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Italian Food
Around the table

Starters & sides.

Antipasti begin a meal; contorni accompany a main course. These dishes have a recorded starter or side context, even where their primary course label differs.

26 specialties

Antipasti: starters · Primi: pasta, rice & soups · Secondi: mains · Contorni: sides · Street food: breads & snacks · Dolci: desserts

A wooden board of sliced cured meats, cheese, olives, tomato crostini and other small prepared bitesAntipasti

Antipasto Misto

Cured meats, cheeses, olives and preserved vegetables make a shared Italian starter, with bread for assembling small bites.

Golden breadcrumb-coated Sicilian arancini on a white plate, one cut open to show saffron rice, meat ragù, peas and cheeseStreet food

Arancini

Golden Sicilian rice balls with a crisp breadcrumb shell and a filling of meat ragù, peas and melting cheese.

Thick slices of toasted bread topped with chopped red tomatoes and fresh basil leaves on a white plateAntipasti

Bruschetta

Warm toasted bread is rubbed with garlic, then topped with ripe tomatoes, olive oil and torn basil just before serving.

Whole and sliced stuffed squid with bread, tentacle, olive and caper filling in tomato sauce on a white plateSecondi

Calamari Ripieni

Squid tubes hold a savory bread-and-tentacle filling with olives and capers, then simmer gently in a light tomato sauce.

A bowl of caponata with eggplant and red peppersContorni

Caponata

Soft fried eggplant meets celery, olives and capers in a sweet-and-sour tomato dressing, served cool as a Sicilian starter or side.

Paper-thin slices of raw red beef with a pale mayonnaise-based sauce on a white plateAntipasti

Carpaccio

Paper-thin raw beef is served cold with a light mayonnaise-based sauce in the Venetian preparation associated with Harry’s Bar.

A thin golden chickpea flatbread cut into wedges, with coarse salt on a ceramic plateStreet food

Cecina Toscana

Chickpea flour, water and olive oil bake into a thin golden round, crisp at the edges with a soft center.

Opened mussels piled in a shallow bowl with golden saffron broth and small pieces of softened leekAntipasti

Cozze allo Zafferano

Mussels steam in a golden saffron broth with softened leeks, white wine, lemon and herbs, with bread for the juices.

Three toasted bread slices topped with a coarse brown chicken liver spread, with capers and herbs in the backgroundAntipasti

Crostini di Fegatini

Toasted bread carries a savory chicken liver spread with softened vegetables, capers and anchovies, a familiar Tuscan starter.

Pale thick broad-bean purée beside cooked dark leafy chicory with olive oil and black pepper on a white plateContorni

Fave e Cicorie

Dried broad beans cook into a thick, gentle purée beside tender bitter chicory, finished simply with olive oil and black pepper.

Squares of golden dimpled focaccia with rosemary on a boardStreet food

Focaccia

Dimpled olive-oil bread has a golden surface and a tender crumb, with a salty finish that suits a snack or shared table.

A shallow white bowl of pale golden Fontina fonduta with black pepper, surrounded by toasted bread cubes on a white plateAntipasti

Fonduta Valdostana

Fontina melts into a warm, velvety sauce with milk, egg yolks and butter, ready to spoon up with toasted bread.

A round golden potato-and-cheese frico with one wedge moved forward to show the soft center on a white plateSecondi

Frico

Potatoes, onion and Montasio cook into a soft, savory center beneath a crisp golden cheese crust, served hot in shared wedges.

A round golden onion frittata with visible red-onion slices on a ceramic plateSecondi

Frittata di Cipolle

Soft onions and grated Parmigiano flavor a gently cooked egg frittata, sliced into wedges for a main course or shared starter.

A platter of fried squid rings, shell-on shrimp and small fish with lemon wedges and parsleySecondi

Fritto Misto di Mare

Squid, shrimp and small fish get a light flour coating and a brief fry, served hot with salt and lemon.

Alternating tomato and mozzarella slices with basil leaves on a white plateAntipasti

Insalata Caprese

Ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil make a cool Campanian salad, dressed simply with olive oil and a little salt.

Pieces of octopus with cherry tomatoes, leafy greens and chopped herbs on a white plateAntipasti

Insalata di Polpo

Tender octopus is dressed with olive oil, lemon and parsley, with potatoes adding substance in this version of the coastal salad.

An individual stack of eggplant rounds, melted cheese and tomato sauce, topped with a tomato slice and purple basil leavesSecondi

Melanzane alla Parmigiana

Fried eggplant slices are layered with tomato, basil and melting cheese, then baked and rested before cutting into soft portions.

Golden breadcrumb-coated stuffed olives, one halved to show a green olive layer around finely minced cooked meat on a white plateAntipasti

Olive all’Ascolana

Large green olives wrap a finely minced meat filling beneath a crisp golden breadcrumb coat, served hot as small savory bites.

Tomato and bread salad with basil and red onion in a white bowlAntipasti

Panzanella

Soaked bread, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion absorb olive oil and wine vinegar in a cool, soft-textured Tuscan salad.

Soft yellow polenta topped with browned sliced mushrooms and small green thyme leaves on a brown-rimmed plateContorni

Polenta e Funghi

Soft cornmeal polenta holds sautéed mushrooms, garlic and herbs, a northern Italian pairing served as a side or small starter.

Opened sardine fillets layered with pale onion rings, raisins and pine nuts on a ceramic plateAntipasti

Sarde in Saor

Fried sardines rest under soft onions and wine vinegar, with raisins and pine nuts adding sweetness and a little bite.

Golden oblong rice croquettes, one cut open to show tomato rice and mozzarellaStreet food

Supplì

Crisp Roman rice croquettes enclose tomato-and-meat rice around a melting mozzarella center, ready to eat warm from the fryer.

A round thick griddle flatbread cut into plain wedges, with browned spots and fork pricks on a white plateStreet food

Torta al Testo

A thick, tender flatbread cooks on a hot griddle until brown-spotted, then is cut into warm wedges ready to split or share.

Thin pale-pink veal slices under a creamy tuna sauce with caper berries, lemon wedges and black pepper on a white plateAntipasti

Vitello Tonnato

Thin slices of chilled veal sit beneath a smooth tuna, egg and caper sauce, bringing mild meat and savory fish together.

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