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gratin. The bread is removed from the table only after you have finished the salad, whose most delectable part many claim are the tiny puddles of lightly salted and vinegary olive oil that, at the end, you soak up with bread.

AN ELEGANT MENU WITH HOMEMADE PASTA

The thread connecting the first three courses of this menu is the richness of the cooking based on butter and originating in Italy’s great northern plain.

Baked Zucchini Stuffed with Ham and Cheese

Fettuccine, with Cream and Butter Sauce, blanketed if possible with shaved white truffles

Sautéed Veal Chops with Sage and White Wine

or

Sautéed Sweetbreads with Tomatoes and Peas

or

Asparagus and Prosciutto Bundles

(You can omit vegetable, because it is present elsewhere in the meal, and follow one of the above second courses with a simple, refreshing salad of field greens such as mâche and arugula dressed with olive oil and vinegar as described.)

Macedonia—Macerated Mixed Fresh Fruit

A CLASSIC MENU IN THE BOLOGNESE STYLE

Mushroom, Parmesan Cheese, and White Truffle Salad

or

Prosciutto slices over very ripe melon or figs

Tagliatelle with Bolognese Meat Sauce

or

Any of the lasagne dishes, except the one with pesto

Pork Loin Braised in Milk, Bolognese Style

or

Drunk Roast Pork

or

Pan-Roasted Breast of Veal

ACCOMPANIED BY

Spinach Sautéed with Olive Oil and Garlic

or

Swiss Chard Stalks Gratinéed with Parmesan Cheese

or

Breaded Fried Finocchio

AND

Pan-Roasted Diced Potatoes

Bolognese Rice Cake

or

Egg Custard Gelato

A HOLIDAY MENU WITH ROAST BIRDS

Carciofi alla Romana—Artichokes, Roman Style

Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms

or

Green Tortellini with Meat and Ricotta Stuffing

or

Spaghettini with Black Truffle Sauce

Pan-Roasted Squab Pigeons

or

Roast Duck

ACCOMPANIED BY

Sautéed Shiitake Mushroom Caps, Porcini Style

or

Sweet and Sour Onions

and/or

Sunchoke Gratin

PLUS

Boiled Zucchini Salad all’Agro, with Lemon Juice

Monte Bianco: Puréed Chestnut and Chocolate Mound

A FISH FEAST

Probably no cuisine surpasses the Italian, if indeed any equals it, in the vivacity and ease with which it handles seafood. The following menu draws on just some of the riches to be found in doing fish all’italiana.

Cold Trout in Orange Marinade

or

Gamberetti all’Olio e Limone—Poached Shrimp with Olive Oil and Lemon Juice

Fettuccine and Pink Shrimp Sauce with Cream

or

Fettuccine with Pesto

or

Tortellini with Fish Stuffing

Halibut Sauced with White Wine and Anchovies

or

Baked Sea Bass or Other Whole Fish Stuffed with Shellfish

or

Bass or Other Whole Fish Baked with Artichokes

FOLLOWED BY

Orange and Cucumber Salad

Zuppa Inglese

or

Sgroppino

A WINTER MENU

Acquacotta—Tuscan Peasant Soup with Cabbage and Beans

or

Barley Soup in the Style of Trent

or

Minestrone alla Romagnolla—Vegetable Soup, Romagna Style

or

Spinach or Escarole Soup with Rice

Beef Stew with Red Wine and Vegetables

or

Veal Stew with Sage, White Wine, and Cream, or Mushrooms

or

Cotechino, served with Mashed Potatoes with Milk and Parmesan Cheese, Bolognese Style

FOLLOWED BY

Shredded Savoy Cabbage Salad

or

Romaine Lettuce Salad with Gorgonzola Cheese and Walnuts

or

Warm Cauliflower Salad

Glazed Bread Pudding

or

A Farm Wife’s Fresh Pear Tart

or

Pisciotta—Olive Oil Cake

A RUSTIC MENU, I

Bagna Caôda

Chicken Fricassee with Red Cabbage

or

Polenta

with

Spareribs with Tomatoes and Vegetables

or with

Sautéed Calf’s Liver and Onions, Venetian Style

Chestnuts Boiled in Red Wine, Romagna Style

A RUSTIC MENU, II

Piadina—Flat Griddle Bread, with Sautéed Mixed Greens with Olive Oil and Garlic

Pork Sausages with Smothered Onions and Tomatoes

FOLLOWED BY

Shredded Carrot Salad

or

Baked Red Beets

Ciambella—Grandmother’s Pastry Ring (served with vin santo or other sweet wine)

or

Polenta Shortcake with Raisins, Dried Figs, and Pine Nuts

A LUNCH MENU FOR SUMMER

Even in summer, lunch in the Italian style can be a complete and leisurely meal, but it needn’t be weighty, as the fresh and sprightly