#italian-cuisine

#italian-cuisine

Alice & Monarch is a new dual-concept venture from Daniel Roughan, featuring a welcoming dining room for Italian-inspired dishes and a subterranean dessert speakeasy.

"Growing up, the business was always part of our daily life. It wasn't just work-it was a family tradition passed down through generations."

Everybody talks about San Marzano tomatoes, and of course we love those tomatoes, but there can't be that many actual San Marzano tomatoes grown in some arena to feed the world and all the commercial ones you see in the jars and cans around the countries.

Dessert trolleys were banished to storerooms during Covid due to rigorous health guidelines, but many restaurants have since retrieved them, allowing them to glide between tables once more.

In Italy, food is never just food. It's memory, identity and, sometimes, a full-blown argument. This season, we explore how the past continues to shape the present, one region and one extraordinary meal at a time.

Bianca's is rooted in the osteria tradition and Adolfo's Italian heritage but takes a more global and instinctive approach to the menu.

Sfincione remains the perfect starter, a flower-shaped focaccia loaf that's become Funke's signature. Dusted with oregano and flaky salt, then veiled with the thinnest, most fragrant olive oil, it's a true delight.

Giacco's sets itself apart with a rotating line-up of chef residencies, changing every month to keep the menu fresh and provide opportunities for up-and-coming chefs.

Gianmarco's Restaurant is a Birmingham staple founded by a father-and-sons trio who have brought generations of Italian family recipes to the city for nearly 20 years. The upscale yet welcoming spot is known for handmade pastas, fresh seafood, and signature dishes, such as veal Parmesan and house-made gnocchi, all served in an intimate, old-world setting.

The 12-month-aged cheese is milder and more moist, resembling a sliceable cheese like cheddar, while the 26-month cheese is drier with crunchy salt crystals.

The act of scooping up leftover sauce, oil, or butter from your dish with bread is so ingrained into Italian culture that there's actually a name for it: Fare la scarpetta, which translates to 'make the little shoe.' The bread, which is dragged around the plate to collect every last bit of flavor, is a cherished part of the dining experience in Italy.

Tuna carpaccio arranged in a circle arrived first, the slices beaming ruby like sun through stained glass. Radicchio leaves had been dressed with kefir and gorgonzola, the tart and the sweet funk offsetting the bitter. Clams, splashed in bright and herby broth, were paired with a narcotic mound of thin fries.

That functions as a sort of highly flavoured and fatty stock cube that can be added to soups and stews. The best place to keep your precious rinds is in a plastic bag or airtight container in the freezer, which also preserves flavour and stops them drying out, until they're pulled out and added directly to whatever needs a boost, or to make one of the nicest, most delicately flavoured and cheesy broths.