News Chefs Irresistible Italian-Inspired Recipes from Nancy Silverton By Food & Wine Editors Updated on March 13, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: John Kernick Pioneering Los Angeles chef Nancy Silverton has been creating big, delicious waves since the 1980s, starting with her role as opening pastry chef at Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Beverly Hills. In 1989, after falling in love with Italian cuisine while vacationing in Tuscany, Silverton co-founded both the Cali-Italian restaurant Campanile and La Brea Bakery to virtually instant acclaim, the latter of which ushered the city squarely into the artisan bread movement. She became famous for her fabulous grilled cheese sandwiches in 1998 and is credited for igniting a worldwide trend. In 2014, Silverton received top honors with the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award. Today, she heads up several beloved L.A. dining establishments, most notably the Michelin-starred Osteria Mozza. Get a taste of Nancy Silverton's affinity for fresh, straightforward flavors with this collection of recipes she's contributed to Food & Wine over the years. 01 of 23 Pasta with Guanciale, Radicchio, and Ricotta © John Kernick To make this rich pasta, 1990 F&W Best New Chef Nancy Silverton sautés guanciale (cured pork jowl) and then cooks the radicchio and red onions in the rendered fat. She likes to use a little-known pasta called calamarata — which looks like thick squid rings — to catch the sauce, but any wide, tubular pasta is great. Get the Recipe 02 of 23 Spring Gem Salad with Soft Herbs and Labneh Toasts Photo by Jennifer Causey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn Nancy Silverton says the first sign of spring is when she puts this salad on the menu at Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles. She dresses the asparagus, peas, radishes, and sugar snap peas with a lemon vinaigrette, then offers toasts topped with labneh alongside, turning this ode to spring produce into a light lunch or first course for dinner. Get the Recipe 03 of 23 Five-Herb Frittata with Prosciutto and Parmesan John Kernick Nancy Silverton has strong opinions about frittatas. She likes them to be creamy like scrambled eggs, with various toppings like prosciutto, cheese, and a generous amount of herbs. At her dinner parties, she often serves this 15-minute frittata as a side dish, so guests can cut wedges at the table. Get the Recipe 04 of 23 Golden Chicken Thighs with Charred Lemon Salsa Verde © John Kernick This crispy, delicious chicken is baked with lemon and garlic and served with a vibrant salsa verde made with pieces of oven-roasted lemon. Get the Recipe 05 of 23 Beets with Chicories, Yogurt, and Sherry Mustard Vinaigrette Photo by Jennifer Causey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn Roasting beets with the skins intact is a trick chef Nancy Silverton picked up from the restaurant North Abraxas in Tel Aviv, and uses to great effect in this salad. Roasting the beets with the skins on means you get both the bright, colorful flesh and the crinkled papery skin. Don't skip eating the beet tails, which emerge from the roasting pan crispy and salty. Get the Recipe 06 of 23 Herbed Chickpea Bruschetta © John Kernick The key to these delicious bruschetta from Nancy Silverton is lots of olive oil. After she bakes the chickpeas with a variety of flavorings — including onions, pancetta, and carrots — she purees them with a good amount of oil, spreads the puree on toasts, and drizzles with a little more oil. Get the Recipe 07 of 23 Antipasto Salad with Bocconcini and Green-Olive Tapenade © Greg DuPree This no-cook salad from Los Angeles chef Nancy Silverton, inspired by the antipasto in Italian-American restaurants, is a delicious toss of iceberg lettuce, mozzarella, salami, and olives in an oregano-laced dressing. Get the Recipe 08 of 23 Baked Onions with Fennel Breadcrumbs © John Kernick These simple, incredibly flavorful onions are baked in the oven until they're falling-apart tender. Fennel seeds punch up the crispy breadcrumb topping. Get the Recipe 09 of 23 Sautéed Spinach with Lemon and Garlic Olive Oil © John Kernick "In every little restaurant in Umbria, there are sautéed greens on the menu," says Nancy Silverton. Here, she blanches spinach, then sautés it in garlic-spiked oil until all the leaves are thoroughly coated. Get the Recipe 10 of 23 Grilled Cheese