TRADITIONAL ITALIAN FIRST COURSES

This mini-course is part of “The Basics of Italian Cuisine” and focuses on the techniques behind the most iconic Italian first-course dishes. You will learn how to cook pasta together with traditional sauces based on vegetables, fish, and/or meat ingredients. You will also discover how easy it is to cook any kind of risotto – or rice-based recipes. The goal of this series is to give you a solid foundation of knowledge for preparing Italian first courses starting from basic ingredients everyone has in their home pantry.

WATCH 2 VIDEO LESSONS FOR FREE

– how to make homemade tomato sauce –

– how to make a basic risotto –

PRE-RECORDED COOKING VIDEOS

ITALIAN FIRST COURSES

14 videos 2h10 lessons 2 videos for free

SUBSCRIBE: $ 70 USD per year

Pasta & Risotto

Vegetables, fish, and meat-based sauces for pasta

LIST OF THE VIDEO RECIPES INCLUDED IN THE COURSE

Below is a list of all the current video recipes included in the cooking course. For each recipe, there is a short video introduction that describes the Italian dishes I will prepare so you have a better idea of what you can expect from the cooking course.

RICH TOMATO SAUCE WITH SOFFRITTO

“Salsa di pomodoro con soffritto”

Learn how to enrich a plain tomato sauce using garlic, onion, carrot and celery. The “soffritto” is a basic preparation of Italian cuisine. It is used in many recipes, especially soups, beans, and meat-based dishes. Becoming familiar with “soffritto” is a good way to master Italian taste.

VEGETARIAN SAUCE

PESTO SAUCE

“Pasta al pesto”

Pesto is a specialty sauce of Italy’s Liguria region and is the best way to celebrate fresh basil. Pesto can be used to enrich soups, sandwiches and fish as well as being a favourite pizza topping. The only ingredients you need are fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, Pecorino and Parmigiano cheese. You will also learn how to preserve your fresh pesto sauce for wintertime.

VEGETARIAN SAUCE

ALLA NORMA PASTA SAUCE

“Pasta alla Norma”

In this video, you will learn how to use eggplants to create a tasteful sauce. “Alla Norma” is a pasta sauce based on tomato sauce, pan-fried eggplants and salted hard ricotta cheese. This recipe is from Sicily, in particular from Catania city. Once you feel confident how to to deep-fry eggplants, you can also make parmigiana.

VEGETARIAN FIRST COURSE

PASTA WITH BROCCOLI AND LEEK

“Pasta broccoli e porri”

Learn how to create a sauce for pasta using fresh vegetables. Even if you use basic ingredients, you can cook a tasty and healthy pasta dish. There is no more perfect match than broccoli and leek. It also works in a soup. Prove me wrong. It’s an easy, fast and delicious dish. If you have never tried them together, it’s time to do it with me.

VEGETARIAN FIRST COURSE

PASTA CACIO E PEPE

“Pasta cacio e pepe”

This recipe is a staple of the Italian cuisine. “Cacio e pepe” means cheese and pepper sauce. This is one of the most typical and well-known dishes from Rome. This tasty, fully satisfying dish is ready in 10 minutes and makes life easier.

CHEESE-BASED FIRST COURSE

FISH-BASED SAUCE FOR PASTA

“Pasta al sugo di pesce in bianco”

In this video recipe, you will learn a basic cooking technique for a fish-based sauce for pasta. For this recipe, you can use any kind of fish. I will use a swordfish steak, some local prawns from the Adriatic and squid.

FISH-BASED FIRST COURSE

FISH-BASED SAUCE WITH PASSATA

“Pasta con sugo di pesce in rosso”

Do you love fish? Out of ideas for what to make for dinner? Following this cooking method, you can create an incredible variety of fish-based sauces for your pasta dishes. Everything you need to know is in which order to add all the ingredients. Learn the method and then try it with any variety of fish you want.

FISH-BASED FIRST COURSE

BOLOGNESE SAUCE

“Pasta con ragù alla bolognese”

This recipe is a pillar of the Italian home cooking. It’s easy to make and it’s almost impossible to find a person who doesn’t like “tagliatelle alla Bolognese”. In Italy, a pasta with Bolognese sauce is the epitome of a Sunday meal.

MEAT-BASED FIRST COURSE

PASTA ALLA CARBONARA

“Pasta alla carbonara”

Carbonara is an Italian pasta dish from Lazio region. It’s incredibly tasty, nourishing, and easy to make. Learn all the secrets to end up with a creamy carbonara. This is a perfect recipe if you are in need of a simple, last-minute recipe.

MEAT AND EGGS-BASED FIRST COURSE

SAUSAGE AND EGGPLANT PASTA

“Pasta con salsicce e melanzane”

In this video, I will teach you how to make a meat and vegetable sauce for pasta. We will use sausages and eggplants. Once you learn the method, you can use any kind of meat and choose different types of vegetables. This recipe has endless variations.

MEAT AND VEGETABLE-BASED FIRST COURSE

FRESH MUSHROOM RISOTTO

“Risotto di funghi freschi”

In this video, you will learn how to make mushroom risotto starting from fresh produce. I chose porcini and chiodini. Don’t forget to sprinkle parmigiano cheese on the top. The method I will use is suitable for any kind of fresh mushrooms.

VEGETARIAN FIRST COURSE

CHEESE RISOTTO

“Risotto al formaggio”

In this video recipe, you will learn how to make a basic cheese risotto. Only 2 ingredients required. The final result is an easy-to-make dish with a strong cheese flavour and slightly crispy onion.

VEGETARIAN FIRST COURSE

SWORDFISH RISOTTO WITH ZUCCHINI

“Risotto di pesce”

Every home cook should make it at least once. So, go to the fish market and choose your favorite fish. For this recipe, I used swordfish but you can use the one you like the most. Other good options are: clams, mussels, shrimp, prawns, cuttlefish, red tuna. You can also go for a selection of different fish altogether.

FISH-BASED FIRST COURSE

SAUSAGE AND CAULIFLOWER RISOTTO

“Risotto cavolo e salsiccia”

In this video recipe, you will learn how to make a meat-based risotto. The sausage and cauliflower risotto is just an example of how many recipes you can create with this cooking method. What about beef chunks and red radicchio? Ham cubes and green pea? Pork tenderloin and artichokes?

MEAT-BASED FIRST COURSE