Orzo is the Italian word for barley, and the slender, grain-shape of orzo pasta makes for a no-fuss, neatly consumed salad, particularly if you are balancing a plate while perched on the edge of a sofa or...

Fennel and Parmigiano-Reggiano (“the celestial eating cheese of all time”) rank as one of the most underrated combinations in Italy.

When polenta is cooked properly, each grain of cornmeal slowly absorbs the liquid until it swells, becoming tender and seeming to disappear within the whole.

Neapolitan in origin, this make-ahead savory pie is delicious either warm or at room temperature.

When life gives you lemons, make risotto. The clean, citrusy spark brightens both the asparagus and the shrimp.