with Corn and Calabrian Chile Photo by Tara Donne / Food Styling by Chris Lanier / Prop Styling by Raina Kattelson This upgraded grilled cheese is filled with a charred sweet corn-studded blend of nutty English cheddar, sharp caciocavallo, and just enough mayonnaise to bind it all together. Thick slices of sourdough get a beautifully buttery, golden crust in a cast-iron skillet, while Calabrian chile sneaks in with just the right amount of heat. Get the Recipe 11 of 23 Rosemary-Garlic Lamb Chops with Pimentón and Mint © John Kernick Nancy Silverton adores the grilled, herb-flecked lamb chops scottadito ("burnt fingers"). Here, she adds a kick to the lamb by garnishing it with smoky pimentón de la Vera and little mint leaves. Get the Recipe 12 of 23 Burrata with Speck, Peas, and Mint © David Malosh Nancy Silverton is known for deliberate simplicity, and this dish is no exception. Though it's not strictly a spring dish, that's the feeling the meld of lavishly creamy cheese, pungent mint, tender peas, and smoky speck evokes. A no-fuss dressing of lemon juice and olive oil, along with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan, offers harmonious balance in every last bite. Get the Recipe 13 of 23 Harvest Salad with Gorgonzola, Bacon, and Concord Grapes © Christina Holmes This great salad combines tender Bibb lettuce with an array of tasty ingredients: smoky bacon, Gorgonzola cheese, toasted hazelnuts, and sweet Concord grapes. Get the Recipe 14 of 23 Nancy Silverton's Tomato-Oregano Pizza © Lauren Volo This outstanding cheese-less pizza recipe is modeled after the pies at cult favorite Pepe in Grani outside of Naples, Italy. Get the Recipe 15 of 23 Raspberry Custard Tart © Richard Gerhard Jung "Eating this tart warm is a very sensual experience," claims Nancy Silverton, who found the inspiration for this simple, silky tart in a classic summer combination: "You can't go wrong with raspberries and cream," she says. Get the Recipe 16 of 23 Lamb Meatballs with Red Pepper and Chickpea Sauce © John Kernick Nancy Silverton got this hearty meatball recipe from Matt Molina, the former chef de cuisine at Campanile. When the meatballs are almost cooked through, she pushes them to one side of the skillet and adds the ceci (Italian for chickpeas). That way everything soaks up the flavor of the luscious roasted red pepper sauce. Get the Recipe 17 of 23 Sautéed Cauliflower Frittata with Thyme © John Kernick Nancy Silverton often prepared a tender frittata for her antipasti table at La Terza in Los Angeles. This version includes sautéed cauliflower topped with homemade breadcrumbs for a lovely bit of crunch. Silverton's trick for making small amounts of breadcrumbs is to toast a slice of sourdough bread, rub it with a garlic clove, and grind it in a mortar. Get the Recipe 18 of 23 Fregola Tabbouleh © John Kernick Fregola sarda is a wonderfully chewy mini Italian pasta from Sardinia. Because its size is similar to bulgur wheat's, Nancy Silverton uses it in her fun riff on tabbouleh. Get the Recipe 19 of 23 Spaghetti with Garlic, Onions, and Guanciale © David Malosh This dish is elegant in its simplicity. With so few ingredients, be sure to choose the best you can get your hands on, including a good-quality olive oil, Get the Recipe 20 of 23 Ricotta Gnudi with Chanterelles © Sara Remington These tender gnudi, adapted from Nancy Silverton's Mozza Cookbook, are delicious with buttery chanterelles. Get the Recipe 21 of 23 Little Gem Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette © Sara Remington Nancy Silverton's lovely salad, also adapted from her Mozza Cookbook, features Little Gem lettuce, a smaller, sweeter variety of romaine. If you can't find it, use hearts of romaine instead. Get the Recipe 22 of 23 Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Pie © John Kernick If you don't want to make a caramel or fudge sauce, Nancy Silverton suggests using high-quality jarred ones like King's Cupboard cream caramel sauce and Scharffen Berger chocolate sauce. Get the Recipe 23 of 23 Stovetop Asparagus Frittata © CHRIS COURT For this single-serving frittata, Silverton cooks the eggs gently, then tops them with asparagus, prosciutto, and crème fraîche. Since the frittata is not warmed in the oven, it’s best to have the toppings at room temperature. Also, keep them near the pan so you can work quickly once the eggs are cooked. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit