Drizzled with bright olive oil and acidic-yet-sweet aged balsamic vinegar, and topped with crispy capers and sharp chives, thinly sliced beef serves as the rich canvas for this exciting yet simple beef carpaccio. Serve with a fresh frisee salad and a glass of crisp white wine for the perfect Italian lunch.

We've entered the best time of year: tomato season. Warmed by the hot summer sun, the plump, sweet and earthy fruits are hard to resist when pulled from the vine. A stunning appetizer or salad, this tomato carpaccio comes together quickly and balances the fresh taste of tomatoes with the zing of a caper dressing.

Cured in salt, capers are a small green delicacy that is used to bring a punch of flavor in a dish. Adding a tangy, briny and vegetal quality with a pop of floral energy, you'll find that many Italian recipes incorporate capers into the fold. Grown in the wild throughout the Mediterranean basin, the best capers in the world come from Salina, one of the seven Aeolian Islands just north of Sicily.

We all love the tangy, crispy, salty bites of a fresh giardiniera salad. Using crispy Parmigiano-Reggiano cups as a vessel, this appetizer hits all the bases: it is fun, it is delicious, and there's no extra tableware necessary!

A traditional family-style meal in the mountains of Northern Italy since ancient Roman times, polenta alla spianatora is a communal experience. Creamy, golden polenta is spread into the center of the table to create one large, delicious canvas. Next, a rich, saucy ragu is carefully spooned on top, distributing luscious flavors and chunks of precious meat across the thickened maize. As the wine flows and each fork sweeps through the perfect mess of soul warming flavors, the air fills with chatter and laughter.