Welcome to Italian Street Kitchen! I’m Isabella, and I’m excited to share with you the essential Italian ingredients that are the heart and soul of our dishes. At Italian Street Kitchen, we believe the secret to authentic Italian cuisine lies in using high-quality, traditional ingredients. These are the same ingredients that have been used in Italian kitchens for generations, and they’re the foundation of every delicious meal we serve in our restaurants. Whether you’re a seasoned chef or just starting your culinary journey, having these staples in your pantry will bring the flavours of Italy right to your home kitchen. Let’s explore these authentic Italian ingredients together and discover how they can transform your cooking!
1. Authentic Italian Olive Oil
I honestly couldn’t make much Italian food without olive oil, and I consider it to be the lifeblood of Italian cooking. Olive oil is in all of the pizzas at my Bella Vista restaurant, basically anything that’s cooked in a pan, it’s a must for salad dressings, and even just dipping some crusty bread in olive oil and balsamic vinegar is a classic Italian starter.
High-quality extra virgin olive oil is the foundation of Italian cooking. At Italian Street Kitchen, I use a cold-pressed olive oil from Italy with a fruity, slightly peppery flavour. It’s perfect for drizzling over salads, finishing pasta dishes, or simply for dipping in bread.
2. Italian Pasta Sauce
Our Italian pasta sauce is a genuine labour of love. Start with ripe San Marzano tomatoes, add garlic, onions, and a blend of herbs – all classic Italian seasoning ingredients – then simmer slowly to perfection. The result is a rich, slightly sweet sauce with a velvety texture. It’s the foundation of many of our pasta dishes, but it’s also great on pizza or as a dipping sauce. This versatile ingredient brings the sun-kissed flavours of Italy to your table.
3. Tomatoes
When tomatoes were first introduced to Italy in the 16th century, many Italians thought they were poisonous, but since then they have become critical to our cuisine. They’re great whether raw or cooked and essential to so many pastas, pizzas, salads and stews.
You can make plenty of tomato-based dishes at home, but in the restaurant, one of the foods where the majesty of the tomato shines is my Margherita pizza. Its simplicity allows the tomato to really sing as a dominant flavour.
4. Authentic Basil Pesto
Basil pesto is a vibrant green sauce that originates from Genoa in the Liguria region, and is one of the most common ingredients in Italian cuisine. I make my pesto with fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and high-quality olive oil. The result is a fragrant, slightly chunky sauce with a rich, nutty flavour. I love using it to dress pasta, spread on bruschetta, or as a flavour boost in soups. It’s incredibly versatile and adds an instant taste of Italy to any dish!
Best when freshly picked, it pairs exceptionally well with garlic, tomatoes, cheeses and lemon. I use it in most tomato pasta sauces, as well as pizzas like Margherita, and the classic caprese salad.
One of the great things about basil is that it’s easy to grow at home, so you can always have access to it fresh. Once your plant is flourishing, I’d urge you to make some pesto as it’s very easy, with basil being the main ingredient. Pesto is a garlicky sauce that is extremely versatile so it can enhance a great number of homemade dishes.
5. Italian Herbs – Oregano & Basil
Fresh herbs are the secret to bringing Italian dishes to life, and I particularly love to use plenty of oregano and basil. Oregano has a robust, slightly bitter flavour that’s perfect for tomato-based sauces and pizza. Basil, with its sweet, peppery taste, is wonderful in salads, pasta, and, of course, pesto. These herbs are genuine Italian seasoning ingredients that add that unmistakable aroma and flavour to our dishes.
6. Mozzarella or Delicious Burrata
Mozzarella is the star of many Italian dishes and surely one of the world’s favourite Italian ingredients. At Italian Street Kitchen, the mozzarella is made from fresh, high-quality milk and stored in brine to ensure its full flavour is retained.. I love using mozzarella on our pizzas, in our Caprese salads, and baked into our pasta dishes. Whether it’s torn over a salad or melted on a pizza, mozzarella adds that quintessential Italian touch to any dish.
Burrata is a true indulgence from Puglia in the south of Italy. It’s a fresh cheese made from mozzarella and cream, with a solid outer shell and a creamy, soft interior. At Italian Street Kitchen, we love to serve it simply with a drizzle of olive oil and some crusty bread, allowing its rich, buttery flavour to shine. It’s also fantastic in salads or as a pizza topping. The way it oozes when cut open also makes it one of the more show-stopping ingredients in Italian food!
7. Red and White Cooking Wine
While we love to drink wine to complement our classic dishes, it also happens to be a key Italian cooking ingredient in many of them. I love to use both red and white wines in my creations for Italian Street Kitchen. White wine adds acidity and depth to risottos and seafood dishes, while red wine is perfect for rich meat sauces. And just remember – a splash of wine can elevate a simple pasta sauce to something truly special.
8. Porcini Mushrooms
Porcini mushrooms are prized in Italian cuisine for their rich, earthy flavour, and at different times in my creations for Italian Street Kitchen I will use both fresh and dried porcini. Fresh porcini are wonderful sautéed and served with pasta, while dried porcini are great for adding depth to risottos and sauces. Porcini is another of those Italian cooking ingredients that adds an intense flavour – and a touch of luxury – to the right dish.
9. Anchovies
Anchovies might be small, but they pack a big flavour punch! These little fish are cured in salt, giving them an intense, savoury taste. I use anchovies to add depth to my pasta sauces and pizza toppings, and also in my Caesar salad dressing. Anchovies are one of those Italian cooking ingredients where just a small amount can transform a dish, adding that umami flavour that’s so characteristic of Italian cuisine.
10. Ricotta Cheese
Ricotta is a fresh, creamy cheese with a slightly sweet flavour, and an Italian ingredient I love to use for both sweet and savoury dishes. It is of course the key ingredient in our spinach and ricotta ravioli, while it also adds a lovely lightness to my desserts. I enjoy cooking with ricotta for both its versatility and simplicity – often it’s the perfect addition to one of my creamy pasta creations.
Learn more about Italian Ingredients and how to use them with Isabella’s Pantry!
Want to dive deeper into the world of Italian ingredients? Take a visit to Isabella’s Pantry. Here, you’ll find detailed information about authentic Italian ingredients, recipes, and tips on how to use them in your cooking. It’s like having a little piece of Italian Street Kitchen in your own home! And for the authentic experience, make a booking in one of our beautiful restaurants. Take a look through our full menu here.
FAQs
What is the most widely used Italian Ingredient?
Olive oil is arguably the most widely used Italian ingredient. It’s the foundation of most Italian dishes, used for cooking, dressing salads, and finishing dishes. I love to add a splash of extra virgin olive oil in almost everything I make, from my pasta sauces to my salad dressings. It’s not just a cooking fat, but a flavour enhancer that brings out the best in other ingredients.
What are some popular Italian dishes?
Where to begin! Some of the most popular Italian dishes include pasta classics such as spaghetti carbonara and fettuccine alfredo, pizza varieties such as margherita and quattro formaggi, and hearty mains like osso buco and chicken parmigiana. At Italian Street Kitchen, I bring my own flair and traditional Italian style to many of these beloved dishes. You can find recipes for some of my favourites in Isabella’s Pantry, like our rigatoni bolognese and crab ravioli. These dishes showcase the beautiful simplicity of Italian cuisine, where quality ingredients are allowed to shine.
