There are thousands of types of edible mushroom, some big, some small, some beautiful and some rather less so. From the humble button to rarer, more exotic fungi such as morels and porcini, mushrooms ...

With its earthy flavour and striking colour (whether deep purple, pink or yellow), it's no wonder so many chefs are incorporating the root vegetable into their menus. The fun needn't end after the ...

This simple pomodoro sauce is at the base of Italian cooking. So much so that Italians refer to this dish simply as sugo, which means 'sauce'. It is possibly the most universal sauce of all and it can ...

Many people will only have experienced anchovies as the shrivelled, salty slivers found on half-baked pizzas of your youth. If you're an anchovy sceptic, probably scarred for life by such pizzas, we ...

Pigeon has formed a staple part of Italian cuisine for centuries, whether roasted whole or slow cooked in a rich ragù. Towns such as Orvieto in Umbria demonstrate the important part these birds play ...

Asparagus season, bringing with it both the white and green varieties in plentiful supply, heralds the beginning of spring in Italy. While asparagus can be grilled, stir fried or even eat raw the most ...

Nothing comforts the soul more than a great big plate of pasta and sauce that's been baked until bubbling, golden and crunchy around the edges. The term 'pasta bake' might conjure up images of ...

Widely regarded as the best pizza chef in the world, Franco Pepe's pizza dough recipe is a closely-guarded secret. Although he will never give up the recipe used at his restaurant Pepe in Grani, this ...

It's fair to say that in this day and age of cooking, the importance of how a dish looks has never been so well understood. But while they're obviously pretty, edible flowers aren't just there to add ...

Mozzarella is a fresh white cheese originating from the region of Campania in Italy. It is classed as a pasta filata (spun paste) cheese and has a soft, creamy texture which holds its shape when raw ...

Spaghetti carbonara is one of the most well known, yet often poorly executed, Italian dishes outside of Italy. Too often the pasta is doused in ladles of rich double cream and passed off as carbonara, ...

With its plentiful pizza, pastas and breads, 'Italian cuisine' and 'gluten-free' don't seem like natural bedfellows. However, as this collection of gluten-free Italian recipes demonstrates, there are ...