10 Tasty Tuscan Recipes from the Extra Virgin Cookbook

Whip up a Tuscan feast with recipes from Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos' cookbook, Extra Virgin: Recipes and Love from Our Tuscan Kitchen.

Pici All'Aglione

Aglione is a simple, garlic-studded red sauce that's typically tossed with pici — a hand-rolled pasta from Sienna — but you can swap in any type of thick spaghetti to make this an easy weeknight dinner.

Get the Recipe: Pici All'Aglione

Breakfast Pizza: Pizza A Colazione

When Debi and Gabriele serve pizza for breakfast, they don't just put out a box of leftover slices. Their homemade pie calls for the quintessential morning pairing of eggs and bacon — in this case, pancetta — on top of tomato and cheese.

Get the Recipe: Breakfast Pizza: Pizza A Colazione

Oven-Roasted Potatoes: Patate Arrosto

Stick Yukon gold potatoes in the oven and let the roaster work its magic — in an hour, the spuds will come out crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

Get the Recipe: Oven-Roasted Potatoes: Patate Arrosto

Grilled Mozzarella Sandwich

This Tuscan-inspired grilled cheese — featuring gooey, melted mozzarella — is modeled after a sandwich that Gabriele's dad used to make for him as a kid.

Get the Recipe: Grilled Mozzarella Sandwich

Carbonara

The trick to Debi and Gabriele's creamy spaghetti alla carbonara? They make a sauce out of fresh organic eggs, then mix it with cooked noodles that have been loosened with a bit of pasta water. This helps develop the Roman dish develop the velvety consistency it is known for.

Get the Recipe: Carbonara

Fake Sauce: Sugo Finto

This hearty tomato sugo is also known as "fake sauce" because it mimics the flavor and texture of ragu without any meat. Chunks of onion, carrot and celery give the sauce added heft, while a generous slug of red wine helps deepen the color. It's just as filling and delicious as the real thing.

Get the Recipe: Fake Sauce: Sugo Finto

Risotto with Taleggio and Wild Carrot Honey

A dollop of wild carrot honey infuses this creamy, cheesy risotto with a touch of sweetness. You can also use sunflower honey, but Gabriele advises against tree honey because of its slightly bitter edge.

Get the Recipe: Risotto with Taleggio and Wild Carrot Honey

Melanzane Alla Parmigiana (Eggplant Parmigiana)

Debi and Gabriele's version of eggplant Parmesan layers thin slices of fried eggplant with homemade red sauce, mounds of mozzarella and fresh basil. This restaurant favorite is even better at home, baked until bubbly.

Get the Recipe: Melanzane Alla Parmigiana (Eggplant Parmigiana)

Roast Pig

Gabriele's porchetta-style roast — made from fatty pork shoulder — may take a few hours to prepare and cook, but the juicy, herb-flecked meat is well worth the effort and time. You'll also have plenty of leftovers to use for sandwiches the next day.

Get the Recipe: Roast Pig

Prosciutto, Taleggio and Radicchio Panini

When Debi combines salty prosciutto, tangy taleggio and sweet fig preserves in a pressed sandwich, you get panini perfection.

Get the Recipe: Prosciutto, Taleggio and Radicchio Panini

Find more of Debi and Gabriele's rustic, produce-driven recipes and romantic tales from inside and outside the kitchen in Extra Virgin: Recipes and Love from Our Tuscan Kitchen.