With Australians topping the charts as the most avid internet searchers of Italian food, it’s no surprise our annual Italian issue is so eagerly awaited – and so popular. So whatever taste of Italy you long for, the August issue of delicious., out today, is sure to hit the mark.

The quintessential ‘tomato day’ of Italian cooking is reworked by the team from Sydney’s Cornersmith Cafe and cooking school, who transform a late-season tomato bounty into classic passata and semi-dried tomatoes to serve with confit garlic on ricotta or a tomato and plum salad with tarragon.

Alberto Fava, from Melbourne’s much-loved masters of pasta Tipo00, takes us on a culinary journey in Hand Picked, celebrating his Italian heritage with broad bean and pecorino tortelli, stinging nettle risotto and more glorious seasonal fare.

We take the edge off winter with the help of Three Blue Ducks and Rocker chef Darren Robertson, who makes the most of Italian sausages in dishes such as Tuscan beans with sausage and marjoram, surf and turf pizza, and broccoli gnudi with ’nduja and sage. His recipes are set to become fast family favourites.

Speaking of fast favourites, Phoebe Wood speeds things up in the kitchen with her short pasta dishes. Whether it be braised chicken, rosemary and chilli pasta, tortellini in broth, or walnut, oregano and pecorino pesto fusilli, you’ll be spoilt for choice over which one to throw together for a post-work dinner.

Shannon Bennett turns Italy’s ‘cucina povera’, or ‘poor people’s food’, into a right royal feast. With dishes including tomato, pickled cucumber and yesterday’s bread salad, leftover roast ribollita, and braised rabbit with creamy polenta, you definitely won’t feel like you’re eating frugally.

With nourishing wellness in mind, Charlotte Binns-McDonald dedicates a whole feature to gluten-free readers. Dig in to Italian-influenced treats including goat’s cheese gnudi, cavolo nero and ’nduja pizza, prune and nut crostata, and much more.

Sydney chef Mike McEnearney is also making heroes of nourishing ingredients in an extract from his latest book, Real Food. He proves eating for health and wellness doesn’t have to be a chore with nutrient- and flavour-packed ingredients such as artichokes, asparagus, leatherjacket, lamb and buckwheat.

Silvia Colloca brings a hint of spring to our pages with her Italian picnic menu, more than worthy of a trip to the Portsea Polo. Traditional favourites such as arancini, bruschetta and panna cotta are reworked into canapé-sized delights.

If your daily latte isn’t giving you the caffeine hit you need, then Jamie Oliver has the answer. With seven coffee-heavy desserts, your dinner party guests will be buzzing – no need for that post-dinner espresso!

Also delivering Italian-accented desserts is Samantha Coutts, with wicked treats from Calabria to Campania. Her ‘secret ingredient’ chocolate-hazelnut tiramisu will have you spellbound and a ’70s-style limoncello sorbet brings a burst of colour to winter.

If all this Italian eating has you dreaming of la dolce vita, you’ll be booking your ticket to Turin once you read Shannon Harley’s guide to the northern Italian gem. Also dreaming of Italy is Joanna Savill, who brings us a top-to-toe, east-to-west guide to the country’s greatest culinary hits. Closer to home, enjoy Melbourne chef Adam D’Sylva’s insider guide to Victoria’s Mornington Pensinsula.

With so much incredible content, we’re sure out annual Italian issue is your ticket to the good life. Be sure to buy your copy today.