ITALIAN is one of the most popular ethnic cuisines in North America, and understandably so.

What's not to like about tomato sauce, cheese and pasta? The rustic cooking of Italy is true comfort food; supremely flavourful and made with simple, easy-to-find ingredients. Here are recipes for three Italian restaurant classics. They're a snap to make and sure to please your famiglia. Buon appetito!

Minestrone Magnifico

Minestrone means "big soup" in Italian, and this is definitely big on taste. Serve with crusty Italian bread.

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1½ cups half-inch pieces of trimmed fresh green beans, or 1 medium zucchini, diced

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 796-ml can diced tomatoes

1 398-ml can crushed tomatoes

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 398-ml can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 cup small pasta (elbows, ditali, orecchiete)

freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 ?3 cup 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about four minutes; add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the celery and carrot and cook until they start to soften, about five minutes. Stir in the green beans, oregano, basil, half teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste; cook for three

minutes more. Add the diced and crushed tomatoes and the chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the kidney beans and pasta; cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan and chopped basil. Makes six servings.

Chicken Cacciatore

Serve over cooked spaghetti and sprinkle with Parmesan.

8-10 chicken thighs, skin on

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 large red bell pepper, cut into half-inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

¾ cup dry white wine

1 796-ml can diced tomatoes

¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth

½ tsp dried oregano

2-3 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh basil

In a plastic bag mix together half teaspoon salt and several grindings of black pepper with the flour. Add the chicken thighs to the bag and shake to coat with flour. In a large, heavy sauté pan heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the floured chicken pieces and sauté until browned on both sides, about five minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. In the same pan sauté the onion, red pepper and garlic over medium heat until the onion is tender, about five minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, approximately three minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the broth and the oregano; stir to combine. Add the chicken thighs back to the pan and turn them to coat with the sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover the pan and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 2025 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan; skim off any excess fat from the top of the sauce. If you would like the sauce to be thicker, boil it until it thickens a bit, about another three minutes. To serve, spoon the sauce over the chicken and top with the chopped basil. Makes four servings.

Tiramisu Parfaits

These are best made the night before serving to allow time for the flavours to meld. The alcohol in the recipe sterilizes the raw egg yolks so they are safe to eat.

1 package crisp lady fingers, available at large supermarkets

250 gr mascarpone cheese

2 egg yolks

1½ cups strong black coffee (espresso is best), room temperature

1 ?3 cup plus 1 Tbsp granulated sugar 2 Tbsp rum

1 cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp each cocoa powder and grated dark chocolate to garnish

Place the coffee in a shallow bowl; dip biscuits into the coffee one by one, turning to wet them all over. Don't saturate them, just get them evenly wet.

Place biscuits in the bottoms of six clear glass dessert dishes, each about one cup capacity (cut biscuits to fit if necessary). In a medium bowl beat together the egg yolks and sugar with an electric mixer until very light yellow and thick. Add the rum and continue beating until creamy. Beat in the mascarpone cheese until completely incorporated and smooth. In a separate bowl beat the whipping cream to fairly firm peaks; fold it into the mascarpone mixture. Place a heaping spoonful over the biscuits in each of the dessert dishes; smooth to cover evenly. Top the mascarpone in each glass with another layer of soaked biscuits, then add another layer of mascarpone. Sprinkle tops with cocoa powder. Refrigerate until ready to serve; sprinkle a little grated chocolate over top of each parfait. Makes six servings.

Angela Shellard was born and raised on the North Shore and is a self-professed foodie. She has done informal catering for sports and business functions and enjoys entertaining family and friends at home. Contact Angela at ashellard@hotmail. ca.