The Italian table

Sunday lasagne in Bologna is the pasta course — maybe a little antipasto before, a roast after if the family is still hungry, salad as a contorno, then fruit. Risotto is a northern primo of its own night. Cacio e pepe is a Roman trattoria evening.

The inherited table is linen and a block of Parmigiano. The Tuesday table is still one pasta, not three.

Back to Italian cooking · Host an Italian night · Pantry · Cookware

How it looks

The Sunday pranzo

A baking dish of lasagne, wine, a little antipasto while people arrive.

Sunday lasagne alla Bolognese in a baking dish, wine, and a small antipasto. No second pasta.

The inherited table takes hours. Antipasto occupies the latecomers. Lasagne arrives as the primo and can be the whole meal. If there is a secondo, it is lighter than the pasta.

Risotto is not waiting in another pot. Cacio e pepe is Rome on a different night.

How it looks

The Roman weeknight

A bowl of cacio e pepe, a bitter salad, a carafe.

Cacio e pepe in a bowl with pecorino and black pepper, a small salad, no lasagne.

The newer table is one pasta cooked in plenty of water, finished in the pan with cheese and pepper. A handful of greens after. Espresso.

Do not also bake lasagne. Do not serve risotto as a side.

How it is served

The order of the room

One primo. Bread for the scarpetta. Salad after. No second pasta.

Never serve two primi together. Lasagne, risotto, and cacio e pepe are three different first courses. Pick one.

Bread is for the sauce at the end, not a side of garlic bread. Salad comes with the secondo or after, not under the pasta. Cappuccino does not close lunch — espresso does.

Tiramisù is a dolce for a dinner that wants one. It is not plated beside the lasagne as a 'combo.'

Bring it home