Fred Plotkin

This pesto may be tossed with spaghetti, maccheroni, linguine, or the classic Ligurian pastas, trofie or trenette.

While most Italian recipes represent the foods and traditions of one town or region, this one from Le Marche has elements of Italian cooking from various parts of the country and is a good example of how Italy's cooking changed when it became a nation in 1861. The central Italian region of Le Marche is a crossroads that uses typical flavors of north, central and southern Italy. The reason for this is that Le Marche, until Italian unification, were papal lands that belonged to the Vatican but were also traversed by people traveling north and south on the Italian peninsula. This recipe uses veal and pork (found in northern and central Italian cooking), chicken livers (most common in central Italy) and tomatoes, the iconic flavor of the south. The grated cheese of choice is pecorino romano, very much part of the tradition of southern Italy. Despite the name, maccheroncelli (the pasta used here) is not macaroni used in southern Italy, but thin egg noodles. You can skip the effort of making these, if you wish, and purchase a good Italian brand of dried egg pasta such as tagliatelle or tagliolini.

Nostrano is a particular Italian word. Very simply, it means "ours." Yet it implies much more: home, family, terrain, tradition. So sapori nostrani, in which the word is used in its plural form, would immediately suggest the comfort and intimacy derived from familiar flavors. I tasted this dish in Spilimbergo, one of Italy's foremost centers of the art of making mosaics. Many dishes there have that name even if they are more a combination of distinct ingredients that retain their characteristics rather than joining in a mosaic. This recipe uses most of the classic foods found in central Friuli.

A specialty of Sardegna (Sardinia), this delicacy from Nuoro is addictive and easy to make. Try to find the best-quality oranges possible. Make fresh juice or a salad with the leftover oranges. As you can see, it is possible to increase or decrease the amount of ingredients to suit your needs.