reminds us that the dish should be moist: almost, but not quite, liquid. The saffron you use will make a difference in this recipe. Try various kinds until you find a brand that has flavor and is intensely aromatic. Italian saffron is generally better than Asiatic or Spanish varieties. Dip ripe tomatoes in boiling water for a few seconds. Immerse in cold water and peel. Scoop out seeds and cut tomatoes into small pieces. Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan. Add onion. Salt and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until onion becomes transparent. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste and cook over high heat for 15 minutes until almost dry. Add rice. Stirring constantly, allow rice to absorb tomato sauce. When it begins to stick, add a ladleful of boiling vegetable broth. Raise heat and add a ladleful of broth at a time until rice is cooked, about 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, add saffron diluted in half a ladleful of broth. Run your wooden spoon across the bottom of the rice pot to determine when the broth is almost completely absorbed and it is time to add more. You should be able to create a clear wake behind the spoon and see the bottom of the pan. Remember that risotto should still be very moist when it is cooked. When rice is cooked, blend in grated cheese and torn-up bits of basil leaves. Turn into a serving dish and decorate with basil leaves and fresh tomato.

4 servings 1/2 pound (200g) trenette, bavette or linguine  1 large potato, peeled and cut into small chunks 2 ounces (50g) young fresh string beans, ends snipped off, cut in half 4 tablespoons or more extra vergine olive oil 1 small bunch fresh basil leaves, (small leaf, flowering, bush basil if possible) dusted, not washed 1 clove garlic 1 tablespoon pine nuts 1 tablespoon Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano, freshly grated 1 tablespoon Pecorino Sardo or other sheep's milk grating cheesecoarse sea salt  Preparation time: 1 hour Cooking time: 20 minutes INDEX RECIPES Genovese Pesto with Potatoes and String Beans Pesto is one of the best-known and most-abused Italian sauces for pasta. This version comes from the Levante - that means from the area to the east of Genova, but just a few kilometers to the west the recipe changes. A marble mortar is the proper tool for pesto making. A sculptor we know has a theory that the Ligurians came up with the original idea for pesto because of their proximity to the marble quarries of Carrara. He says marble mortars perform magic with basil. The plants fibers are crushed thoroughly to amalgamate the flavors of basil, garlic, cheese and pine nuts with extra vergine olive oil. The texture of pesto made in a mortar and pestle has no resemblance to the soupy blend of ingredients that results when a food processor is used. Extra vergine  olive oil from Liguria has a delicate taste with just a hint of artichoke that goes well with the blandness of the potatoes and the pasta. Put 4 quarts (4 liters) water and 2 tablespoons salt on to boil.  Using a mezzaluna  or a large stainless steel knife, chop the basil leaves, the pine nuts and the garlic until very fine.  Put the chopped mixture in a mortar and work it with a pestle, adding 1/2 teaspoon salt gradually. The salt keeps the basil green and aids in crushing the plant fibers. Drizzle in half the olive oil, little by little. Add the grated cheese a little at a time, working the pestle continuously with a rotary movement, alternating with the rest of the olive oil until the pesto is light green. The resulting texture is almost like variegated grains of sand on a beach. Put the potato chunks and the string beans into the rapidly boiling, salted water. When the water comes to the boil again, add the pasta and stir. Cook until al dente.  While the pasta is cooking, warm a large serving bowl and dilute several spoonfuls of pesto with a tablespoon of cooking water. Drain the pasta, the potatoes and the string beans when done and pour into the serving bowl. Add enough pesto to coat the mixture lightly. If too dry add a little cooking water. Toss like a salad and serve immediately on warmed plates.

4 servings 1 pound linguine 1 pound small, very fresh zucchini 2 very fresh egg yolks, beaten 2 tablespoons extra vergine olive oil 3 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated 1 medium onion, minced 1 clove garlic, minced, salt, black pepper, freshly ground INDEX RECIPES Linguine uovo e zucchine Linguine with egg and zucchini You can add any fresh herb you like to this pasta, for example parsley, thyme, dill or marjoram. To blend in the egg yolks without having them overcook on the hot pasta, dilute them with a tablespoon or two of cold milk. This dish is a meal in itself. Its flavor depends on the freshness of the zucchini and the eggs. Wash the zucchini, remove the ends and cut into very thin slices. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add onions and garlic. Cook over low heat. When the onion begins to turn golden, add the zucchini, raise the heat, and continue cooking for a few minutes to allow flavors to blend. Salt and pepper the zucchini, lower the heat again, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat when the zucchini are tender but not mushy. Cook the linguine in 4 quarts of boiling, salted water. Drain while still al dente. Add linguine to frying pan and stir with zucchini over moderate heat for one minute. Remove from heat. Blend in cheese and then add the beaten egg yolks, mixing gently so that they form a creamy sauce on the linguine.

The History of Pizza Considered a peasant's meal in Italy for centuries, modern pizza is attributed to baker Raffaele Esposito of Napoli (Naples) in the Italian region of Campania, who in 1889 created a pizza especially for the visit of Italian King Umberto and Queen Margherita. The pizza, named Pizza Margherita after the queen, was very patriotic and resembled the Italian flag with its colors of red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella cheese), and green (basil). Pizza Margherita got rave reviews and set the standard by which today's pizza evolved. The idea of using bread as a plate came from the Greeks, who ate flat round bread (plankuntos) baked with an assortment of toppings. The tomato came to Italy from Mexico and Peru through Spain in the 16th century as an ornamental plant first thought to be poisonous. True mozzarella cheese is made from the milk of the water buffalo imported from India to Campagna in the 7th century. So the Neopolitan baker, as the saying goes, put it all together at the Pietro il Pizzaiolo pizzeria. Also, in 1830 the world's first true pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria Port 'Alba in Naples, opened and is still in business today! Pizza migrated to America with the Italians. The first U.S. pizzeria opened in 1905 in New York City, but it wasn't until after World War II when returning GI's created a nationwide demand for the pizza they had eaten and loved in Italy that pizza went public. My first recollection of pizza is homemade "box" pizza (Chef Boyardee) with canned pizza sauce, hamburger meat, and parmesan cheese. In the late 1950's, Shakey's and various other mass production pizza parlors appeared and further popularized pizza. Pizza in this day and age is not limited to the flat round type. It's also deep-dish pizza, stuffed pizza, pizza pockets, pizza turnovers, rolled pizza, pizza-on-a-stick, etc., all with combinations of sauce and toppings limited only by one's inventiveness. However, the best pizza still comes from the individual pizzaiolo, a pizza baker, who prepares his yeast dough and ingredients daily and heats his oven for hours before baking the first pizza. * piz' za, n. (It.) - A baked pie of Italian origin consisting of a shallow bread-like crust covered with seasoned tomato sauce, cheese, and often other toppings, such as sausage or olives.