Anyone who has ever heard Nigella Lawson describe food in her unmistakable sultry accent knows that she’s a Brit, through and through. But in the kitchen, her style has always leaned Italian. “It was when I was sixteen or seventeen that I decided to be Italian,” Nigella explains in the introduction to her ninth cookbook, Nigellissima. “I simply felt drawn to it, to Italy.”
I hear you, Nigella. Though I’m zero-percent Italian by birth, I’ve been an infatuated Italophile for as long as I can remember. After learning to cook the Italian way during my semester abroad in Rome, I, too, decided to be Italian. Most of what comes out of my kitchen today reflects my adopted heritage.
During her gap year in Florence, Nigella worked as a chambermaid at a family-run pensione and spent most of her free time in the kitchen with Nonna, an Italian grandmother “out of central casting.” Nigella’s recipes in Nigellissima are inspired by the classic techniques used by generations of Italian grandmothers, but she makes no claims of authenticity. The cookbook’s pastas, main dishes, vegetables and sweets all encompass her own personal spin on Italian food.
Macaroni and Cheese All’Italiana, for instance — not exactly a traditional Italian dish. But Nigella gives this rich comfort classic an Italian accent and upgrades it in the process by skipping the heavy roux-based sauce and using pennette pasta, fresh mozzarella and mascarpone. Chocolate Olive Oil Cake is Nigella’s decadent take on the flourless chocolate cake, subbing olive oil for butter, as Italians often do.
Want more of Nigella’s Italian-inspired recipes? We’re giving away a copy of Nigellissima to one lucky Devour reader. All you have to do is tell us your favorite Italian dish in a comment on this post.
You must include your email address in the “Email” field when submitting your comment so we can communicate back with you if you’re a winner. (But do not post your email address into the actual body of the comment.)
So, tell us: What’s your favorite Italian dish?
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Tiramisu..<3 Nigella
Canneloni
Chicken Saltimbocca
Spaghetti alla Carbonara, every time. As an aside, I love the way Nigella describes her recipe for said dish, and of course how one should go about eating it. (The loveliness, with luscious description, is on her website if anyone is curious).
Of course I have an obsession with every type of pasta, variation of pizza, and an affinity towards olive-oil spiked desserts … but my favorite Italian dish has to be bagna cauda because of the family memories associated with it. After all, isn't sharing food and making memories with loved ones the very essence of Italian cooking?
Shrimp Scampi
pasta and marinara sauce!
Ravioli!!
Meatballs and gravy!
baked cheese manicotti and anything with nutella
My fave Italian dish is CARBONARA! oh yummy!
One of my very favorites is Spaghetti Aglio E Olio
Veal Marsala is my favorite, but I would never say no to a yummy Carbonara!
Baked Ziti
I love a good and authentic tiramisu
chicken sorento
Clams and Spaghetti. Yum.
My favorite Italian dish is Eggplant Parmesan.
Spagetti and Meatballs
Osso buco!!!!
Melanzane alla Parmigiana
The umbricelli with white truffle sauce I had in Orvieto! Would love to be able to make it.
Salmon with wilted spinach and olive oil!
I love most Italian dishes but since I'm a dessert person; Cannoli
cannoli, yum!
Ravioli of any kind, as long as cheese is involved!
Fettuccine Alfredo!
Risotto with Artichokes (Carciofi)
Spaghetti Carbonara
home made pesto with pasta and glass of Prosecco
Pizza! All kinds of pizza! I even like dessert pizza!
Frutti Di Marre is a dish I find enjoyable as long as the squid isn't over done.
Squid stuffed with seasoned peas and a bit of bread stuffing broiled in olive oil. This was prepared for me by a friends grandmother in Bologna. Absolutely wonderful!!!!!!!
Angel hair pasta with crab sauce
Tiramisu.
It's so hard to choose! I love to make manicotti…
Meatballs with Spaghetti, fresh Tomato Sauce!!!
Cheese ravioli with meat sauce.
Spaghetti alla carbonara but specifically with guanciale; can't be it!
Creamy risotto!
Parmigiana di melanzane is my Fav…
Caprese Salad
Cannelloni
I'm crazy about chicken cacciatore!!!
Fettuccine Alfredo or Eggplant parmigianna
I like just about every Italian dish that you can think of, but a good pizza is always a go to dish for me, always.
Lasagna
Gotta be Italian Steak that my dad makes…steak cooked w. butter and breadcrumbs. mmmm.
totellini with artichoke sauce
Penne with vodka sauce