Your Guardian Chef: Laura Giunta Tobin

Buona domenica, Today, I’m sharing the definitive Milanese meal: traditional Saffron Risotto alla Milanese paired with Ossobuco alla Milanese. Online recipes often compromise the true flavor for a prettier picture. This pursuit of color and appearance means essential techniques and ingredients are often changed or sacrificed. So, for example: The authentic Ossobuco alla Milanese is a veal or beef shank slow-cooked to perfection with wine and bone marrow stock, with no tomato sauce. If you...

This was a lot of fun! I recently sat down for a conversation with Christina from the It Is a Keeper foodblog, podcast, and YouTube channel to share unique insights into Italian food and what's been "lost in translation" about our cuisine. It was a rare chat filled with facts, core principles, and funny stories that you wouldn't believe. We tackled the misconceptions, the pitfalls of recipes you find online, and the simple principles that truly define authentic Italian cooking—like...

Buona domenica, I want to share a rustic, traditional dish from Tuscany: Maiale al latte, which literally means "pork cooked in milk". You might think that milk is for pudding, but this recipe calls for an entire pork roast to be completely submerged in whole milk. This is the long, gentle, and immersive cooking method called stracotto. I remember eating this every Sunday at my aunt's farm near Grosseto. The whole milk is the key to this dish. The slow, low simmer makes a tougher cut of meat...

Buona Domenica, If you still haven’t decided what gift to buy for Christmas, this is what you need. This week, we begin a new video series dedicated to Homemade Liqueurs: A Beginner’s Course to Creating Signature Gifts. You will be surprised how easy it is. Don’t worry if you have a busy schedule, this week you will require only 30 minutes of your time. The rest is waiting time! This series transforms you from a last-minute gift buyer to a creator of personalized treats, solving your gift...

Buona domenica, This week we are making Italian Baked Chicken Cutlets and Nuggets, a delicious alternative to their fried counterparts. While many know the cotoletta alla Milanese, this is the Sicilian version, cotoletta alla palermitana. This recipe is simple and mess-free, as you do not need a breading station. The breadcrumbs are seasoned with Parmesan and basil, creating a crispy crust full of flavor. You do not need any sauce; a simple fresh salad will be the perfect pairing. Discover...

Buona Domenica, Today, we continue our series on traditional Italian apple and pear desserts, where the fruit, not the cake batter, is the main protagonist. Last week we covered an Italian apple cake with more apples than cake. If you missed it, you can check the email here. This week we shared a French apple tart that was so easy to make, you almost didn’t need to; you can check the email here. We also looked at the Crostata di Mele, a recipe that demonstrates how waiting makes a pie better....

Buon giorno, Today, we continue our series on traditional Italian apple and pear desserts, where the fruit, not the cake batter, is the main protagonist. Last week we covered an Italian apple cake with more apples than cake. If you missed it, you can check the email here. Yesterday we had a French apple tart that was so easy to make, you almost didn’t need to; you can check the email here. Today, we are sharing a recipe that shows how waiting makes a pie better: the Crostata di Mele. This...

Buona Domenica Today, we continue our series on traditional Italian apple and pear desserts where the fruit, not the cake batter, is the main protagonist. Last week, we covered an Italian apple cake with more apples than cake. If you missed it, you can check the email here. Today we are resting, because your children (or your niece and nephews) can make this recipe. The origin of this recipe is rooted in my own childhood experience. Growing up, my three siblings and I were encouraged either...

Buona Domenica, This week, we begin a new series dedicated to desserts made with apples and pears. The first installment introduces a remarkable Italian apple cake. This particular recipe comes from my grandmother's agenda from the 1950s, a time when food was still scarce. The recipe was an ingenious solution to this challenge: it calls for a simple batter that is complemented by a generous quantity of apples. It was an achievable dessert because apple trees in the countryside were so...

Buona Domenica, Since they are now in season and the season is short, I would like to talk about Concord grapes, known as uva fragola in Italian. Unlike regular grapes, the Concord has a unique "slip-skin" and a short season that arrives in September. Its distinct character is so notable that it led to its ban for commercial winemaking in Europe from the 1950s. While Concord grapes are a favorite to eat fresh, their brief season makes preservation essential with jam, jelly and sorbet. This...