L'amore Italian Restaurant

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5 Italian Dishes MOST Kids Love

Do you have a child who is a picky eater? Or just the opposite? A kid who loves to try new foods?

Either way, you’ll score big in the kitchen when you make these Italian dishes that most kids love.

They’re easy to make at home and your kids can even help! Read on to discover some Italian meals that will please everyone’s palate at lunch or dinner time.

1. Spaghetti and Meatballs

Mmmmmm. Noodles. Who doesn’t love noodles? And when you pair them with hearty marina sauce (it’s ok you can use it from the jar) and meatballs, they’re even better. This is an easy meal to make, as well as inexpensive, that your kids will surely love. Give them some tasks, such as stirring the sauce, helping form the meat into balls, and setting the table. Finish the meal with a yummy, fresh salad to help with digestion – the Italian way.

2. Italian Style Pizza

Otherwise known as Neapolitan, this Italian style pizza is sure to make a hit. It is made from a round and flattened (can you say thin crust?) base of leavened wheat-based dough. Top it with tomatoes, cheese, and any other toppings you want. Then bake it. For the kids, have them “decorate” the pizza with their favorite toppings.

3. Roasted Veggies

It can be hard sometimes to get your kids to eat vegetables. But with this Italian recipe, they’ll love their veggies. You can use any veggies you want, so have the kids choose which veggies they’d love to roast, such as baby potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, and more. Cut and place them together in a large mixing bowl. Add your favorite Italian seasoning and olive oil and then transfer to a lightly-oiled baking sheet and stick them in the oven. Yum.

4. Calzones

Calzones are basically folded pizza. They are made from salted dough and baked in the oven. Stuff them with your kid’s favorite meats and cheese, like pepperoni, salami, ham, parmesan, and mozzarella. Sneak some veggies in there too.

5. Gelato

For dessert, offer this Italian favorite. The main ingredients are milk and cream. The best flavors are vanilla, chocolate, or anything fruit based. If you decide to make it at home, have the kids do the churning. Otherwise, pick some up in the frozen dessert section at your local grocery store for a new twist on dessert time.

 

 

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The Italian Guide to Diet Secrets

It’s well-known that Italians love food, so how do they stay so healthy when they seem to eat some much? It has a lot to do with their Mediterranean diet, but there’s more to it than just what Italians eat – it’s also about how they eat. Read on to discover the Italian secrets to dieting that result in health and vitality.

The Mediterranean Diet

This diet consists mainly of lots of olive oil, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and unrefined cereal, a moderate amount of fish and dairy products, and a small amount of meat products.

Take Your Time Dining

Italians are not in a rush. They love to enjoy their food. In fact, you’ll never see an Italian walking and eating. They just aren’t in a rush, like most people in the States. Instead, they sit and leisurely enjoy their meal, savoring every bite. Eating slowly helps aid digestion, which is vitally important for your health.

When You’re Full, Stop Eating

Because Italians take their time dining, there’s no question when they feel full. One they’ve had enough, they stop. They don’t go for seconds. Overeating does happen in Italy, but it’s not exactly the norm. Italians know when to call it quits and let their full bellies digest.

Balance Your Plate

Italians have a knack for balancing quality and quantity. While not everything they eat is super healthy, they know which foods to eat more of and which foods to eat less of. Pile more veggies and go sparse on the fatty foods. It’s all about balance.

Eat Fresh

It’s always better to eat local fresh food. In Italy, there’s a lot of that. Most Italians avoid packaged and heavily processed foods. Instead, they love their food fresh. Local vegetables, meats, and cheeses from different regions of Italy grace their plates for every meal.

Try NOT to Diet

Italians don’t diet. They don’t try the latest diet fad to lose weight or detox or gain muscle. Food is for fun and pleasure, not something that should be analyzed and strictly eaten. Instead, Italians follow the simple guidelines listed above – don’t overeat, eat fresh, balance your plate, and take your time eating. Oh, and add some exercise to help. If you’re in Italy, then you can get in lots of walking, hiking, swimming, and skiing. Does shopping count? Sure, as long as it gets you moving!

 

 

 

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5 Fun Facts about Italian Food

Whether you’ve grown up eating Italian food or you’re just discovering this famous cuisine, there are a few things you probably don’t know about Italian food – unless you’re Italian!

The next time you go out to an Italian restaurant or have friends over for an Italian dinner party, wow everyone with these five fun facts about Italian food.

