• Many Italian dishes correspond with the dietary restrictions of Lent.italian cooking image by William Berry from Fotolia.com
  
  Lent is a time of spiritual reflection and self denial in the Catholic faith. Catholics often fast during this liturgical season that precedes Easter. Appropriate fasting dictates that the faithful consume two small meals and one regular meal daily, abstaining from meat each Friday during Lent. The spiritual discipline of fasting has resulted in many delicious Italian recipes handed down for generations.
  
  

Eggplant Appetizer

• Eggplant appetizer, Caponatina, is a classic Sicilian bitter-sweet appetizer. Finely chopped eggplant is accented by diced onion, celery, red bell pepper and olives, cooked in a tomato base. A small amount of capers, pine nuts and raisins are tossed in with oil and vinegar dressing, and the mixture is served on dry toast or over pasta. A satisfying version of this recipe can be found at great-chicago-italian-recipes.com.
  
  

Lentil Soup

• Lentil soup, Minestra di lenticchie, is a traditional Italian soup made with pasta and fresh vegetables. The lentils and pasta make this dish hearty and filling. There are many Italian lentil soup recipes. Their main ingredients are lentils, pasta, broth, garlic, and fresh vegetables. Fresh herbs such as parsley and oregano can be added for extra flavor. Lenten variations of lentil soup use vegetable broth and lots of vegetables. Anna Maria Volpi has a delicious recipe on her website, annamariavolpi.com.
  
  

Risotto

• Risotto, a classic Italian rice dish, is made on the stove. Rice is sautéed, simmered slowly with broth and accented with your choice of main ingredients dictated by the seasons. To make risotto, you need to carefully follow the process for best results. Timing is crucial for the chemistry of starches to produce the right texture and flavor. You can learn this process at youtube.com/watch?v=rbykrz6vyr4.
  
  

Tiella

• Tiella is a pot pie casserole that has many different fillings. People living by the sea in Italy add octopus and mussels to this dish, while those living inland opt to include mushrooms, potatoes, spinach and zucchini. Ingredients are sandwiched between bread dough and cooked in the oven. Some versions are made with bread crumb layers instead of the traditional bread pocket. Michael Chiarello shares an interesting recipe that has been in his family for generations at napastyle.com.