Hi everyone; thanks for the great comments. I do like carnaroli rice for risotto too, I just had arborio on hand, and in some parts of the country, it is going to be an easier find.

Snackwell, I don't know how to answer your question with precision. Risotto cooks differently for me, every time. I always use my mantra of cook it until it is done, and it does vary with how much you make, how fast the liquid evaporates on your particular stove setting, etc. This recipe could take 15 to 20 minutes, generally speaking.

As a rule, I never serve risotto as a side dish, alongside meat, because in my mind, it is really a primi course, like pasta, and I can't imagine it as a side course.

But if nothing else than the huge timing issue, I never try to serve risotto with another course. We make it, eat it, and then the rest of the meal goes on the table. Or, as in the case of this week, it goes into a bowl for scooping up on the couch, wrapped in a blanket.

Good luck with your risotto! I'm sure it will turn out great!

Jackie,

I don't think Fontina will work with this recipe per se. The secret here is that the gorgonzola's very creamy texture and high fat content means that it simply melts right into all the other ingredients and disappears as a solid form, coating the pasta with its fat and flavor.

To duplicate that, I think you would need something that can melt in a similar way. Otherwise you are going to wind up with stringy globs; finely grated Fontina would make teeny stringy globs. A very creamy soft-ripened robiola, like La Tur, would work, maybe. If you can find it, Stracchino would probably melt similarly. I'd have to test it out for you to give a definitive answer.

There are versions of German speck which are very close to Italian lardo - almost all fat. Schinkenspecik is much meatier, but more heavily spiced, from what I have been told.

I did not picture bresoala here.

And I did not say that there are only smoked versions of ham or speck north of the Alps, nor do I think I made any sweeping statements or implications about German cured meats. I merely said that Alto Adige speck is not as heavily smoked in comparison to some of the smoked hams of Northern Europe.

Hi bisbee. Don't be disappointed. A flourless chocolate cake doesn't have any cake-like qualities - like sponginess. That is the whole point of it being flourless. There's no leavening, nothing but butter, sugar, chocolate and egg, by design it is supposed to be dense, fudgy, gooey in the center. It is especially true for this recipe; the eggs aren't even whipped. It sounds like it came out exactly as it should.

P.S.,
It lasts forever, too, if you keep it well wrapped!
I hate working with powdered gelatin....it is so great that home cooks have the alternative of sheets now. When I lived in Italy, I never, ever saw powdered gelatin, and you could find the sheets in any grocery store...I am hoping that this will be the case here someday.

Thanks for being patient with me, folks! I heart SE!

I bet bucatini would be great with this method. Remember, proportions are all relative. You may want more wine in both pans for more wine flavor, and yes, more butter or olive oil may suit your needs!

Hope all the experiments work! My mom and I scarfed ours down pretty fast...

@jeanmarieok: Hi! Yes, they will keep very well, even a couple of weeks, in an airtight container.

Everyone, I am so glad you are making the cake and loving it! It disappeared pretty fast at my house too!

@newyorkbaker, I don't have my own recipe for cannoli, but I really like the one in Mario's book, Holiday Food. I made the cannoli that are pictured in the book, and they were pretty wonderful.

As audrasena said, the orange juice in the recipe is primarily to add moisture, not orange flavor. I sometimes use oj when developing a recipe instead of milk, which contributes protein and changes the texture.

Hi! Its actually from my cookbook, Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen! And Kathy is right - my rendition is brioche. So this is not authentic, but a sweet, dessert version of schiacciata.

Sorry - couldn't resist jumping in~

Hi there!
Great question. Yes, I must say that prices have gone up dramatically and are continuing to rise. I usually shop in Monteverde or Testaccio, because the Campo, and even Piazza San Calisto are expensive. Produce is still relatively reasonable, depending on what you buy. That day, I also bought 3 big potatoes, and 2 big red onions, and it was €.90, so it evens out sometimes. The strawberries were maybe €1.50.

Meat is really, really expensive; I only eat it twice a week, maybe. Pasta is more expensive than it used to be, but still an economical way to eat. I've been making pasta lately and it is a real money saver. With 3 eggs and 300 gms of flour, I can make enough pasta for 4-5 meals.

Most Romans know that prices can vary greatly from shop to shop, block to block, so they will go out of their way to find a good bargain.

Rome is overall a very expensive city. I am in Torino right now for a few days. Prices are much less expensive here, for everything. And the shopping is great, I must add. Eveyone who loves Italy should visit Torino. It is one of the great, grand European cities. I'm going to post on it soon!

Hi Ben! The artichokes here are gi-normous, I must say! Much bigger than the ones I am used to back in the States, which are probably more like to the ones you used. The first couple of times I have made this dish, I did it a la minute, and by cooking the artichokes a bit first, then adding the leeks, they softened up pretty fast with the lid on. But cooking them ahead of time can work too.

I had some friends over for dinner a few nights ago and wanted to cut down on my in-the-kitchen exile; an hour or so ahead of time, I sauteed the artichokes in a bit of olive oil, then added a bit of water and the lid to cook them through, and set them aside. I picked up the rest of the recipe by cooking the leeks, and added the chokes back to the pan when I added the lemon. It worked fine that way, so if anyone wants to break the recipe up in the same manner, go for it...

Ciao! Yes, you are indeed correct. The formula for the U.S. market is much sweeter and firmer than what they sell here in Italy. I don't really like the Nutella sold in the States because of that, to be honest. The U.S. formula used to contain dreaded palm oil, but recently it was switched to vegetable oil. Regardless, it is nothing like real crema di gianduja. The Baratti & Milano is the least expensive of the bunch I mentioned above, and it is quite good.