Second course The secondo, or second course, which in French or British cuisine really is the main course, is often scant in comparison.The 'secondi' are not big portions and vegetables are served separately, if at all. The main dish is usually fish or meat, but you can have cheese,vegetables or both of them,according to the season,too.

Meat

Steak Pizzaiola 4 boneless Steaks 4 cups Marinara Sauce (sauce with oregano) salt & pepper to taste Serves 4 1. put marinara sauce in a pan,add the four steks and cook for 10 minutes 2. Remove steaks to serving plates, cook sauce for 2 more minutes to reduce then pour sauce over steaks and serve

Chicken Cacciatore 1 three pound chicken cut into pieces 1 large onion chopped 1 pound mushrooms sliced 1 cup dry sherry wine 1 cup chicken broth 2 cups Marinaria Sauce 1/4 cup olive oil Salt and Pepper to taste 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley Serves 4 1. Heat Olive Oil in large, high sided frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook until browned on all sides. 2. Add the onions and mushrooms, cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. 3. Drain the oil, add salt, pepper and wine. Cook for 1 minute, stirring and scraping bottom of the pan, to mix in the pan residues. 4. Add marinara sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for minutes. 5. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish., pour the sauce over the chicken sprinkle with parsley and serve.

LAMB AND POTATOES COOKED IN THE OVEN Ingredients 1,200gr of lamb 1 kg of potatoes grated bread white wine garlic, onion, rosemary extra virgin olive oil tomatoes au thread black pepper Cut the lamb in pieces and let it saute, over a high heat in a pan with oil, adding the onion,the rosemary, the tomatoes au thread and the chilly or black pepper. Sprinkle with white wine. Put the mixture in a terracotta tin greased with oil. Add the peeled tomatoes washed and cut in thin slices, the potatoes and some minced garlic. Cover almost the whole with water and put the tin in the oven, already hot (200 C). Before the cooking is ended, sprinkle all with grated bread

Fish

FULFILLED CUTTLEFISHES 1 kg of small cuttlefishes1 salted anchovy stalebread Capers 2 eggs extra- virgin olive oil persley, garlic, salt, pepper Prepare a daugh of net stale bread seasoned with 2 eggs, persley, garlic, one salted anchowy washed and deprived of the bone, some capers, salt, pepper.Fill the cuttlefishes (deprived of the skin and the internal bone and after that washed them) with the mixture. Closing well the noth with the toothpicks and cook thread.

Mussels in a Pepper Broth Cook mussels in their juice with parsley and black pepper. Then premi lemon on each of them and eat.

FRIED ANCHOVIES 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4-5 cups vegetable oil 1/4 pound fresh anchovies (about 8 fillets) Juice of 1/2 lemon In large bowl, mix together flour, salt, and pepper. In 4-quart deep, heavy pot over high heat, heat 2 inches oil Dredge half of anchovies in flour mixture, tossing to coat well. Transfer to sieve and shake to remove excess flour. Fry, stirring frequently to separate, until golden, about 3 minutes, then transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining anchovies Arrange anchovies on platter and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Cheese

Mozzarella Mozzarella cheese is a sliceable curd cheese originating in Italy. This cheese is not aged like most cheeses and is actually best when eaten within hours of its making. The process of making mozzarella is called pasta filata, which means the curds are heated in water or whey until they form strings (hence the term "string cheese") and become elastic in texture. The curds are stretched, kneaded until smooth, and then formed into round balls to make fresh mozzarella cheese.

Fried Mozzarella Mozzarella in carrozza 6 small (1 1/2 inch, or 4 cm diameter) mozzarella balls An egg, lightly beaten Breadcrumbs Oil for frying Begin by slicing your mozzarella balls in half and setting them to drain in a strainer; if you have time, for 2 hours. Otherwise, if you have one of those centrifuges one uses to drain salad, give the pieces a quick spin, turn them, and spin them again. In either case, dredge the slices in the beaten egg, and again in the breadcrumbs, put them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, and chill them in the freezer for a half hour. Fry the mozzarella disks for about a minute in hot oil. Arrange them on a serving dish, salt them well, and serve them.

Ricotta Technically, ricotta is not a cheese at all, but a cheese by-product. Its name, ricotta, means cooked again, an obvious reference to the production method used to make it. Ricotta is a fresh, soft, snowy white cheese with a rich but mild, slightly sweet flavor. The texture is much like a grainy, thick sour cream. Ricotta is naturally low in fat, with a fat content ranging from 4 to 10 percent. It is also low in salt, even lower than cottage cheese. Since ricotta is made primarily from lactose-rich whey, it should be avoided by those who are lactose-intolerant.

Calzoni alla ricotta 3 1/2 cups (350 g) flour 2 large eggs A pinch of salt Slightly more than a half pound (250 g) ricotta 1/4 pound (100 g) provolone cheese, diced 2 egg yolks A small bunch of parsley, minced 1/4 pound (100 g) prosciutto, in a single thick slice (cooked ham will work if need be), diced Salt and pepper to taste Oil for frying Begin with the filling: whirl the ricotta in a blender until it is creamy, and then add to it the egg yolks, provolone, parsley, and prosciutto. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Next, make the dough: Combine the flour, eggs, and salt, and knead well until the mixture is firm and elastic; it will be quite firm, and if you can't incorporate all the flour add a little water to the mixture. Roll the dough out into a fairly sheet -- you don't want it quite as thin as pasta dough -- and cut it into 4-inch (10 cm) squares. Divvy the filling up among the squares, setting it in the middle of each, and fold them over the filling, crimping the edges to seal them. Fry the calzoni in hot oil until golden on both sides. Drain them well on absorbent paper, and serve.

Vegetables

Caprese 2 pounds (1 k) ripe tomatoes, sliced, seeded, and drained A fresh mozzarella (buffalo milk if possible) weighing about a pound, diced. Fresh basil leaves, hand-shredded (8-10 or to taste) 1/4 cup olive oil, or to taste Pepper and salt (if necessary) A pinch of oregano 1 tablespoon salted capers, or to taste (optional) 1/4 pound pitted black olives (the sweet variety that's cured in brine) or to taste, chopped (optional) PREPARATION: Slice the tomatoes into rounds and put them on 6 plates; slice the mozzarella into rounds and lay them over the tomatoes. Season with the olive oil, basil, origano, and a little salt and pepper. Serves 6-8.

Egg omelet with asparagus Ingredients: olive oil, salt, pepper, 10 eggs, 120 grams grated cheese, 2 kilos fresh asparagus, for 6 people Clean and then steam the asparagus until well cooked cut into 4 in. long trunks. Beat eggs, salt, pepper and cheese together in a medium bowl, heat olive oil in pan add steamed asparagus, add egg mixture, turn over when light golden brown. Serve hot