Italians really do eat Spaghetti and Meatballs! We head to Abruzzo to learn the ancient origins of this all-American dish. Plus, we share two more red sauce recipes with surprising origin stories: Charred Red-Sauce Spaghetti (Spaghetti all’Assassina) and Slow-Cooked Short Rib Ragù with Pasta.

Milk Street dresses up salads, from a warm Greek bean salad to a Spanish twist on Caesar.

Christopher Kimball travels to the Saxon villages of Transylvania with author Irina Georgescu to learn the secrets of Romanian baking. Back at Milk Street, we make Romanian Crème Fraîche Cake (Lichiu), a sweet yeasted dough with a lemony filling anda custard topping; a new spin on apple pie, Romanian Apple Pie with Cinnamon and Walnuts; and last but not least, Meringue-Topped Cake with Cherries.

Calabrian panzanella; Burmese tomato salad with shallots and peanuts; tomato conserva; upside-down tomato tart with Parmesan pastry.