First You Steal a Chicken

Here is how you make basic cream sauce. This recipe makes enough sauce for 1 lb. pasta. Make your sauce and pasta at the same time. Start cooking your pasta when you add the cream; add 1 lb. washed and diced asparagus to the boiling pasta water when the pasta has 5 minutes left to go—don’t worry, you’ll do fine.

https://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=80&page-title=Cream+Sauce+with+Chicken+%26amp%3B+Asparagus

Meat cooked in sauce tastes great and makes spaghetti more of a full meal. First make your meatballs, and keep a handful of meatball mixture off to the side. Get yourself a nice bottle of red wine and you’ll soon be enjoying this Italian classic.

https://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=47&page-title=Tomato+Sauce+with+Meatballs

The key to great meatballs is making them soft and getting the garlic right. If they turn out bad, try whipping them at passing cars (it’s fun).

https://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=97&page-title=Meatballs

Major photo update direct from Italy.

If you like cabbage, you'll like this dish. Otherwise, you might find it boring. My Zia Lina made this for me in Italy, and I found it fantastic. (But I don't know about you.)

https://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=57&page-title=Cabbage+with+Potatoes

The smell of these guys cooking is absolutely fabulous (I’d make them even if I didn’t like artichokes).

https://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=55&page-title=Stuffed+Artichokes

This is Mary Mariano's specialty because she makes them both ways. Mary is one of us who, against family wishes, married a guy from the South. Luckily, the kids turned out fine—whosh!

https://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=54&page-title=Stuffed+Eggplant

Looking for something to put on your sandwich? A compliment for burgers, bbq chicken, or veal cutlets? Just call on your friend the bell pepper—he’ll do quite nicely. Grill any colour but red are best.

https://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=111&page-title=Barbecued+Peppers

These little guys are great for a party. Buy those nice Italian sausages, or make your own, and viola!

https://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=103&page-title=Sausages+in+the+Oven

Are Italians experts at meatloaf? Heck, no! But we make one every five years to keep up conversation with our Canadian neighbours.

https://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=95&page-title=Italian+Meatloaf

Rabbit tastes like chicken, only better. If you’re having company, make sure the butcher removes the little bunny’s head (it will scare the guests).

https://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=106&page-title=Rabbit

This is a variation of Lentil Soup that needs its own page. First off it uses split peas (so that’s different), and you add diced capicollo ham (which is unique), plus cabbage, asparagus, and rice. Then you put chicken stock. Oh, it’s just different.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=131&page-title=California+Split+Pea

This has to be one of the finest culinary contributions ever made by Italians. It ranks right up there with pizza, spaghetti, and kissing the cook. Make the broth, use what you need, and then either freeze or refrigerate the rest. P.S. Dice your vegetables before starting.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=12&page-title=Pasta+Fagioli

This soup is excellent and virtually fat-free. First make the broth and then cook the noodles. Make a pot early in the week, eat half, and either refrigerate or freeze the rest.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=11&page-title=Nothing+Soup

Roast pork is both delicious and cheap. Kind of reminds me of a tequila I met in Mexico—but that's another story. P.S. Have you ever had roast pork on a bun with a salad? Hmm.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=104&page-title=Roast+Loin+of+Pork

Osso Bucco is widely regarded as fancy food, and most Italians only make it with real chicken stock. Ask the butcher for veal shank and tell him what you’re making.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=94&page-title=Osso+Bucco

I found this recipe in a book and modified it to our way of thinking. It makes a wonderful side dish for Veal Parmesan.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=17&page-title=++Stuffed+Zucchini+%28Vegetarian%29+

Lasagna is for special occasions like holidays, wedding showers, or your nephew losing his first tooth (it’s too fattening otherwise). Since this is a lot of work, make the sauce the night before, boil the noodles and assemble in the morning, and then bake for dinner.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=75&page-title=Lasagna

Here’s the original coated-chicken recipe from before Colonel Sanders screwed it all up. In the olden days, people used to bake their coated chicken; they never fried it. Back then, frying chicken was considered foolish since everybody knows chickens can’t fry.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=88&page-title=Roast+Chicken+%28Shake+%26amp%3B+Bake+Style%29

Risotto is Italian-style rice. Instead of steaming and adding sauce or frying in oil like the Chinese do, we slow-cook our rice in flavourful liquids. This way, each grain is power-packed with taste (which puts us one up on the Chinese).

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=122&page-title=Risotto

Another specialty served on Christmas Eve or Good Friday.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=110&page-title=Mussels

Delicious for a first course, even better as a casual lunch with fresh bread. Note: if your shrimps and scallops are huge, chop a bit before adding to bowl.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=133&page-title=Seafood+Salad

Taught to me by my Auntie Phyllis, this crunchy salad goes great with an Italian lunch of cold meat, buns, cheese, and olives. Oh, and don’t forget the wine.

https://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=60&page-title=Giardinieri

Skip the eggs, and forget the mayo—here’s a way to make potato salad that’s excellent for any summer occasion.

https://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=58&page-title=Italian+Potato+Salad

This is a great way to get more fish into your life, and it works with almost every type (salmon, trout, snapper, sole, etc.). Pat this dressing over top (not too much) or stuff into a whole fish.

https://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=28&page-title=Baked+Arctic+Char

This is my wife’s recipe (she’s Canadian). I was older when I married, so all the nice Italian girls were taken. Kathy is part French and part Irish—that’s the best I could do.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=125&page-title=Kathy%27s+Baked+Mac+%26amp%3B+Cheese

This recipe was first published in 1932 by Maple Leaf Mills, a flour company, that wrote the Purity Cook Book. Mom latched on in 1957, and today the torch is being held by sister-in-law, Jenn.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=129&page-title=Butter+Tarts

Canadians are always asking, "Hey, what about us?" So here you have it, an Italian rendition of one of your favourites.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=98&page-title=Dago+Chili

The trick here is to cook the meat sufficiently before adding the vegetables. If the meat is tough, you didn’t cook it long enough. If the meat falls apart, you cooked it too long. Good luck!

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=99&page-title=Papa%27s+Stew

You'll love this lemony treat, famous throughout Italy. It's the icing sugar that makes Savoiardi different, plus the lemon (because you guys don't really know lemon). P.S. You can half the recipe.

http://www.firstyoustealachicken.com/recipes/?id=70&page-title=Savoiardi