Italy

Naples' most famous gift to the world: a blistered wood-fired crust with San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, fresh basil and olive oil — the colors of the Italian flag. Ingredients: pizza dough (flour, water, yeast, salt), San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella, fresh basil, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt. Recipe: 1) Stretch the dough to a thin round with a puffy edge. 2) Spread crushed tomatoes lightly. 3) Tear mozzarella over the top. 4) Bake at maximum heat (ideally a wood oven, 2-3 minutes) until spotted and bubbling. 5) Finish with basil and olive oil. Serve: hot, folded a libretto. History: created in Naples in 1889 for Queen Margherita, whose name it bears. Note: Italy has no single official national dish; pizza Margherita is its most internationally recognized emblem.

Milan's golden saffron risotto: creamy Carnaroli rice, slowly stirred with butter, white wine, broth and Parmigiano, tinted gold by saffron. Ingredients: Carnaroli rice, saffron threads, onion, butter, dry white wine, hot meat or vegetable broth, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt. Recipe: 1) Bloom saffron in warm broth. 2) Sweat onion in butter, toast the rice until translucent. 3) Deglaze with wine. 4) Add broth a ladle at a time, stirring, about 18 minutes until al dente and creamy. 5) Beat in cold butter and Parmigiano off the heat. Serve: on flat plates, tapped level, eaten at once. History: born in 16th-century Milan; legend ties its gold color to a stained-glass apprentice's wedding feast.

Milanese braised veal shanks, slow-cooked until the meat falls from the bone and the marrow is spooned from the center. Ingredients: veal shanks, flour, onion, carrot, celery, white wine, tomato paste, broth, bay leaf, lemon zest, garlic, parsley. Recipe: 1) Tie shanks, flour and brown in butter. 2) Soften onion, carrot and celery. 3) Add wine, tomato paste and broth. 4) Braise covered on low heat about 2 hours until tender. 5) Make gremolata from lemon zest, garlic and parsley. Serve: with saffron risotto, gremolata scattered over. History: a Milanese classic whose name means 'bone with a hole', prized for the marrow.