L'amore Italian Restaurant

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December 27, 2017 by Kim Abbott

5 Tips for Making the Perfect Lasagna

Lasagna is a great food. Ideal for holidays, great for babies, an indulgent Sunday dinner and even a “welcome to the neighborhood” gift. However, where this seemingly simple casserole gets its greatness is in the execution. The good news is, there are a few tips that can help ensure you make the perfect lasagna every time.

Choose the Right Recipe

If you have never made lasagna before, or even if you have and there is room for improvement, the first thing you need to do is find and use the right recipe. This may require a bit of research. Make sure you also read the reviews of what other people say about the recipe. This will provide quite a bit of insight regarding how the recipe will turn out.

Buy the Best Ingredients

In most cases, all-beef isn’t the best option. While most use ground beef in spaghetti sauce, in lasagna, sausage or some type of pork is best. A beef-pork combo is especially flavorful.

Also, if possible use whole milk ricotta and mozzarella, with fresh being the best option. While part-skim milk is fine, the flavor will be blander. Keep in mind, lasagna isn’t exactly a “diet dish,” so going full fat with the milk and cheese products is going to provide the best flavor.

Take Your Time During Assembly

You need to purchase the right lasagna pan if you don’t have it yet. This means you need one that is at least three inches deep so you won’t have the top of your lasagna bubbling over the side. Also, put some sauce in the pain first so that the first pasta layer doesn’t stick.

As you begin layering, follow this order: sauce, noodles, cheese mixture, sauce. Keep following this pattern until you reach the top. Take your time with assembly and make sure the top is fully covered by cheese so the noodles don’t get brittle.

Don’t Overstuff/Stack

As mentioned before, if you pan is too shallow, or you stack the lasagna layers too high, it may result in the mixture bubbling over the side and into your oven. You can avoid this by stopping just below the top of the pan.

Avoid Overcooking

Make sure to cover your lasagna with foil before baking it. Set your oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for an hour. When the hour is up, remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes so the cheese becomes golden brown. Allow the lasagna to sit for about 10 minutes before you cut it to keep the layers from sliding apart.

Using the tips here will help you create an amazing lasagna that everyone will be excited to dive into. Not ready to tackle lasagna just yet? Let L’Amore do the hard work. Stop in today for a little taste of Italy.

Filed Under: Cooking Tips Tagged With: Cuisine

December 13, 2017 by Kim Abbott

5 of the Best Cities in Italy for the Best Italian Food

If traveling is your lifestyle, experiencing all a local region has to offer is a top priority. One of the best ways to experience the local flavor is by sampling the food.

When you travel through Italy, eating at authentic Italian restaurants is a must. If you are venturing through this region, experience as many of the areas on this list as possible.

Northern Italy: Trentino-Alto Adige, Valle d’Aosta and Piemonte

Here the food is rich and creamy, which is just what is needed to remain warm on the freezing nights that often occur. Pasta is replaced by polenta and risotto, and meats are served that have influences coming from the French and Germans. While there might be an appreciation for meat and potatoes, this isn’t what you’ll find in the North. The fish is amazing, with Liguria and Veneto sitting right on the sea, which means fresh dishes are guaranteed.

Central Italy: Umbria, Tuscany and Lazio

If you’re  in the mood for authentic Italian steak, then the central portion of Italy is the perfect destination. You can spend days in Tuscany eating bistecca alla Fiorentina, which is a large, grilled t-bone steak sourced from maremma cows.

Central Italy: The Mountainous Region of Abruzzo and Le Marche

In this region, you get a unique flavor that isn’t seen in other regions. Some of the specialty dishes to enjoy here include olive ascolane, which is olives that are stuffed with meat and fried and served with pane fritta, which is squares of fried cream. While this combination may not sound tasty at first, it is worth trying.

Naples – In Southern Italy

When you travel to the south in Italy, the food becomes more Mediterranean. Here you can enjoy your fill of fish, fruit, vegetables and pasta. Also, Naples is the birthplace of the pizza which means this is a must have any time you visit the region.

Sicily in the South

With more than a two-thousand-year history, Sicily should be on your list of places to visit when in Italy. The strong flavors of the island’s sweet and salty dishes and street food are the favorites of many. Some of the most revered treats for this region include chickpea-flour fritters, panelle and deep-fried rice balls.

For those traveling to the region, they should make an effort to enjoy the dishes above during their visit. This will make it an experience not soon forgotten.

You don’t have to travel to Italy to enjoy authentic Italian food. To discover a little taste of Italy closer to home, visit L’Amore today.

Filed Under: Dining Tips Tagged With: Cuisine

November 22, 2017 by Kim Abbott

Is Pasta Threatening Your Diet?