1.  The Main Meal is Lunch

While Americans say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and typically fill up on dinner after a “light” lunch, the Italians see lunch as the main meal of the day. Typically, pasta is the first course, followed by a meat dish, salad, fruit and dessert. You’ll need a nap after a lunch that size.

2. Morning Coffee Always has Milk

Italians don’t drink their coffee black, at least not in the morning. While traveling in Italy, expect to order a milky coffee like a cappuccino or latte with your breakfast meal.

3. Never Eat and Walk at the Same Time

If you’re in a hurry and expect to grab a meal on the run, forget about it in Italy.  In fact, don’t even stand while you’re eating. The whole point of Italian food is to enjoy it. How can that be done if you’re walking down the road or standing on an overcrowded bus? Instead, do like the Italians do and take your time finding pleasure in your food and drink.

4. Pizza was Considered Food for Poor People

Most likely born in Naples, the first style of Italian pizza was called Neapolitan pizza. It was a flatbread that came with a variety of toppings and was sold on the streets to mostly the poor. It wasn’t until 1738 that the first pizza restaurant in Italy opened. It was called Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba.

5. Italians eat Special Foods on Special Holidays

Enjoying food is a big part of Italian culture. During the holidays, this love of food also serves as a symbol of the holiday being celebrated. For example, during the Christmas season, you’ll find many of the following foods gracing the table of Italians:

  • Cured olives and pickled veggies
  • All kinds of cheese
  • Cured meats
  • Roasted wild game
  • Lentils
  • Fish
  • Fennel
  • Fresh Fruit
  • Pandoro

Traditional Easter dishes include:

  • Lamb
  • Easter eggs
  • Salami with boiled eggs
  • Casatiello napoletano
  • Torta Pasqualina
  • Scarcella and Fiadoni
  • Fresh beans
  • Pizza di Pasqua

There is so much more to learn about Italian food that this list could be fill many pages. We hope it gets your appetite whet!

 

 

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5 Foods You Probably Didn’t Know are Italian

Every culture around the world has its own authentic cuisine, delicacies, and everyday food. Italy is no exception. In fact, Italian food is one of the most famous types of cuisine found around the world, often with a local adjustment made.

When it comes to Italian food, however, we automatically think of spaghetti, pizza, and minestrone soup, for example.  But there is more to Italian food than meets the eye. Read on to discover five foods that you probably didn’t know are Italian in origin.

1. Calamari

This yummy appetizer is served in many restaurants in the United States, not just Italian ones, but did you know that calamari is an authentic Italian dish? Calamari it typically sauteed in lemon and oil. Some restaurants add hot or banana peppers to add extra flavor to the squid, which comes in deliciously shaped rings or tentacles.

2. Cow’s Face

Cow’s what? Yup, that’s right – cow’s face. In Italy it’s called “Muss’ e voooi” and is considered a delicacy in the south. You can find it sold by vendors and restaurants, especially during festivals, and can be eaten in a sandwich. Maybe so you don’t see its face?

3. Sea Urchins

You know those black prickly creatures you try not to step on when reef snorkeling? Well, Italians love to eat them. In fact, the spikes we are so afraid of are the best part to eat of the sea urchin.  It’s prepared baked or steamed to get at the meat inside the shell.  Add a dash of lemon for extra flavor or add it to your spaghetti sauce for an authentic Italian meal.

4. Eel

Known as “Vigilia di Natale,” eel is another favorite dish in Italy. Eel is prepared roasted, grilled, or fried and is considered a cherished traditional Italian dish served on Christmas Eve.

5. Rabbit

Rabbit meat is eaten throughout Italy. On the Island of Ischia off the coast of Naples, rabbit in white wine sauce is a favorite. In Tuscany, they tend to eat hares, which are bigger than rabbits. No part of the rabbit goes to waste, with Italians consuming the kidneys and even the brain, along with the rest of the rabbit’s organs.  The meat is a great addition to a spaghetti sauce or served grilled.

While there are likely many more Italian food you have never heard of or simply didn’t know are traditionally Italian, the five listed above can doubtless be found in any Italian restaurant in Italy.

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3159 E Lincoln Dr
Phoenix , AZ 85016
Phone: 602.381.3159

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Our Hours

Lunch
Mon – Fri: 11am–2:30pm
Dinner
Mon – Fri: 4pm–close
Saturday Dinner: 5pm–close

Note: We're closed from 3pm–4pm
Sunday Closed

Happy Hour
Mon – Fri: 4:00pm–6:00pm
No happy hour on Saturdays
Credit for most photos: Kay W. Eskridge: Images By Kay

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