More Farro Recipes to Try

• How to Cook Farro
• Instant Pot Farro
• Farro with Mushrooms & Parmesan
• Farro & Brussels Sprouts Soup
• Farro Bowls

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the dough: Use one ball of my homemade pizza dough for the best result. Alex and I have spent over a decade researching our pizza dough recipes and this is the absolute perfect dough. If you want a thinner base, the thin crust pizza dough also works wonderfully here. In a pinch, store-bought dough is fine — just bring it to room temperature before stretching.

For the tomato sauce: The tomatoes are everything in a pizza marinara! Traditional Neapolitan pizza is made with San Marzano tomatoes, a variety grown in a specific region of Italy. They’re becoming more popular here in the US and are available under many different brands.

After lots of recipe testing, I’ve also found that fire roasted tomatoes give an even sweeter, more complex result right out of the can. My homemade pizza sauce recipe uses just fire roasted tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, dried oregano, and salt, blended until smooth. It’s so simple that I have it memorized!

For the toppings: All you need here is a thinly sliced garlic clove, fresh oregano, salt and olive oil.

What to Serve With It

Pizza marinara is a meal on its own, but a few simple sides round out the experience beautifully:

• A simple arugula salad with lemon and parmesan
• A Caprese salad
• Marinated olives or am antipasti platter
• A glass of Chianti or Italian white wine

Ingredients You’ll Need

You’ll need a handful of simple ingredients for this asparagus risotto. The flavors are crisp and pure. Here’s what you’ll need:

• White arborio rice: Arborio rice is a short-grain Italian variety that releases its starches gradually while cooking, creating the creamy, signature texture of risotto. You should be able to find it at most grocery stores. Avoid substituting any other variety of rice in this recipe.
• Asparagus: Look for thin to medium thick spears, which have a mild, sweet flavor.
• Broth and dry white wine: White wine is essential to the nuanced flavor. If you prefer, you can substitute more broth for the wine.
• Lemon: Fresh lemon infuses a citrus zingy.
• Parmesan cheese: Cheese infuses the dish with savory notes.
• Toasted pine nuts: This Italian-style garnish steps up the flavor; here’s how to toast pine nuts. Olive oil, butter, onion, and garlic powder round out the flavors in this dish.

What to Serve Alongside

Sometimes it’s hard to decide how to make risotto into a full meal, especially if it’s vegetarian. Accessorizing with a salad makes for a filling vegetarian dinner. Here are a few ideas for what to serve with risotto:

• Add a protein like sauteed shrimp or lemon garlic chicken.
• Try an easy salad like arugula salad or refreshing fennel orange salad.
• Go for bread like garlic bread or simple garlic toast.

More Risotto Recipes to Try

• Classic Risotto: my classic recipe to have in your back pocket
• Creamy Mushroom Risotto: savory and satisfying
• Creamy Butternut Squash Risotto: great for fall
• Parmesan Truffle Risotto: for when you’re feeling fancy
• Shrimp Risotto: protein-packed and satisfying

Ingredients You’ll Need

The Manhattan cocktail was invented in 1874 by a bartender at The Manhattan Club in New York City, supposedly for a party thrown by Jennie Churchill (mother of the famous Winston). The first printed recipe for the Manhattan appeared in the 1884 classic book The Modern Bartender’s Guide by O.H. Byron.

The Manhattan has gone in and out of fashion throughout the years, but in recent decades it’s been consistently on the list of top ten most popular American cocktails. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

• Rye whiskey: The backbone of the drink: see my notes on Rye vs Bourbon below.
• Sweet red vermouth: A fortified wine that adds a subtle sweetness and complexity.
• Angostura bitters: Just a few dashes at intriguing flavor.
• Luxardo cocktail cherry: This is the traditional garnish.

Tips for the Best Manhattan

• Chill your glass first. If you can, throw the glass in the freezer while building the drink. It adds a crisp, cool essence to the drink.
• Taste before you strain. Dip a bar spoon and taste the cocktail before it goes in the glass. You can always add a tiny splash more sweet vermouth for a slightly sweeter drink.
• Garnish with a Luxardo. Luxardo cherries are a cocktail cherry, but they’re so dark red they almost look black. They don’t taste anything like a Maraschino: the flavor is complex, fruity, and nutty, almost like amaretto. It’s easy to find Luxardo cherries at your local liquor store, or get them online.

Variations You’ll Love

There are many popular variations on the Manhattan. Once you’ve made it the classic way, try these spins:

• Bourbon Manhattan: Bourbon makes a sweeter Manhattan with notes of oak and vanilla.
• Brandy Manhattan: A sophisticated spin on the classic with brandy or Cognac.
• Black Manhattan: Uses Italian amaro instead of vermouth for caramel and chocolate notes.
• Rob Roy: Uses Scotch instead of rye whiskey.
• Brooklyn: A unique spin with Maraschino liqueur and bitters.
• Revolver: Uses bourbon and Tia Maria coffee liqueur.
• Martinez: A classic cocktail of gin, sweet vermouth, and Maraschino liqueur.