There’s no denying it, if you cut carbohydrates out of your diet, you will lose weight. When it comes to eating healthy, moderation is the key. So if you want to limit your intake of carbs, that’s probably a good idea. But, if you’re a pasta lover- depriving yourself really isn’t a very good idea.

We want you to enjoy delicious meals the way they were meant to be enjoyed. We know that the Italians have nothing like the love/hate relationship with pasta that we have. The reason for this comes down to culture, lifestyle, and what they make pasta from. So, in the name of good health, and great food- we take a few pages out of their book when it comes to eating pasta without going up a size.

Use Whole Grain

There’s an important difference between carbs made from whole grain wheat and those made from white enriched pasta. The nutrient drained pasta and bread most people are eating are hard to digest and contain very little nutrients. Whole grain isn’t perfect, but it’s easier to digest and contains fiber- which is a vital nutrient for good digestive health.

Make Pasta a Side Dish

A big part of the way Americans eat comes from homesteading culture. In that environment, people living largely in conditions of poverty wanted to fill up on foods that would help them feel full longer. Today, we still eat that way even though we don’t need to. Eating smaller portions may make you stand out at get-togethers, but it’s an important part of eating healthy when you aren’t pulling a plow for 12 hours a day. A good rule of thumb is your pasta portion should not be larger than your hand.

Make it About the Flavor

The simple experience of eating is one of the most important aspects of our lives. It engages a higher percentage of the brain than any other activity, and we spend a lot of our time focused on food. So it stands to reason that by focusing on the flavor, we can make mealtimes more special, more memorable, and more satisfying.

You might have noticed that by following these tips, you aren’t taking pasta out of your life. Rather, you’ll be placing it in a position of privilege. We think that by honoring your favorite foods, you can eat healthier, and enjoy pasta even more.

To discover a little taste of Italy, visit L’Amore today.

Filed Under: Cooking Tips Tagged With: Cuisine

November 8, 2017 by Kim Abbott

Nothing Stimulates the Mind Like Good Food

With the exception of breathing and drinking, eating is the most essential bodily requirement of all. Many people naturally conclude that they want to make the subject of food an even more central aspect of their lives than it already is. We dedicate huge amounts of our natural cerebral facility to making food easier to produce, more nutritious, and- of course- more delicious.

Consider the artistic heights the discipline of preparing food has risen to. A well-plated piece of fine cuisine is as beautiful as a classical painting- more so even- because you get to eat it. Eating is an extremely intimate process. Before we are willing to put something into our bodies we have to really appreciate it. In the case of food we need to like the way it looks, smells, tastes feels, and how it makes us feel.

In recent years, science has turned its attention to understanding what food means to us, and the results have been interesting, to say the least. Neurologists have discovered that the simple act of eating engages larger portions of our brains than any other activity. But how?

When we think of mentally taxing endeavors we may think of playing Chess, advanced mathematics, novel writing, engineering, and so forth. However, while these take an effort to perform and talent to excel at, they employ limited neurological resources compared to eating. You may be thinking, ‘eating is easy?’ And you’re right. However, when you take in food, your body and brain are assessing it on multiple levels to determine whether the food is safe, whether it has the nutrients we need, how it was prepared, and more.

You may have noticed that the human visual system renders some of the sharpest- most information-rich images in the animal kingdom. Our visual acuity is second only to that of predatory birds who must be able to spot a rabbit in a bush from several hundred feet. We developed keen vision in order to be able to spot fruit from great distances. Our ability to see and perceive also has to match the abilities of advanced predators just to be able to navigate dangerous jungle in order to obtain that distant fruit. Because our large brain makes us so adaptable, we also had to be able to derive a lot of information in a sensory way. Our sophisticated palates are a product of that necessity.

Finally, in today’s information-rich environment, the average person knows a great deal about how food is prepared. The neural networks that contain that knowledge are engaged every time we eat- we literally taste the way the food was made. You really don’t need any explanation other than that to appreciate the fact that eating foods from other cultures is so incredibly fascinating. To discover a little taste of Italy, visit L’Amore today.

Filed Under: Food History Tagged With: Cuisine

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3159 E Lincoln Dr
Phoenix , AZ 85016
Phone: 602.381.3159

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Credit for most photos: Kay W. Eskridge: Images By Kay

Our Hours

Lunch
TBD.
Dinner
Mon – Sat: 4pm–9pm
Saturday Dinner: 4pm–9pm

Sunday Closed

Happy Hour
Mon – Fri: 4:00pm–6:00pm
No happy hour on Saturdays

Holiday Closures: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, sometimes Christmas Eve (call to check), Christmas Day

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